Wellies, spawn of the devil or a massage by a (non gender) maiden)

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The Singing Stalker

The Singing Stalker

Well-Known Member
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So, I never wear wellies. I can only see one advantage to them.
You can take them off or put them on quickly. No laces.
Other than that, and maybe waterproof, I find them, heavy, cold, uncomfortable, sock eaters.

Am I missing something?
Should I be looking to invest in a pair?
I think the last pair I bought off the market years and years ago, to go to a bike rally as I knew the site was going to be a quagmire.

I had a pair of Le Cheamau boots, not wellies, sort of mix of leather ish and some technical material, but they had a zip on the side and lasted nearly 10 years. Zip bust, replaced that but the replacement didn’t last. Oh, how I cried. Loved those boots.
They seem to have stopped making that style of boot and now make wellies at stupid prices.

Which side of the fence do you come down on?
To welly, or not to welly. What are your life experiences with wellies?
 
I hate wellies too..

I wear waterproof side zip boots 6 days a week for up to 14hrs a day. Other than wading through an actual river, they do everything I need from waterproof footwear.
 
The Singing Stalker said:
So, I never wear wellies. I can only see one advantage to them.
You can take them off or put them on quickly. No laces.
Other than that, and maybe waterproof, I find them, heavy, cold, uncomfortable, sock eaters.

Am I missing something?
Should I be looking to invest in a pair?
I think the last pair I bought off the market years and years ago, to go to a bike rally as I knew the site was going to be a quagmire.

I had a pair of Le Cheamau boots, not wellies, sort of mix of leather ish and some technical material, but they had a zip on the side and lasted nearly 10 years. Zip bust, replaced that but the replacement didn’t last. Oh, how I cried. Loved those boots.
They seem to have stopped making that style of boot and now make wellies at stupid prices.

Which side of the fence do you come down on?
To welly, or not to welly. What are your life experiences with wellies?
Click to expand...

Wellies (Aigle in my case.)

Waterproof, comfortable (if you do your research and wear the correct socks), zero maintenance and blood etc. just hoses off.

maximus otter
 
I dislike wellies and look forward to ditching them come April but they are a necessary evil.

And if you buy Skellerup quatro insulated then you get slipper like comfort and don't have to worry about the cold unless you are unfortunate enough to be one of those people who feels the cold very much. I cannot wear mine outside of winter or I would melt. I have even worn them bare foot before
 
I also hate wellies, but have a pair of Skellerups which are actually alright.

They're a lot easier to clean the shite off, just stand them upside down on a pole and blast them with the pressure washer. If it's not too clarty though I always wear boots. Mrs lives in wellies. Horses for courses.
 
Depends on what I'm doing, sometimes boots, sometimes wellies. If I'm going to be stood in liquid shite and water for hours on end, then it's the wellies. Did have some Seeland wellies, which were pretty good until the mice had them.

Recently purchased some Skellerup quattro's and so far I'm extremely happy with them as they have an insole which supports my knackered arches. Like Cottis said, "Slipper like comfort".
 
Another for wellies here - apart from sodding about with laces and faffing with gaiters at stupid o'clock in the morning, wellies are waterproof, warm, tick proof and maintenance free.

Aigle Parcour for the summer, Parcour ISO 2 for the cold and Grubbs Eskline for the real cold.
 
I wear Aigle Parcours ISO wellies around the farm, and also for most of my local stalking. I'm now on my third pair, and can't fault them
 
Long story' I used to wear Hunter wellies, they were the business? had at least 4 pairs covered about 30 years in all, summer clay shoot work parties sweaty feet WINTER COLD FEET ALL DAY! Year 2000' my stalking mentors wife used to suffer as I did until she tried, AIGLE Neoprene size 7. never had cold feet again even wearing normal socks! she told me I am size 7, said I, then TRY THEM ON! said She, PERFECT said I.
Well I still have and wear the New pair given as a Xmas present that same year. They are worn from the brambles and barbed wire eventually caused a leak although "Stormsure" came to the rescue!

BC.
 
I had a pair of Le Chameau GTX boots too Declan and thought they were the bees-n-ees until they started leaking. Now, they are for dry cold days only. I've tried many boots but not found a reliable dry solution especially stalking up in Scotland. About 5 years ago it dawned on me that the 2 Arran BASC guys were always wearing wellies and hence my journey changed. After a series of non-ideal options I'm now on my third pair of Harkila Orton Zip wellies. They came with a 2-year guarantee and the first pair started leaking in an area of high flex just before the 2 years were up. These were replaced under guarantee and now those are suffering similarly so after 4 years, I've bought another pair. They have Vibram soles and are as good as any boot in terms of grip and I personally find they provide enough ankle support.

Given the abuse they get and the ability to hose off blood etc, I think it's a fair price to pay for dry feet. Where bogs are likely to be encountered, I've taken to adding a pair of Swazi Puttees at the top and so far, its worked well when I've sunk up to my proverbial. I do have a set of Harkila sneakers and now some Gortex running-shoe type boots for warm Summer stalking but invariably if its wet, damp or boggy, I reach for my wellies.

IMG_3605.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I’ve got nice wellies but wellies are rubbish
6 months recovery from an Achilles tendon injury can vouch for that.

Wear boots
 
I share your hatred, particularly the sock eater reference, this is my biggest beef. I have positively hated the likes of le chameau and aigle for their insistence on slapping a sticky rubber inner heel just to aid the constant removal of socks, however my wife doesn’t suffer the same issue. I’ve recently come to the conclusion the issue is one of fit, le chameau don’t do half sizes so I’ve always had to go up a size which means more foot movement and heel lift. I recently thought I’d have one last go at making them work so bought a pair of snowbee neoprene boot liners (not full length, only just above the ankle) and low and behold, the problem has been sorted…. I now have wellies I can enjoy wearing albeit possibly not in warmer weather!
 
My Lowa boots are comfier, great in water, don't make me sweat as much, and last longer.

All that said, my latest pair of wellies are the business. Only Solognac but they've been lasting brilliantly, the neoprene liner hasn't worn through, they're comfy, they're easy to put on.

If the ground is easy going enough, I tend to reach for them a lot now. For sure footedness on rough ground though, nothing beats a good pair of boots

17265979389634638592953354470028.webp
 
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