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.

Healthier Brownie Recipe

As part of the conversion of my researching blog into a more conventional format like everyone else's, I now bring to you a recipe!

Had a craving for junk but since I am trying to lose eight pounds by March to be down to my racing weight, I decided to bake something less frighteningly bad.

This recipe comes out, well, just okay. I prefer fudgy crispy on the outside brownies, and this just ain't it. It's more like a dense vegan cake, but perfectly acceptable, given that it's not loaded with butter, but it still has full sugar.

Compromise Brownie

1/2 cup coconut oil, liquefied
1/2 cup applesauce
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper sprayed with oil.

Combine the melted coconut oil, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.

Sift together the whole wheat flour, oat bran, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour/oat mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish. The batter will not be very thick, but will be more like cake batter.

Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Evil eBay

This has now become a complaint blog, much like all other blogs, instead of the "research" sharing blog I first envisioned. Instead of whining anonymously on another site, like "I HATE EBAY", I'll whine here, because I have a huge readership of two people reading for an average of one minute 29 seconds EVERY SINGLE DAY, according to sitemeter. Those two people can enjoy my rant.

Finally I caved and signed up for eBay. Then I received a piece of junk mail from them, a "promotion": "New Year! New You!" basically enticing me to buy more on eBay with pictures of the wonderful things on offer, every little material thing my heart desires.

I hate junk mail.

It outrageously claimed that I agreed to receive promotional emails from eBay. Hmmm. Don't remember that. When I sign up for anything, I always uncheck the box for "promotional offers". So I scrolled down to the bottom to look for the ubiquitous "unsubscribe" button, and I found this instead:



Sorry it's so tiny... Let me explain what it says, so you don't have to click on it. To unsubscribe, it says: "To change your communication preferences, log in to My eBay and click on eBay Preferences." That's it.

When I followed this directive, I found out there was no "Preferences" tab under My eBay. You need to click on "My eBay", then click on the tab "MY ACCOUNT" *then* you use the pull down menu to pick "Communication Preferences." From there, you scroll down the screen to the bottom and click on the button underlined "Show" under the last heading of "Promotions and Surveys." There you uncheck all of your "Subscriptions" which I still insist I did not subscribe to. Finally, you hit the "Save" button at the bottom right.

Now, this sounds simple because I've explained to you how to do it. Without these instructions, you would be left flailing around on the site looking for the "My Preferences" tab. Exasperation over my wasted time prompted me to waste more time by writing and complaining to eBay (difficult to get past automatic response system there too), then writing on this blog.

Wow. No wonder why they didn't use an "unsubscribe" button. That would have been too easy, compared to the obscure route I had to hunt for.

eBay, I already hate you, and we've only just met.

Can't help imagining a committee of eBay peeps having a meeting discussing how to sneak in an automatic subscription then make it as difficult as possible to unsubscribe from those annoying promotional emails. I don't think CAN-SPAM protects me from these shenanigans... Apparently, they are under no obligation to make it EASY to unsubscribe, only that:

"A visible and operable unsubscribe mechanism is present in all emails" and "Consumer opt-out requests are honored within 10 days." eBay brazenly states that "it may take up to 14 days to process your request." Ha. Ha ha.

The law? It doesn't apply to eBay.

If you enjoyed this, and you probably didn't, why don't you continue torturing yourself by reading Random Rants on the Evil eBay Empire.

Searching for the Elusive Chia

Remember Chia pets? Those terracota animal figurines that you plant chia seeds in, and the sprouts look like green fur? Well, it turns out that you can eat another version of the chia seed, and it is extremely healthy, full of Omega 3s, calcium and magnesium. For a description of its benefits, you can look here. One of my friends has become vegan, and reported that she had chia pudding. Chia seeds come in various shades of white and black/grey, with black indicating the wild version, and white chia seeds occurring naturally and being cultivated to increase the percentage of white seeds. There is a designer white seed sold under the brand name "Salba." Virtually the same nutritionally, but if you're into style and not substance, you might be inclined to spend the big bucks and spring for designer Salba!

These seeds don't have much taste, and they have an interesting gel type form when they meet water. They're used as egg substitutes in vegan cooking, for thickening, and in baking, among many uses. If you eat a seed, it becomes gel like--pretty cool.

Apparently, you only need about 360g (0.8lb) for a month's supply. The other touted characteristic of chia is that it has a long shelf life, so it is safe to buy in bulk. You should grind it yourself instead of buying it ground, if you want it in that form. The white seeds seem to be more expensive than the black seeds--more of an aesthetic than nutritional concern.

As always, it was easy to find cheap sources of chia seeds in the U.S. online. The lowest price I found for chia seed was at Natural Remi-Teas, for $5/lb ($25 for 5 lbs). Shipping is $37.50 for 10 lbs, so total cost is $8.75/lb. The white seed is also available at the site for $5.50/lb. Swanson Vitamins, a company I have purchased from before with great success, sells their house brand "premium" (!) white chia seed for $10/lb. Shipping to Canada amounts to $25 for 10 lbs, so total cost is $12.50/lb.

As for Canada, Cureself sells Natural Traditions white chia seed for $12/lb (free shipping over $100), and Aviva sells a 3 lb bag of black for $35 ($11.67/lb), free shipping for over $100. Superseeds sells the black chia, $67 for 5lb, shipping included, for $13.40/lb. Upaya Naturals sells 10lb (2x5lb) of black for $10.92/lb ($17 shipping included).

Salba from SourceSalba sells 360g for $20, which works to $25/lb. You can buy Salba in local health food stores like Choices Market in Vancouver for around $24 for the 360g package. Currently, Whole Foods does not carry chia seed in B.C. Bulk Barns in eastern Canada sells Salba in bulk. Costco carries Webber Naturals brand which sold in the past for $14/lb. Donald’s Market (2279 Commercial Drive and 2342 East Hastings Street) also carries chia for $9-10 for 330g, or about $13.74/lb

There is a recipe for chia seed pudding here, a possible breakfast food! Here's one for Blueberry Chia Seed Pudding. Bon appetit!

(Where to buy chia seeds in Canada)

Two Ways to Die While Driving

Much of my bicycle travel is by bicycle routes snaking through the city's quiet residential neighbourhoods. When I see a driver pulling out in into traffic in front of me, oblivious to my presence and causing me to apply my brakes violently, I can be sure that the driver is on his cell phone. This occurs despite the standing ban against cell phone use while driving in this province, unless the driver has a hands free unit.

By coincidence, as I blathered on today about my peeve against distracted drivers endangering cyclists, I found validation. Finally some solid numbers on the effects of using a cell phone and texting while driving. It seems that 16,000 people died as a result of cell phone or texting while driving in the US from 2001-2007.

As cell phone use and texting volume continue to rise, I hope that police take a more active stance in ticketing law breaking drivers. Currently only 30 states have legislation banning these distractions. In Canada, seven of 10 provinces have or will soon be enacting cell phone bans: BC, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

Well, it's about time.

Shopping for Bicycle Insurance in Canada

On my first break from a busy week, I decided this morning to waste some time on the computer, reading the newspaper. This is when I came across the first title I've read in local newspapers that seems to be pro-cycling in this article

My husband and I cycle to work and also take the kids by bicycle to their activities. We spend a lot of time on our bicycles.

It led me to think about bicycle insurance. I don't mean insurance to cover motorist-caused accidents with bicycles, which is virtually all of the time. What about cases when bicycles cause injury to people or damage property? Maybe the cyclist is on her cell phone and wildly slams into a car a while she wasn't looking. I am being sarcastic here. This is a reaction to the suggestion in the article that cyclists purchase insurance. Cyclists don't use cell phones while driving; drivers do, despite laws against the practice. Personally, it seems that each time a driver cuts me off as if he or she didn't see me, I see that they are on the cell phone. In the first few weeks after the anti-cell phone law was enacted, I did see a reduction in driver cell phone use. But that period of romance is long over, and drivers are back at it. Putting my life at risk.

I digress. Curious about whether other countries require cyclists to take out insurance in accidents they've caused that do not involve automobiles, I found that the UK, Australia, and the US offer some options.

In the UK, there is CycleGard Road Care. It provides personal liability coverage for cyclists for $44 a year. With the cost of the insurance so low compared to cars at thousands a year, you'd really have to question how often bicycles cause accidents that require insurance coverage, as insurance costs are based on a sophisticated system of number crunching that guarantees that insurance providers come out ahead.

But what about Canada? Google led me to Bicycle Insurance Canada, a sad one page writeup which said, "Below is a list of providers we are aware of , that will provide bicycle insurance cover. You will need to ring them because their websites don’t offer a standard option online for bicycle insurance." It listed three mainstream insurance companies. I clicked on the one which happens to provide my home insurance.


I typed in my question: "Do you have bicycle insurance (collision, 3rd party)?" and the automated computer responded with links pointing to rental car insurance! That's artificial intelligence for you, that! I tried taking out the terms in brackets, "collision, 3rd party" that were confusing Robbie the Robot, and this time I was told that the question I really asked was "What types of insurance do you offer?" Ah, that's better. In the list that followed, bicycles were not mentioned. Time for the 1-877-777-7136. This led to the general line for Client Services.

Can I help you? "Yes. Do you have bicycle insurance? I don't mean insurance for when a bicycle is stolen, but do you have insurance if I am riding my bicycle and I hit a person or a parked car?"

She did not know of any particular bicycle insurance. Luckily for me, I have an existing policy with this company. The operator looked into my home insurance to find if I was covered. She suspected I was. She read out a portion to me over the telephone: "...Personal liability, to accidents or occurrences, unintentional bodily injury or property damage arising due to personal actions anywhere in the world." $1M in liability. There is $6000 for voluntary medical and $6000 for voluntary property damage. What, you ask, is voluntary property damage? If I was at someone's home and decided to, say, pick up their Stradivarius and smash it on the hardwood floor to make a point while telling a story about how a driver was on his cell phone when he smashed into me, yes, I would be covered. But only in the amount of $6000. Dommage. Similarly, if I do decide to take my tire pump and smash in the headlights of a driver who cut me off, I would be covered.

To make certain, I ended the call with this: "So, are you sure I'm covered?" Yes. "What about my husband and my children?" Yes, everyone in the household. Excellent. Now I can text while riding again! No worries!

I did not call the other two companies that might offer bicycle insurance. One only offered service in Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario. So I wrote an, out of curiosity. Question to be resolved: "Does bicycle insurance exist?" That question to be answered when I hear back from them.

Then the bigger question: How often do cyclists cause accidents that require insurance coverage? I think the answer is obvious, from the $44 a year insurance premium for Brit cyclists.

Starbucks Cupcakes

For many years, I was never really satisfied with the pastry offerings at Starbucks. I like my pastries to be good and evil, mostly made of fat and sugar. The biscotti, lemon loaf, oat bar or chocolate dipped pretzel just didn't do it for me. Recently, I was surprised when my husband brought me the Double Chocolate Cupcake with a Black Cherry Mocha. Starbucks had jumped on the Cupcake Bandwagon at last! Love at first bite! Today I fell out of love with it.

When I went to Starbucks today, there were no Double Chocolates, so I bought two each of the two types left, a Vanilla one and "Chocolate Bloom." Priced at four for $8, one for $2.25. I excitedly pulled the Chocolate Bloom out of its overpackaged home, took a loving bite, and... it was frozen, and I couldn't taste much. I mistakenly believed it was baked locally, fresh. How naive can you get?

Then, I noticed that it was "Manufactured exclusively for Starbucks, Seattle, Washington." Where was this thing baked? Finally, I perused the label, which looked alot like the labels you get on those cardboard cheap ingredient baked goods you can buy at Safeway. Ah yes. The delicious and essential ingredients of guar gum, xantham gum, propylene glycol, stearoyl-2-lactylate, and tricalcium phosphate. And that was just the yummy cake part.

The icing only had a few ingredients that I wasn't familiar with in my baking at home. Soy lecithin, palm oil (yeah! trans fats!), and carmine (colour).

Here's a rundown on these special added ingredients:

Guar Gum: thickener made from guar beans, emulsifier, stabilizer. Okay, at least it's naturally obtained.
Xantham Gum: Made by fermenting glucose or sucrose (sugars). Purpose similar to guar gum.
Propylene Glycol: Industrially derived chemical used in automotive antifreeze and used to deice planes. A humectant food additive. Ah, to keep it moist? Also a solvent for food colourings and flavourings. Not toxic at low levels. Nice!
stearoyl-2-lactylate: Emulsifier and humectant. Common organic chemical additive in bread-type products.
tricalcium phosphate: Probably used as a raising agent. Various forms are found in nature. Pass.
Soy Lecithin: Soy-bean derived fatty acid. Another emulsifier.

In confectionery it reduces viscosity, replaces more expensive ingredients, controls sugar crystallization and the flow properties of chocolate, helps in the homogeneous mixing of ingredients, improves shelf life for some products, and can be used as a coating. In emulsions and fat spreads it stabilizes emulsions, reduces spattering during frying, improves texture of spreads and flavour release.

carmine: A bright red colour pigment, produced "by boiling dried insects in water to extract the carminic acid and then treating the clear solution with alum, cream of tartar, stannous chloride, or potassium hydrogen oxalate; the coloring and animal matters present in the liquid are thus precipitated." Yay! Get your daily dose of insect extract right here!

How sad it is when love affairs don't last.