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Wednesday, September 17. 2008Boots and Wellies UpdateRe-posted, from The Barrister. Our editor asked me to do a little piece on wellies, as hunting season and wellie season is arriving - snow, slush, mud and muck. I have gone through many pairs from many makers, and I own many pairs now - more than I will ever need. They will probably bury me in one of those pairs, but not soon, one would hope. Wellies are, of course, Wellingtons, named after the Duke of Wellington who was copying Hessian military boots. Only later did the term refer to rubber, rather than leather, muck boots. History of wellies here. (We have been corrected on one detail - that Wellies were invented by Aigle in 1853, not Hunter in 1858.) Different sorts of wellies are made for gardening, walking in the rain, European hunting, and American hunting. Ladies look great in them. I am mainly interested in the rugged, uglier varieties which are suitable to northern climes where mud, snow, slush, muck, streams, and marshy areas abound. Much as I may admire and love the idea of the venerable LL Bean Maine Hunting boot, I tend to return to my rubber boots for all-purpose hunting, wet hiking, snow, marsh work, bird watching, and barn-work: they make you feel that you can go through almost anything. Over the years, the material has improved, and so has the design, so that they are more comfortable, and grip your heel much better so they don't pull off in muck and leave you waving a socked foot helplessly in the air like an idiot. There are several considerations with rubber boots. (Continued below) First, you may want to be able to tuck your trousers into the tops (to keep them dry and to prevent the fraying which happens quickly in raspberry brambles), in which case you need spacious uppers on them. Second, assuming we are talking about uninsulated or lightly insulated�wellies, you need a size that can handle liner socks and heavy socks. I keep different sized boots�for both warm and cold weather. Third, you need to decide what height. I like the maximum height for fording streams, for deep snow, for dew-laden fields, and for bramble protection. Fourth, tread: I like a forceful tread for mud and snow, but the European boots tend to have minimal tread. They aren't used to snow, and their style of hunting does not typically�include brush-busting in swamps - they let the beaters do that. So you have to check the tread. Fifth, lining: for versatile outdoor activity, you want some kind of lining or light insulation. Lastly, color: Color hardly matters, but black and green are classic. Many brands come in camo these days, which I feel is unnecessary since they end up covered with mud anyway if you are going anywhere interesting. I do not like Le Chameau too much - you cannot tuck your pants in them very well, because most�seem to be�designed for breeks which Americans rarely wear. Plus they are too expensive, too fashionable, and most have a lousy tread. Still, they are probably the best-made wellies and they have a following - I own some. I am sorry to say that I do not love my LL Bean boots because the leather uppers get wet,�tend to collapse and chafe your ankles, and they are not made for tucking in trousers. I like Aigle and LaCrosse. Here is one Brit source for some unfamiliar brands, and here is another.�You can find very inexpensive versions of wellies, and they are probably just fine but might wear out faster, but who cares? Worn-out�wellies means you are living. Heavily insulated wellies for standing around in the snow in Vermont, sitting in a duck blind on rocks on a Maine island, studying Polar Bears on Hudson's Bay,�or for ice-fishing in Minnesota,�is another topic for later, perhaps, because standing-around, extreme-cold boots do not need a close fit. Work boots for chain sawing, etc., and plain dry-weather hiking boots are also another subject of interest to me. It's all about "happy feet." And, on the subject of happy feet, never wear boots for 6-8 hours without using foot powder - it works. Photo is one of�a number of�styles of LaCrosse hunting boots, in camo. Comments
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I'm very happy that boots and wellies will be of no need for me this year!!!! :) The fact is that I'm going to the Emirates and it's said to be very hot in autumn and winter there!!! Thus, I prolong summer!!! Huraaaay!!!! :)
I think I just heard someone excited about a trip! Good for you--enthusiasm is tonic--
Yessir, happy feets is a long part of the way to happy person, for sure! I have some of those camo neoprene lined ones for snow shovelling and dealing with winter and spring flooding. The LLBean ones leak, so are kept for guests or children. Some brownish red Frog knee high rubber boots for warmer wet weather.
Otherwise, Dansko clogs with backs most days, or Frye boots, and Birkenstocks in summer. I leave the kitten heeled mules for the bimbos who care about attracting men and who don't walk several miles a day like me. For hiking some battered old leather Merrills. Those Goretex lined ones get too hot, so I prefer the old kind. Actually, your basic New Balance running shoes make the best walking shoes of all. I have about 40 pairs of old Ferragamos, sandals, pumps, dancing shoes from my youth saved against the unlikely day I start going to parties again. For now, my days are workaday, no need to dress up. Retriever: the boots ApplePie bought from Sierra are the Chambord, available on this page http://www.aigleboots.com/Farming.html.
ApplePie: thank you so much for your kind comments on our boots. When I read this fine piece on wellies, it makes me want to tear myself away from the paperwork pile and go play in the mud.
Ha--careful what you wish for--you may spend your dotage making mud pies--
OK, ok, this year it is my turn. I am tired of wearing paddock boots to muck out barns. Now, the question is do you folks have an opinion on to zip, or not to zip?
Retriever. I bought my last pair of heels in 1992. They still look brand new, and only have a 1 inch heel. Someone asked me if I had a dress, and I have to confess not anymore. I like to look like a woman, not a "hiker", or a "gardener", but I have just always loved my blue jeans! I am looking forward to a great pair of wellies --lined and insulated I think. For mud and muck boots, no zip. Unless you enjoy picking animal dung out of your zippers. (Jeez, that sounds sick, somehow.)
No, it does not sound sick at all--just the facts! Then when would you choose zippered? I am a little torn between wanting the leather interiors for the really bad cold/snow, but wonder how that holds up to fixing irrigation ditches?
Also, for Retriever I did not mean to suggest there was something wrong with looking like a hiker, or a gardener. I am passionate about both. However, all day every day its just my intention to look like me and that happens to be in blue jeans! I looked at the Aigle site and really liked their zippered ones (kinda pricey--but, I don't spend much on myself) Ms. Pie:
Zippers are not for muck. Zippers are for fashion. Speaking as a guy who works outside all weekend, and helps muck out the wife's horses. Read the whole piece to get my opinion. I've tried more boots than Leona Helmsley has shoes. Ok, I get it. The zippers are for the horse show. The non zippers come in two categories hot/cold. When you start on the real hiking boots, I would my vote in for Scarpa. Never ever a blister! Not once! However, after about 7 years, they are finished in terms of the uppers being very stiff. Hubby just bought and I followed Gore Tex hikers. Will tell you about them at the end of summer. In the meantime, I will be standing in ice, slush, and mud, what's your favorite from Aigle?
Apple Pie, I got some great Aigle boots from Sierra Trading Post last year. Rubber, to the knee, rust brown, not insulated. Got em a size big as it was the only way to get the fantastic price...Now husband snitches them (house just very slightly flooded...like just a little pregnant?) any chance he can get. Anyway, I would get them at full price, after trying them out. They even look cool, and no zipper...About to wear them thru mud season when we clear thru the foot and a half of snow on the drive of our escape.
I still wear dresses and skirts, despite sensible shoes as unattractive as those the evil female Russian spymaster in the Bond movie ever wore... This is why Maggies is one of my favorite sites. No other bloggers do posts on rubber boots.
We go thru lots of rubber boots around here and I should probably order them by the case. They are not the most comfortable footwear but when you need them, you really need them. The crew prefers them with flat bottoms, i.e., no heels and fine treads, as the agressive treads pick up too much mud and the heavy treads leave large indentations on newly leveled sites. If it is icy, we use rubber ice grippers that snap over boots and have grips that look like roofing screws on the bottom. For us, rubber boots have to be big enough to tuck your pants in the top and roomy enough for a good work sock. And if you are working around equipment or on a construction site, you need steel shanks and steel toes. I think steel toes might be a good thing to wear around horses too. Also, men who wear them a lot will loose the hair on their legs where the boots rub which can make for a rather interesting looking leg.
OHHWEE! I bought my Aigle boots last spring--they are fabulous. I got the kind with the newest lining to help keep you feet and legs warm; they work very well.
Thanks Barrister! ;-) I can heartily recommend the neoprene lined Chameau boots.
Ranger steel-toes for work. Very rugged.
Hunting is Lacrosse. Nice tight fit across the ankles, fairly durable. Muck boots (the brand) for field chores and around the yard. Frye boots are good, it's just they're not for everybody. I had to take a good look at this store:
http://www.infinityshoes.com/index.cfm/a/catalog.catshow/catid/127 to find the best for me. I like wellies very much and thank for this article !!!
I love my neoprene lined Chameaus. They are warm and comfortable.
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It's Friday, and early Spring in lovely Hartford, CT. How do I know? I hear the spring song of the Song Sparrow and of the Cardinal, and they are telling to me to think about planting some Sugar Snap peas soon. And soon our local Box Turtles will be clomp
Tracked: Mar 02, 12:34
We received a nice email from Olivier Martin at CaliEagle of Aigle Boots, regarding our piece on Wellies. We like their stuff, and own some. He said this:"I would like to rectify the history of Wellies though: the Wellington boots in rubber were inv
Tracked: Mar 22, 09:16