welcome back to the gentleman's Gazette in our series is it worth it.
today we discuss the hunter wellies rain boots which are arguably one of the most well known
rain boots in the world.
Some people also refer to them as Wellingtons but wellies is the common terminology.
In the US, the boots retail for a $155 which is quite a bit for a rubber boot and so we'll
discuss the history the pros and cons the hallmarks of the boot and of course whether
it's worth it or not.
so first let's look at the history.
hunter today is a famous British heritage brand associated with all kinds of rain gear,
they are based in Scotland.
originally they formed as a North British Rubber Company in 1856 so they're over 150
years old. ironically the company was founded by two American entrepreneurs.
actually they went to Scotland looking to produce vulcanized rubber boots and overshoes
or galoshes and at the time, there was a patent held by Goodyear.
yes the same Goodyear from the tires.
By world war one the company produced about 1.2 million rubber boots for the British Army
and it is said that the German soldiers envied them for the boots.
it's even said it was directly connected to the successes of the British
Army because it helped prevent the trench foot in the trenches, it was cold, it was
wet, and because of that, the feet of soldiers actually started to decay.
with rubber boots and wooden planks on the floor, soldiers were able to prevent that
from happening.
on the other hand the Germans didn't have the vulcanized rubber boots and so they
suffered more on their feet.
Of course hunter also produced rubber boots for the British Army in World War two but
once the war was over, they had become more acceptable for public wear which was great
for the company.
the big advantage of the boots was that they were
sturdy and very enduring.
it was hard to cut them and so people who were used to rationing for food clothing and
materials really enjoyed a sturdy boot that was hard wearing and would last them for a
long time.today the most famous rubber boot is the hunter wellies.
it has been produced ever since 1955 and it still enjoys popularity especially with the
country gentlemen in Britain as well as people who would like to emulate their lifestyle.
in 1976 the Duke of Edinburgh awarded a royal warrant to hunter and the Queen followed in
1986.
obviously it had an impact on British society and by the 80s it became the quintessential
British country boot and was part of every proper gentleman's country attire. in the
following decades the company changed hands a number of times and in the 2000s, it almost
went bankrupt, however, some smart marketing people came in and decided to focus on the
Heritage brand as well as the fashion aspect and today they're once again very popular
in Britain as well as in the US and around the world.
obviously the number of Country Gentlemen is rather limited and so today, the target
market for hunter wellies are gardeners festival goers or people who like outdoors a lot whether
it's fishing or hunting shooting and all those kinds of activities.
alright now that you know about the history of hunter let's look at the boot itself.
first of all they're made out of vulcanized rubber the same material that Goodyear originally
patented.
generally rain boots are either made from vulcanized rubber or from synthetic materials.
while a synthetic rubber is very resistant to oils chemicals and fluids it's not resistant
to puncturing and cuts however synthetics are usually quite lightweight and insulating
and because of that they're usually paired with a more cutting and puncture resistant
material on the outside.
on the other hand, natural rubber resists pretty much anything except petroleum and
oil based solutions that may have an impact on its longevity.
It's extremely resistant to cuts and punctures and on top of that it offers slip resistances.
because of that I think vulcanized rubber still today is a very good material for rain
boots.
the wellies feature a very thin inexpensive polyester lining on the inside, it also comes
with an adjustable buckle on the top but if you have big calves the buckle sits too far
up so it really doesn't help you to adjust the size very much.
it has a nice treaded sole that provides a decent amount of grip as well as about a 1
inch or two and a half centimeter heel.
the rubber itself is quite comfortable in terms of looks they're slightly different
than what you can get at a home depot or an outdoor
store but at the end of the day they're not that different.
It also comes in green, I have the version here in black and overall it's a clunky and
inelegant rain boot just like any other rain boot out there.
So now let's look at the pros and cons. obviously hunter wellies have a great brand history,
their branding is nice, it comes to you in a beautiful box, it makes you feel important,
has a little logo inside the heel, you can see the hunter brand on top of the boot.
also in my experience it gets the job done and protects you from outside wetness and
it's overall quite comfortable as long as you don't go in areas where it's very cold
because the polyester and the rubber don't insulate at all.
which brings us to the cons.
rubber is inherently non-breathable so even though a rubber boot keeps out the water it
makes you sweat inside of your boot and so if you walk a lot you may be just as wet if
the outside water gets into your regular shoes.
vulcanized rubber will also have hazing overtime so you have to clean the boots they look old
while some people simply don't care it's something that's not necessarily more attractive in
a boot.
the hunter wellies are quite large and so for most men I'd say they're overkill unless
you live in the countryside where you stand in mud for more than a foot.
compared to other premium brands like le chameau from France this rubber boot is not well insulated
and will make your feet cold when it's very cold outside close to freezing.
As mentioned before the side adjusters are a nice addition to something you generally
don't find on most inexpensive rubber boots however they don't let you adjust the width
in the area where it's most needed especially for men with big calves.
the front cap of the wellies have kind of a wing cap that makes you look almost like
you have steel caps in your boots even though that's not the case.
So looking at all the materials in details hunter wellies is definitely expensive for
what you get especially considering that other brands offer the same materials at a lower
price point.
the big question, are hunter wellies rain boots worth it?
In general i'd have to say no.
In my opinion for the average man it simply don't warrant the price because there are
not enough scenarios where you'd benefit from a boot.
if you're in a countryside it's a different ballgame and a pair of rubber boots makes
sense if you're not though I think it's simply overkill.
It seems to me that the price paid for hunter wellies is mostly built on brand reputation.
so for a hundred fifty five dollars you get a fancy corrugated cardboard box with a little
bit of history and a bright red interior.
The boot itself has the hunter logo at the bottom as well as the hunter logo on top.
On the inside you see that it has the Royal warrants as well as a field for your name
and phone number in case you ever lose them, they're so big that you will never overlook
them.
the boots are made in China from vulcanized rubber which is the same material cheap Home
Depot boots use.
so I checked and you can find boots in the same material with the same lining in a very
similar shape for around $40 and in terms of comfort they're pretty much the same.
y yes of course don't get the cachet and the brand history with it but in my opinion it's
not worth paying almost four times the price for that compared to other premium rubber
boots like Le chameau I think the hunter wellies just don't offer enough the Le chameau boots
for example have different versions for around the same price or a little more $175 you'll
find a version it has a three millimeter thick neoprene lining which is the same material
used for wetsuits when you go diving for example and it keeps your feet warm and absorbs moisture
in a way so I find that to be a much more comfortable boot.
it also seems that the buckle on top is a little deeper and they even offer a version
that is all leather lined.
that being said that costs five hundred dollars and it's a different price range.
maybe we'll make another video about that one in the future.
in recent years I've seen lots of women building outfits around their red or yellow hunter
wellies.
for men on the other hand I think it's a lot more difficult and frankly I've never come
up with a good look that I was happy with.
also there many ways to deal with wet weather if it's just a little bit of rain regular
leather shoes will be just fine.
they're even suede leathers which have a durable water repellent coating on them so you can
wear them when it gets really wet.
if it's pouring rain galoshes are great if you wear business shoes regularly or even
other shoes.
otherwise I think ankle length rubber boots are the most type of boots men will ever need.
if you are a country gentleman or if you'd like to be in the outdoors and you walk in
little creeks and mud I think a pair of rubber boots is ideal but it's up to you whether
you want to spend $155 for the hunter wellies or about forty dollars for something comparable
without the brand recognition.
so personally for me the hunter wellies are definitely not worth it.
in today's video I am wearing a rain outfit of course with the hunter wellies rain boots
in black combining them with jeans tucked into the boots I have a
regular dress shirt on button down without any neckwear and a rain jacket it's kind of
a motorcycle style jacket that is made of cotton with a durable water-repellent so it's
breathable yet it keeps me dry.