Wellies - do they ever fit like normal footwear?

[Paul_B]

Just been given hunter wellies for Xmas but heel lifts. l only had cheap and nasty wellies which my feet slosh around in. These are pricey ones so I think should not lift at heel.

Fit around foot and leg is great apart from heel lift. In hiking boots heel lift causes blisters so I'd expect it to be the same for wellies but I really don't know.

Should I keep or take back?

 

[Winnet]

What about using insoles to reduce the gap?

G

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[Damascus]

I have hunters and use insoles, thick for summer and thin for winter due to thicker socks, when you have worn them for a while you’ll realise how much better they are!

 

[TLM]

As they don't have the opening at ankle they just can't be as tight as "proper" shoes. All my rubber boots have had the slightly loose feeling at heel. Just properly sized socks help the most, insoles mostly adapt the gap farther forward but yes most of the time they help.

I also once noticed that I walk differently when walking in rubber boots, difficult to descibe but I think slightly tense my foot at certain part of the step cycle.

 

[Paul_B]

They came with thicker inner sole that I put in. Narrow heel, normal instep so I usually prefer a higher inner sole.

The heels lift freely with each step. I know you need room to pull off but never having decent wellies I don't know how well they can fit. Cheapo ones I've had as an adult were way too big and my foot sloshed around in them. These are just right about the foot with only the heel lift issue. Worried about a hotspot forming.

I think you can get tongue pads today you stick into boots above the foot to stop heel lift a bit. They are more for lace up boots so I expect they'll make it even harder to get them off. Right now I really struggle to get them off. I think that means they're a good fit.

These are the hunter adjustable tall boots with the gusset and strap to tighten around the leg. Vibram sole I really like as my lace up boots are slightly slippy Salomon boots.

So the question I really need to answer, do these stay or should I return them? Is this normal to have a degree of heel lift? Do I live with it? Any views much appreciated as I've only had cheap wellies or cheap riggers. These are my first decent brand wellies.

 

[Winnet]

Given the price they are ans if you aren't happy I would take them back. They would be wasted if you kept them and never used them.

G

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[SaraR]

They came with thicker inner sole that I put in. Narrow heel, normal instep so I usually prefer a higher inner sole.

The heels lift freely with each step. I know you need room to pull off but never having decent wellies I don't know how well they can fit. Cheapo ones I've had as an adult were way too big and my foot sloshed around in them. These are just right about the foot with only the heel lift issue. Worried about a hotspot forming.

I think you can get tongue pads today you stick into boots above the foot to stop heel lift a bit. They are more for lace up boots so I expect they'll make it even harder to get them off. Right now I really struggle to get them off. I think that means they're a good fit.

These are the hunter adjustable tall boots with the gusset and strap to tighten around the leg. Vibram sole I really like as my lace up boots are slightly slippy Salomon boots.

So the question I really need to answer, do these stay or should I return them? Is this normal to have a degree of heel lift? Do I live with it? Any views much appreciated as I've only had cheap wellies or cheap riggers. These are my first decent brand wellies.

Some people can walk far in wellies and for others, like me, they’re never going to be something I choose for a long walk. I used to have hiking wellies (Tretorn Sarek+) and despite a very good fit there was always a bit of a heel lift, but they still worked really well, especially with the right socks. I don’t think you need to worry about the heel lift as such, but rather do your heels rub anywhere as a result of the extra movement? There will always be more movement in wellies than in lace-ups, but it’s very hard to say what’s too much.

 

[Paul_B]

Lace up wellies?

I'm happy with them but I really don't know about wellies. It makes sense to get heel lift as the extra foot room is needed to get your boots on and off. With hiking boot/shoe, fell shoe selection I've always chosen based on fit with special attention to heel movement. Heel movement always means hotspot.

The heel of the wellies are actually quite hard and rigid with the heel push off moulding so you can't feel the space at the heel properly.

I think I'll have to keep them or I'll never get a good pair of wellies again. They're useful for dog walking especially on the front, the tidal bits. Camping at sites in the van in winter too.

 

[nigelp]

Take them back. If they don’t fit now they probably won’t fit ever!

 

[henchy3rd]

Ahh the old hunter wellies debate (or anti other wellie).
had a pair if Balmoral 2,s, they look great & are a good wellie, but were a nightmare to get on & off.
I found you have to play around with the insoles depending on the weather.
cold in the winter, so need thick socks.
hot & sweaty in the warmer months, so you end up with trench foot
I always ended up with blisters no matter what I tried , so I sold them & bought some good leather riding boots & never looked back.

 

[bobnewboy]

I wear wellies (Muck boots with neoprene calf areas) in the autumn/winter when the fields are wet, for beating and rabbiting. They will never be as good a fit as lace up boots, but my feet stay a lot drier which is important when you’re afield all day. With a bit of practice walking and even running (!) in them is perfectly possible

When it comes to take them off I use a V board which is easy and cheap to make: one rectangular piece of scrap 12mm ply with a suitably sized V cut in it to receive the back of the heel, plus a short piece of 20mm square wood screwed on the bottom to lift the V up enough to receive the heel. Step on the end of the V board with one foot, put the other heel in the V, and pull the boot off. Easy and comfy when your back is aching…

 

[Erbswurst]

If they don't fit properly with a second pair of socks I would try others.

As the moisture needs to stay somewhere two pairs of wool socks are better than one pair.

With laces you adjust the shape of your boots. If you don't have laces they simply have to fit. You can only adjust with the thickness of your socks and / or foot wraps.

If you don't find good fitting wellies you are surely better served with good leather boots. And if you really run around in the moors you could think about expensive Goretex lined military boots.

Wellies are made for farmers, hunters, anglers and building sites. If you want to walk longer distances and don't find accidentally good fitting wellies simply get proper military boots.

 

[Van-Wild]

My wife has a pair of hunters and they are snug. She loves them. I have a pair of Aigle Paracours. They're brilliant. They do have a little bit of wobble in them but I wear thick socks and a felt insole which minimises that gap. I've walked all day in hill country without issue.

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[British Red]

I wear wellies (Muck boots with neoprene calf areas) in the autumn/winter when the fields are wet, for beating and rabbiting. They will never be as good a fit as lace up boots, but my feet stay a lot drier which is important when you’re afield all day. With a bit of practice walking and even running (!) in them is perfectly possible

This is a subject, as a smallholder who started out in the footwear industry, that I feel qualified to speak about. I wear Wellingtons far more than every other type of footwear combined - at least 10 hours every day. Neoprene elasticated Wellingtons are a lifesaver. I can walk 15 miles in mine, drive, shoot, run and more.

Muck boots are good. IMO Grubs are better - mainly because they offer a real Vibram sole.

Wellies | GRUBS Warehouse | UK

Shop the full GRUBS boot range here and be on the look out for exclusive sales!

www.grubswarehouse.com

For Winter I like the Frostline range, for Summer, Fieldline. Honestly as a guy working outside, unheated, day after day, week after week, they changed my life.

 

[Paul_B]

Looked on that link and both fieldline and frostline have their own trax sole not vibrant. No yellow logo in the images neither. Could they have changed their design?

These hunter ones have vibram soles which I prefer. I've got boots and shoes with proprietary soles and they seem slippier than vibram

 

[British Red]

Looked on that link and both fieldline and frostline have their own trax sole not vibrant. No yellow logo in the images neither. Could they have changed their design?

These hunter ones have vibram soles which I prefer. I've got boots and shoes with proprietary soles and they seem slippier than vibram

It's not on all models certainly. Looking at my Frostline they aren't Vibram, my Huntsman model are. Both grip really well though

 

[Broch]

I've had Hunters that fitted really well - I did have to use a puller to get them off though (for some reason a get a really bad cramp in my calf if I try and get wellies off without a V puller). My only complaint was the buckle tore off when walking in scrub.

My last pair were Hoggs and they split within 3 months; I'll never buy from them again.

My current pair are neoprene from Aldi and were £24 I think (not the £9 ones they have in now) - they're great; easy to put on, waterproof, and comfy - but I'm not walking more than a couple of km in them.

 

[Paul_B]

Mine are for dog walking often on the tidal margin of the Kent estuary. Slippy mud/silt that vibram soles will help with. Muddy puddles, salty grass that's often waterlogged. When it's wet, windy and bit in between needing full waterproofs and not I could wear a longer coat and wellies instead of full waterproofs that I hate. I'm close to buying a winter Parka too. It's hard to find good, long winter and autumn coats for men I think.

I'll not be walking far just an hour out at a time. I think these will be OK but if not it's an Xmas present that turned out not to be as useful as first thought. Not like I've never had that before. However I won't know without passing the point of no returns!

 

[Broch]

I've fallen out with Vibram soles TBH; they're great on anything but wet stone. My slate paving is a perfect example; it's like trying to walk on ice in my Vibram soled Scarpa's (actually, it's worse). But, I suppose, just like tyres, you can't get one rubber mix to do everything

 

[TLM]

I've fallen out with Vibram soles TBH; they're great on anything but wet stone.

A second vote for that. My two shoes with V outsoles are outright dangerous on wet stone, one pair very old and the second fairly recent.