Boots or wellies?!?!?

Miroku500

Member
Evening folks,
im getting married soon and the soon to be mother in law wants to buy me either a pair of boots or wellies for my shooting, my question to you all is what to go for? I have ran to the ground my hunter balmorals and I really did like them because of the firm ankle support but only got two seasons out of them so not going with them again, had muckboots before which were great apart from there grip in the wet and squeaked on wet grass when stalking, I tried agile paracos iso 2 and felt the ankle support was very poor and very tight trying to get them off, looked at the Mendel drove and really liked these. What's your opinions on what to get? Thanks.
 
Not a big fan of wellies but even I accept they are necessary at certain times of the year.

I went through two pairs of muckboots in quick succession and when the second pair broke, I refused a replacement and took the companies suggestion of trying a boot called Skellerup Quatro. Insulated neoprene, properly warm (too warm for me if its not winter) and impossible to slip on mucky concrete. They were designed for kiwi dairy farmers. I really like them. They are like slippers. If you don't care for fashion and want something fit for purpose, they are awesome and not that pricey. About 70quid I think.

All other times of year I am a boot person. I don't go for shooting branded boots. Currently got Mammut Ayako GTX boots. I am happy with them so far. Properly waterproof, really comfy, both stiff and supple enough for fell walking and approach work and one of the rare goretex products that actually seems to breathe a little in the warmer weather.
 
Boots.

I always wore boots and thought I would try wellies too. Almost broke my ankle on uneven ground as they offer little or no suport.

A good pair of boots will keep your feet dry and guve good support.
 
Boots for me, Meindl Dovre extreme, I borught a pair & the first day was spent walking miles beating on a partridge day. I forgot I had them on. Excellent boot in my opion.
 
Congratulations on the forthcoming marriage.

Boots or Wellies. We get this a lot in the shop. It really depends on what you are doing. In the ideal world you need both as with footwear one style does not suit all functions, Sandals for beating, Pumps for muddy fields, wellies for flint fields or freshly clipped thorn hedges.

Our advise would be: Wellies for very wet weather and for muddy conditions. Nowadays, with the range of Neoprene & breathable options, there are loads to choose from. You can get a Neoprene pair and add a space insole into them in warmer weather to take up the slack of a thinner sock, or get two good pairs of unlined and neoprene. Price wise, you can get two good pairs for around £150 for both.
Sole: There are loads of different types of sole, just like tyres. Each designed for different conditions.
Leather boots are perfect for rough hard terrain where the undergrowth is coarse and likely to cause damage to rubber. The reason we recommend wellies for very wet conditions is that leather will soak up water, even when oiled, so will tend to get a little heavier. Some don't notice, but other people do feel the weight difference.
You're in Ayrshire, so have the topography and terrain around is not flint clay, so ploughed feild work is fine for wellies. Gerneraly west coast is very wet weather, so wellies are always better in those conditions. If you not planing to farm animals in them, We would recommend rubber blended wellies or if you are farming, you need a acifort or purofort wellington, these are a bit more industrial looking but do the job superbly.
Which? They are not all the same like cars, they come with different features and benefits. Features are only useful if you are going to use them and then they are benefits. Zips are great to get your trousers folded comfortably inside then zipped shut. The quality of these zips are great and will give good service, but need to be looked after, i.e cleaned washed out and grit and dirt removed as this does grind away at the stitching and the teeth.

If you want to talk through options, call us and we can talk you though all the above and answer any questions.

For note: Harkila Forresters have been re-designed and are now using the latest rubber technogolgy, and have been constructed under the watchful guidance of the orginal chap from Hunter and if you know hunters of many years ago, you will likely still have a pair going strong.

The store is open 7 days and our number is 01525 211488 ask for Brendan.

Andrew
Rugged Tough Work Clothing, Country Clothing and Tactical
Wellingtons - Footwear
 
Gortex leather boots for winter. Desert boots for summer and Wellington boots for walking the dog when wet summer or winter.
 
Wellies.

Can't see past them in Scotland. Even taken to wearing them when walking in to go fishing in hill lochs. I grew up wearing sandals in rough conditions, so I'm not really bothered by the alleged lack of support.

I think the the only place where I would choose boots now is clearfell.
 
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