 thanks everyone. some things to think about and really useful tips. mr sworld, indeed! really just for winter walking so wet grass/mud and other things i can just ignore. they appeal to me as simple, easy footwear albeit they may cost a few bob. it looks like fox's at amersham may be the "nearest" place with a selection to look at/try on and as a blow i suppose i'd better go for a walk around the area too.
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 My muck boots don't ride up - a nice secure fit. (smug git!)
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 Muk boots come recomended on many shooting and bushcraft forums. Uttings do similar boots made by Grub, some have vibram soles.
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 How about the Saucony Razor? A cross welly/running shoe thingy with Event waterproofing, and a Vibram sole. They look 'interesting'. 
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 I'll add my vote for muck boots. They are fantastically comfortable and warm. One warning, they have almost no grip on slippery mud!
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 I have worn out two pairs of bog-basic Dunlop, £10-a-pair, wellies walking the dog every day. I wear two pairs of socks. My morning dogwalks are usually only a couple of miles, but weekends walks can stretch out a bit. I suppose the furthest I have done in wellies would be 8-10 miles. Quite comfy, a bit sweaty perhaps. Each pair lasts about two years.I have also punctured a few pairs in my time, but not while walking. The biggest problem is deep mud - pulls the wellies off - or rain/overdeep streams getting over the top. The water just stays in there, unlike boots which do get drier eventually.
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 > Where are you walking in the South East of England that requires Wellies? For some sections of the Ridgeway, you'd be better off wearing thigh-length waders...
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Parky - going back to your original post - I know just the sort of folk you have in mind. This summer my wife and I were doing a favourite walk, one I've done probably 20 times and at least half of those walks with my wife. So we know it well. No more than 8 miles of Cornish clifftop. Now I'm wearing a cheap pair of trainers which were a half size too big as I'd hammered out both big toes a few weeks prior and wanted a bit of extra room for a short while. My wife was also wearing 'trainers' - but £80 Merrells made for the job. Around Preddanack we met a couple with the full kit - big packs, two poles apiece, big boots and knee high socks. This in mid August. "You'd best turn around" say they, "It's very boggy further on". Their boots were pristine - looked like straight out of the box. It was a bit damper than usual, but not muddy. Certainly not boggy. What they meant of course, was "oh, you've not the proper footwear as advised by the National Trust". Just as well, if I'd had boots on I know where I'd have applied them!
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| Edited: 15/10/09 11:08 |
lol grumps. i must confess that there was a time when i had comments about people being "incorrectly kitted out". now i like annoying those people who are like i used to be. inov8's, cycling socks, shorts and a flappy shirt (usual tilley hat). sunny, warm day. lowland through fields mainly. coming the other waya couple, boots, gaiters, trews, goretex jacket (done up!) and walking poles. they looked a bit on the warm side. big smile. "afternoon! it's a warm one today isn't it". it now makes me chuckle at what people wear - the "proper" gear rather than for comfort.
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Here you go Parky.
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 the first time i went proper hill walking was in the mournes in the winter when there was about a foot of snow on donard. i wore my £10 wellies with tracksuit bottoms and a 20 year old waterproof jacket (it was my das), you couldnt really call it waterproof anymore) i hadnt a problem with it, they had reasonable grip on them and i didnt have a problem, just wear thick enough socks. hmm thats when it all started, i've come a long way since then, spent a bit more than i would have liked too
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Worked fine on Kili for this gentleman-
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You'll be alright in those boots of Mike's in a bog - waterproof all the way up!
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 I wore rubber boots for most of one summer bushwacking in northern Canada. I never got a single blister, and my feet were fine at the end of the summer except for the plantar warts that developed - the boots get pretty damp inside from sweat, something the warts do well in. At the end of the day I would wring out my socks (I wore lousy cotton socks). I don't recommend this to people, but it goes to show what you can wear if need be. I will admit though, wearing these boots produced a peculiar pattern of hair loss on my lower legs that summer. Probably looked a bit odd when I was wearing my shorts.
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last weekend i ventured out to amersham to fox's - a great shop by the way - to look at wellies. i settled for aigle parcours vario outlast as they were the most comfortable pair they had - excluding the horrendously priced leather lined wellies - and not too heavy. had to go a size lower due to no foot grip inside the wellies. wore them out today to bimble about box hill. excellent. once you get used to your foot moving about inside them they are absolutely fantastic and very, very comfortable. for general bimbling about the south east i think they are going to become my winter favourite. thanks again for all your advice.
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| Edited: 19/12/09 16:51 |
Hi Parky Just wondered how you were getting on with the wellies. It's just that I need a new pair and am trying to find out where to start looking for a comfortable pair that give a bit of support to the foot and have good grip. The old Dunlops had only one virtue -- they were cheap -- so I won't be replacing like with like. Cheers
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they've had a few outings now and were outstanding in the snow around box hill albeit the microspikes should take the credit for that i think. overall i've been very pleased with them. i think the secret is to ensure that your socks fill up the available space (and i wear liner socks too) because your feet move around in them so much so they are, for me, a winter wear (liner socks with thick socks over) as my karisma trews fit into them very nicely. i also use some custom moulded comformable insoles from another pair of boots inside them which helps immensely with supporting and controlling your foot. you must go try wellies on. this is even more important than boots as i think that fit is absolutely paramount. as they've now confined to barracks until next winter it takes abot of getting used to just not heading straight through water and mud.
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 I recently went on a 4 day hike with a friend who wore cheap wellies. They worked very well for her, though she did get what the locals called "welly burns". A bit like blisters part way up the front of the leg, caused by the welly tapping against her skin as she walked. Longer socks would probably have stopped these.
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