Hunter wellies- ARRGH!

I will not buy Hunter Wellies - I used to go through 2 to 3 pairs a year. I have just had to replace my Chameau wellies after 7+ years of everyday use. They are more expensive but my word do they last. Also the soles do not wear like Hunters which are lethal when they tread goes.
 
They're nothing like they used to be. Mine last a couple of years but only because I don't wear them everyday liked I used to be able to!! When it's really cold I wear my woof woof long muckers, all fleecy inside and much warmer! I only wear my hunters when I need to be fully waterproof! When they've bust I'm going to get some le chameau's instead! Also you can't drive in hunters as they split on the sole in time!
 
Stopped buying hunters a couple of years ago, was lucky to get a pair of le chameu wellies for £20 in tk max last year and thyre still going strong.
Will deffo get them again.
 
Well this thread explains a lot!! I've wondered why Hunter just aren't what they used to be. They have favoured fashion over function even though it was their reputation for function that made them fashionable in the first place if that makes any sense at all!!

I ditched them as was sick of them splitting and when I had gone down to the yard to wade through a muddy gateway to get my horse in on a filthy winter day and had to squelch all the way down the track with freezing feet because they'd filled with wet, muddy slop I just went and bought the first pair of boots I could get in my local country/farm store that were in stock in my size as was desperate! Anyway, they were a pair of Bekina wellies that I would never in a million years have chosen for the fashion stakes, but they have been fantasic! I'd get another pair but they are still going strong after several years! They are the best boots I've ever bought as good value, keep my feet really warm and are still like brand new after several years - also they are really good in slippery conditions and don't have you sliding all over the place!

Did try some from The Original Muck Boot Co. and convinced myself they were worth the price tag but was bitterly disappointed as they feel really clumpy, looked clumpy too and I always seemed to slip in them because the treads are awful - would never buy again!

I'll stick to my slightly ugly workhorse Bekina boots for cold and mucky conditions, but for smart use I prefer the Ariat country boots over Hunters any day!! That's enough of my twopennyworth anyway :D
 
I had some pink hunter wells and mine did the same, I wore them every day and they lasted about 6 months. I then bought a different type of hunter welly, I don't know what theyre called, but they are dark green with a thick black hiking boot type sole, they were a fair bit dearer, IRO £120 IIRC, but I have had them about 4 years now and are still going well, it's just a shame they are a horrible colour!
 
I've had my hunters for 3 years and wore them continously over the winter!

They are absolutely fine! They aren't pink though... just your normal green, maybe that makes a difference :D
 
My most recent pair of Hunters (green) have squeeked and squelched since the day I bought them. Not the best for following on foot or out in the field - anything would hear me coming a mile away....wont be buying again. The fit is fairly rubbish too!
 
yup- the hunter squelch can be heard all around Britain...! :p

oh- and dont think you are safe as long as they are green... first two pairs of "new" hunters were green... and shocking quality, third and final chance for hunter: black... and they suck!
 
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ISHmad said:
Sorry if this has already been said but haven't read the whole thread due to time. Hunters used to be a great British make, went bust and got bought out. The quality now is vastly inferior. A real shame as they took a great company with a reputation for quality products and ruined it.
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And tried to continue charging a premium price for a [now] very ordinary quality boot. Shame on them :mad:
 
Hunters have a year guarentee on them . So if they "break" take them back to where you got them from and ask for refund or replacement. I personally dont wear them as I find they are too thin and cold , they dont make them as good as they did when made in Dumfries . If you do go for Hunters go for the neoprene ones , yes they are even more but they are warmer . The Arait boots are better , they have a sturdier sole ( made out of the same rubber as car tyres ) and the seam is better that attaches the sole to the boot , also there is a fiberglass ( I think ) support through the innersole so alot more support , also neoprene so warm and sturdy and suitable to ride in . Shops have to order Hunters 6month ahead !!! So if you want some for Winter get them ordered now !!!
 
I think mine are coming to the end of their life :( I have had them atleast 4 years now mind. They have no tread and have just recently sprung a small leak, so they won't lst the winter!

The best pair of wellies I had were a navy town and country pair from webs ages ago, sturdy and warm!

I shall be going for a different pair this time I think, possibly down the country boot road!
 
bj666 said:
Hunters have a year guarentee on them . So if they "break" take them back to where you got them from and ask for refund or replacement. I personally dont wear them as I find they are too thin and cold , they dont make them as good as they did when made in Dumfries . If you do go for Hunters go for the neoprene ones , yes they are even more but they are warmer . The Arait boots are better , they have a sturdier sole ( made out of the same rubber as car tyres ) and the seam is better that attaches the sole to the boot , also there is a fiberglass ( I think ) support through the innersole so alot more support , also neoprene so warm and sturdy and suitable to ride in . Shops have to order Hunters 6month ahead !!! So if you want some for Winter get them ordered now !!!
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I spent £80 odd last winter on a neoprene lined pair of Hunters. They were great for a couple of days but then the insole squashed down and the boots which had fitted snuggly at first turned into boots which were too large for me! Also, the lining in the heel wore away very quickly exposing the neoprene which meant that holes were rubbed in my socks everyday. As the boots were now too bit I was wearing two pairs of socks but at one point was wearing a hole in a pair everyday!!!! I'm already thinking ahead to next winter and just lost out yesterday on a leather lined pair of Le Chameau on ebay! Don't know what to do for the best!!!
 
miss_bird said:
Blimey my 2 pairs of hunters are still going 20 and 25 years later, they are the old blue ones and original green ones lol
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I have a pair of blue ones - brought in 1987, and recently (early this year) liberated from the back of the feed room. I remember using them quite often - heel's are worn & tread a little vanished - but no cracks/leaks at all :)
Cleaned them up & now kept for wet field walking & pooh-picking.

Use the padded woof-type boots in the winter when its cold.
 
I'd have said Ariats (like Ariat boots generally) but the lining in the MUDBUSTERS is like the grippy side of velcro and everything that goes down your boot sticks to it :( At least Hunters have a super-smooth, easy-empty lining. I have one pair of each (simply because I can only bear so much of the 'extras' down the bottom of the Ariats, which will not come out no matter what you do.

Ariat - take note!
 
I have to to say that im really suprised by all this. Ive had horses since I was 9 and only ever needed 2 pairs of wellies including the ones I own now! Both are Hunters!! My first pair were a size 4 blue pair which lasted a good few years and then my next pair (only as I outgrew the blue pair) were size 5 in green, which was well over 10 years ago, and guess what- they look almost new still, apart from a little rust on the buckles and wear on the insides of the legs as I used to ride in them! No leaks/rips/tears etc and the sole has minimal wear.I wear them EVERY day each winter and throughout the summer on wet days andf these boots have really had a hammering. Im dissapointed to hear that they are now not made like they were used to. I was going to treat the other half to a pair but I dont think I will bother now. Lets just hope ive got another 10 years in my wellies!
 
I bought mine after the quality supposedly went downhill. I wore them to the yard constantly for well over a year or two, and my mother now wears them most days walking the dog/gardening and they are absolutely fine. :)
 
I have made the classic sin of not reading the whole thread (off to work) so apols if this has already been said. Hunters are no longer made in the Uk, and the quality has really deteriorated in recent years. My daughter has been thrugh 3 pairs of the new ones whilst I am still wearing my original pair that are many years old. The shop I work in used to sell them and they were a really popular hard wearing boot, but my boss no longer stocks them as he was fed up of all the returns and complaints.

ETS. As far as I know Hunters do still have a 12 months guarantee, so if they do split etc take them back to the shop you purchased them and they will return them to Hunter.
 
since hunter moved their place of manufactoring to china (i think it is), the hunters have deteriorated in quality. I have aigles and they're great :) they have a great thick sole so that wear and tear happens very slowly :)
 
charmeroo said:
I spent £80 odd last winter on a neoprene lined pair of Hunters. They were great for a couple of days but then the insole squashed down and the boots which had fitted snuggly at first turned into boots which were too large for me! Also, the lining in the heel wore away very quickly exposing the neoprene which meant that holes were rubbed in my socks everyday. As the boots were now too bit I was wearing two pairs of socks but at one point was wearing a hole in a pair everyday!!!! I'm already thinking ahead to next winter and just lost out yesterday on a leather lined pair of Le Chameau on ebay! Don't know what to do for the best!!!
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same here! i cant wear them now cause there are two big holes in the neoprene lining at the heel, and where my toes sit. ive only had them a few months. i'll be sending them back and dont want a replacement!
 
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