Are Hunter Wellies Worth the Money?

Most of my readers are sent here through the powers of Google, usually sent looking for information in cleaning their Hunter Wellies. And so I bring another post on the iconic boots.

Watching my kids splash through puddles in their gumboots was the inspiration for my purchasing a pair of Hunters. My kids' gumboots never seem to last more than a season, and sometimes not even one season. When I chose Hunter, I thought I was choosing quality, a rubber boot that would last for years and years. Although I would be paying more ($140!!!), I figured that it would be good for the environment not having to keep buying and throwing away boots. Besides, Angelina Jolie wore a red pair in Mr. and Mrs. Smith with nothing but a white shirt, so I figured they would make me look hot too. Ha.

Fast forward to 1.5 years later. My Hunter Wellies are officially dead.

Yesterday I was walking in the usual slush and puddles with my kids when I felt cold wetness on my right forefoot. I couldn't believe it. Could it be? Yes, a leak. Still incredulous, I had to wait until I got home to inspect the boots.

It seems the sole has cracked along the forefoot. You can only see it if you bend the boot as if you are toeing off the pavement. But it is definitely there.

The sad thing is, only two weeks ago I finally got around to buying McNett UV Tech to remove the whitish cast off the black surface. See my story about cleaning the white off my boots here. So, at least the boots were pretty when they died.

Also, only a week before the death of the boots, the right buckle simply broke off. I had not been pulling on them. One day I simply noticed that the buckle was flopping around more than normal. Now, I have always hated those buckles, which are really there so you can tell Hunters apart from fishing gumboots, putting the word "fashion" into the unfashionable concept of what are basically boots designed for mucking around in the mud. Those buckles smash against each other if you cross your legs. Did you know that people cross their legs a lot when they sit? Apparently, the designers at Hunter did not know that. Or maybe you really aren't meant to sit when you're mucking around in the mud. The buckles, when tightened, don't stay tightened. They are forever flopping around as you walk.

So. Was it worth the $140 to look as fashionable as Angelina for two years? I'd say no. But on the other hand, I don't drive a fancy car or paint my fingernails. You might. The primary reason for buying Hunters was to have a pair that lasts. It didn't, so I would be more inclined to buy the ever increasing field of lookalikes that ring in at half the price or less.

Here's a little review by "Mr. A.D. Ashley" on amazon's UK site:

I have been wearing Hunter wellingtons for 40 years and they have been up and down in quality several times. Some years ago they got very thin and weak. Then they started making them in Scotland by a dipping process and these were very strong. These are characterised by rather wavy lines at the back, white plastic labels on the soles and especially by no seam in the cloth inside. If you can find a pair, they should last. A couple of years ago Hunters nearly went broke and now the boots are being made in the far east and not by the dipping process, despite what some suppliers tell you. Some of them were never told about the change and some have even rejected them when they found out. There were containers of them sitting at the docks in Britain for months having been rejected. The foreign ones are very neat at the back and have seams in the cloth inside. As a director of Hunters admitted to me, the new ones are not nearly as strong as the Scottish dipped ones. I think it is an outrage that people are still charging about £60 for these boots. They will begin to crack after literally just a few days use. There is no hope now that they will ever be making them properly again. If you want a pair for one year at Glastonbury, OK, but for serious use they are a complete waste of money.

Repairs

Update July 19, 2011: My husband fixed the crack by applying Shoe Goo, an adhesive originally designed in 1972 for fixing tennis shoes. You can buy some at Canadian Tire in Canada, and Walmart in the US. So far, it seems to have held. Thank you, honey! Now about that broken buckle... Oh, wait. You can't fix it because I didn't notice when it fell off and became irretrievably lost forever.



Update October 27, 2011: Sitting on the couch waiting for my kids to finish music lessons, I noticed BOTH of my boots are cracking in the front. You can see the thin white cloth liner through the crack in the rubber. Is this finally the end of the boots? And why would it occur simultaneously in both right and left boots?

Do What I Say and Not What I Do

Update November 24, 2011: Full disclosure. Despite saying that the boots aren't worth it, I bought another pair, this time in Pillar Box Red. I decided that if it was a splurge, that I was worth a splurge because I bought zero pairs of shoes this year (other than athletic shoe replacements). So much for buying these boots because they are going to last long.

After doing some research, I purchased some for $110 CAD (69 UK, no delivery charge, no duties) from Country Attire. So you have to ignore everything else I said. Today my friend told me that they're selling them at Costco (!) for $90! What a shock! That will definitely take away from the snob cachet which has been carefully cultured over the years, with the boots selling at about $135-140 CAD. I wonder if Hunter has made a mistake by making them available to the masses for under $100. Well at least I didn't overpay by much since I'd have to pay HST on the boots.  Also, I was lucky not having to pay duties.  If I lost duty roulette, that would have negated my savings over buying locally.

Here are some pictures of my red Hunters after a year of use:

Update: December 4, 2012:  While walking on my way home after dropping off my kids, another mom admired my Pillar Box Red boots.  She loves the look and wants to buy a pair.  I gave her the lowdown, told her it would only last her a year and a half maybe, and would eventually crack on the bottom and at the front where it bends.  I forgot to mention the broken buckle, though.  After I spoke to her, I applied more McNett UV Protectant liquid to the flex point at the ankle/foot area on the front of the boot, because it has become brittle and rough.  The above photos show the boot *after* McNett treatment--notice the white rough areas.  The next time I saw her, she told me that's she's going to buy a pair.  I guess we're all a little irrational when it comes to fashion, which is what the boots are to me now.

At this point, I'm going to say that this is my last pair.  Well, never say never, right?  I am thinking about buying Canadian brand Kamik Olivia for $50 next (pictured below), which look like Hunters, except there is no hideous black and white logo in the front.  There is the Kamik Jennifer, which looks to be taller, but once again, I hate the logo embossed on the side of the boot.  The Kamik Olivia is available through Amazon in the US as well, for around $37-55.

UPDATE January 8, 2014: My husband noticed that my red Hunters have cracked where the forefoot flexes on the top of the boot.  The crack is located between my thumb and forefinger, 1 cm to the right of my fingertips.  Once again, the cracks are on right and left boots at the same location!

About a year ago, he bought me grey Hunters for Christmas (he meant well!), so the red Hunters have not seen a full two years' use.  I kept the red Hunters indoors, limiting their exposure to UV light, and I have sprayed them with the UV Tech as a prophylactic measure, and still it seems that they have lasted about the same amount of time as my black Hunters: two years.  So it is not the amount of use that breaks them down.  It is the passage of time that degrades the material.  Also, the lining in the bottom of the boot has somehow torn and peeled, creating a hard lump under my heel that actually creates a blister if I walk for too long.  This is the final straw.  I will not buy Hunters again, once the grey pair is worn out.