[Dan]

Found out during the week that my old Hunter wellies have developed a leak. 

Just ordered a new pair of Hunter Balmoral Neoprene wellies, bargain at £69.99 - http://amzn.to/oMaGvS

Can recommend the neoprene ones if anyone's looking for wellies - very snug in the colder months. 

[Sylvia]

Seventy quid for a pair of wellies I'm a Mole Valley Farmer five quid a pair person! I did actually try a pair of Hunter wellies (given to me ) and didn't find them at all comfortable, made the arches of my feet ache.

[Dan]

Well, my current (now leaky) pair of Hunters are about 5 years old, and have been worn most days, sometimes for hours on end.

Over the piece I reckon they're pretty good value, and I find them really comfy, and this seventy quid pair are usually 110 quid. 

Each to their own I guess, but I've always worked on the principle that I've only got one pair of feet, they're all that's between me and the ground (most of the time) so it pays to look after them. 

[lachlanandmarcus]

I hope (and suspect they are) that the neoprene hunters are better quality rubber than the standard hunters.... as they have gone downhill in quality/durability big time in the last couple of years, they were lasting me 4 months before splitting. After the 4th pair I defected and ordered neoprene Le chameau for (eeek look away now!) £95 and they have been fantastic to date (nearly a year), they are like new.

Apparently Hunters switched to the far east for manufacturing about the same time as quality went through the floor.

Hopefully your new ones will be fine ( I dont like being Typhoid Mary!) but if not dont take any C%^& from them, as they wont be able to argue everyone else is happy - can point to the posts eg on Horse and Hound forum on this subject if you need any ammo!

[Sandy]

I see it like this, £70 is good value for the rough wear, I want some too but I do like the neoprene  ones like I have already...some people pay a lot more for a pair of Jimmy chu shoes that are only worn to impress!!! 

[Dan]

After the 4th pair I defected and ordered neoprene Le chameau for (eeek look away now!) £95 and they have been fantastic to date (nearly a year), they are like new.

Hopefully your new ones will be fine ( I dont like being Typhoid Mary!) but if not dont take any C%^& from them, as they wont be able to argue everyone else is happy - can point to the posts eg on Horse and Hound forum on this subject if you need any ammo!

Brilliant, thanks for the tip, if they don't live up to expectations I'll definitely be returning them and looking for an alternative. Le Chameau look great, are they an Aigle brand?

[fifixx]

I had Hunters once, but found them really slippery - not good in a field full of ice and mud.....

Buck boots are my current ones - brilliant as they have a tab on each side to pull them on with!

[JulieS]

I've got the Aigle Vario Neoprene wellies....Can highly recommend them.  I used to go through wellies every 4 months til I got these......I've had them 6 months now and still going strong.

I was reluctant to start with to spend such a lot on wellies, but they are proving to be good value.

[lachlanandmarcus]

After the 4th pair I defected and ordered neoprene Le chameau for (eeek look away now!) £95 and they have been fantastic to date (nearly a year), they are like new.

Hopefully your new ones will be fine ( I dont like being Typhoid Mary!) but if not dont take any C%^& from them, as they wont be able to argue everyone else is happy - can point to the posts eg on Horse and Hound forum on this subject if you need any ammo!

Brilliant, thanks for the tip, if they don't live up to expectations I'll definitely be returning them and looking for an alternative. Le Chameau look great, are they an Aigle brand?

I dont think so, at least it doesnt appear so from the websites etc. Le Chameau are French and have been going since 1927 apparently. I do have some Aigle clothes but havent tried their boots to date....Aigle is the name of a place in Switzerland so maybe they are Swiss not French

[SallyintNorth]

Just a note to those who may be new to keeping cattle...  cattle wee cuts through any rubber (and I think neoprene counts for this purpose) like nothing else on the holding...

I now accept that my £40 pair of <current favourite> (at the moment that's Dunlop Purfort Professional; light as a feather, great grip) will leak within 12 months. If I get 18 months I'm delighted.

Prior to being exposed to cattle wee I loved my Le Chameau's - grip like no other, and the tread outlasted any wellie I've ever had (and every Brasher boot.)  Like Dan, the £10/year or £80 in 2001 for a pair still going strong argument is finely balanced, and the Le C's are very very comfortable.  I still have the Le C's but dare not wear them near cattle wee...

My calves (the bits of my legs between the knee and ankle, not the baby cattle) are far too fat for Hunters, always have been, so can't comment on that make from personal experience at all.

[Bionic]

Sally,
You have just touched on the subject I was going to post on.  Which wellies are good for big calves?  My current ones (only cheapies) are pretty tight and there is no room to tuck my trousers in.
I will pay more for a good pair. Any suggestions?

Sally

[robert waddell]

Welles     the most important item on a farm/ smallholding        hunters are made in china  and yes they used to last and now they don't
cattle urine cuts through rubber    it causes the rubber to perish  especially where the rubber creases at the ankle  hunter have no grip in ice and Snow then it is your arse that requires the attention(when you fall on it)    bat fastard legs can be accommodated with Le c   and aglie  also the hunters that Dan has ordered     the best for grip and surviving urine are Nora's but they are cold in winter and only suit shona spirkle legs
what suits one does not suit everybody
as an aside i think pig urine is more corrosive than cattle urine     also the agri version of hunters (argyll)are just as crap and only grip on tarmac
as you get older your bones take longer to mend   its an easy choice stay on your feet or slide on your arse

[Bionic]

Robert are you calling me a bat fastard? 

[robert waddell]

i have the same legs now

[chickenfeed]

i gave up on wellies after trying most brands inc the cheap ones, the last pair of hunters lasted a couple of months when i contacted them i was told no wellies would stand the test of urine especially pigs  i now wear rigger boots around the yard so far i have got 2 years out of them, they still have pleanty of wear left in them too.