Leather Wellies

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jimjolli

Tenderfoot
Jun 27, 2008
74
0
london
I was on a walk yesterday with a bloke who had some leather Dubarry boots. They looked great, had worn nicely and apparently last a lifetime. They had special leather outers that are waterproof and dry quickly and soft, and had a goretex lining.

His were the Dubarry Ultima sailing boot:
http://www.dubarry.com/style.cfm?product=3850
and
http://www.baysidemarine.co.uk/product/Dubarry_Ultima_Sailing_Deck_Boot_-_FREE_DELIVERY_dub3850brn8


But I also found the Dubarry Kildare, which are supposedly the country version:
http://www.dubarry.com/style.cfm?product=3890
and
http://www.gunhill.co.uk/Dubarry-of-Ireland/Dubarry-Kildare-Boot/p-1044-2501/

Both are expensive at around £200-£250, but should last ages and look good. The bloke who was wearing them had his for 7 years and they looked great. He was trudging through deep mud and then just hosed them off later.

Anybody had any experience with this kind of boot?
 

Nonsuch

Life Member
Sep 19, 2008
1,862
1
Scotland, looking at mountains
No personal experience, but one of my shooting (Range-Rover driving) friends wears something similar. I can't see them being any more waterproof in the long run than goretex-lined leather boots, which are OK until the goretex gets a hole in it then they leak. I wouldn't fancy wading through deep puddles and mud in them and I could also imagine them developing salt stains etc after a snowy / slushy winter.

I wonder it they fit like a proper leather boot or have the slightly sloppy fit of wellies ?

I will be sticking with my Muck Boots. However I do know people who wear them and like the leather vs rubber (!)

NS
 

Shewie

Mod
Mod
Dec 15, 2005
24,259
23
48
Yorkshire
Very nice, a pal at work wears them when he's on shoots.

They wouldn't last too long for me in the canoe though so I'll also be sticking to my Mucks for now.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,703
1,937
Mercia
No experience of them, but my wife wears Le Chameau wellies in the same price range - they are looking great after 6 years
 

Wilderbeast

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 9, 2008
2,036
9
31
Essex-Cardiff
No experience of them, but my wife wears Le Chameau wellies in the same price range - they are looking great after 6 years

Can I throw my suggestion in the hat? Hunter balmoral classics with fleece welly liners. They're made from much tougher rubber than the Hunter originals and I personally don't like neoprene linings as they make my feet sweat. Most importantly they retail at around £50

http://www.uttingsoutdoors.co.uk/Pr...l-classic-wellington-boots-dark-olive-w23600/
 

bilmo-p5

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 5, 2010
8,168
9
west yorkshire
I know a couple of circumnavigators who have worn them extensively in the marine environment and, apparently, they are the DBs.

You might also consider clogs.
 

iotarho

Tenderfoot
Apr 1, 2009
57
0
33
Tunbridge Wells
I have a pair of dubarrys and use them at the stables and they take a lot of abuse. Fully waterproof and all that and they get cleaned whenever I feel guilty about it (ie rarely), have one pair which have lasted me fine for 5+ years of hard wear, everyday and in all conditions. And just bought another pair last year as they were going cheap - but actually had a problem with these where my horse trod on my sole, I carried on walking and my sole was left behind. However I'm about a week outside the guarentee and they are still going to fix it for me for free - or more commonly with Dubarry - replace the whole boot.

Edit: Oh and also wanted to quickly point out I have a pair for sailing and they are still going strong. And to put it into context: my girlfriends mother has sailed in her Dubarrys extensively for the last 20+years, including an around the world race with absolute no cleaning and they are still fully waterproof, never resoled and had no repairs!
 
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jimjolli

Tenderfoot
Jun 27, 2008
74
0
london
Cheers for all the comments.

Looking at them online, I think I prefer the 'sailing' ones, they seem a little less 'range roveresque'. I've found stockists for both near me, so I'm going to try them both.

I emailled Dubarry to ask what the difference between the Ultima (sailing) and Kildare (outdoor) boot was, so I could decide which one to get, and this was their reply:

'Thank you for your email, our style Kildare is a gore-tex lined boot
suitable for an outdoor lifestyle. Style Ultima is a gore-tex lined
sailing boot.'

Really, you don't say.
 

Buckshot

Mod
Mod
Jan 19, 2004
6,466
347
Oxford
I have a pair of the Dubarry old style (no idea what they're called) and have used them for years (about 5)
Expensive yes, but great bits of kit
In terms of fit, they feel like a walking boot as the leather moulds to your feet but you have the height of a wellie.
I use them shooting and always go through the thickest, narstiest bit of brambles I can find (I have to set an example!). Anyone who does that sort of thing will know that kind of treatment can ruin a pair of hunters fairly quickly but although the leather has lots of scratch marks, some of them deep, none have gone through and the dubarrys are still going strong.
The only thing I've noticed recently is the leather is worn part way up the leg where there's a crease and they rub together. I'm deciding whether to send them off to dubarry to fix or do it myself. That said they still work fine and the waterproofing hasn't been comprimised - I was walking through a foot of snow in them with no issues or wet feet not long ago.
Great boots, recomended

Mark
 

iotarho

Tenderfoot
Apr 1, 2009
57
0
33
Tunbridge Wells
Jimjolli, the main difference is the rubber on the sole. The country boot has a far more hardwearing rubber than the sailing boot - which is softer and grippier as you tend not to traipse through mud and dragging your heels along pavements as all you contend with is slippery deck. However I have worn my sailing boots to the yard aswell (much to the annoyance of my dear mother) and they were absolutely fine! Just something to think about though.
 

BigM

Forager
Jul 2, 2009
146
0
The West
If I had the money I'd buy a pair of Dubarry boots. A friend or two have them and I'm always looking on enviously (one of them also drives a Range Rover incidentally!). Personally I'd go for the Wexford over the Kildare I think as they look nicer, but each to his own.

M
 

Bigfoot

Settler
Jul 10, 2010
669
4
Scotland
I have a pair of Dubarrys which I have used mainly for sailing. I bought them about 20 years ago for about £70 (which was expensive then) and only last year I sent them back to Dubarry to get resoled and relined. That cost me £45 and I now have (almost) a brand new pair of boots, so cost wise it looks like a good investment compared to current new prices. The leather uppers have never needed treating and are as waterproof as they day I bought them. I recommend them highly.
 

johnnytheboy

Native
Aug 21, 2007
1,884
14
45
Falkirk
jokesblogspot.blogspot.com
One thing I never get about the bushcrafting community is muck boots, its all wool, canvas cotton, leather hand crafted clothing and goods, all of this great clothing and packs then team them up with muck boots, I just dont get it.

I highly recomend Le Cham boots, natural rubber, and hand made, check the video on this page, how clean is that working environment, not only are they craftmen but that factory is spotless, they clearly take real pride in their work http://www.lechameau.co.uk/index.php?p=craft

My first pair of Le Cham boots have outlasted loads of muck boots my shooting buddies have had through the years and they are still going strong. I do plan to invest in a pair of the leather lined chasseur boots this year, they are meant to be even more comfortable than their regular boots, which are like slippers anyway, so they must be good!!!
 

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