What does the hive mind suggest?

We’ve recently got a dog (it’s a mongrel but could be a Huntaway) & have lots of countryside to walk in which is great but…
currently using hiking boots in the morning and dew / rain mean they don’t dry out, I’m not a fan of traditional wellies but have never tried things like Hunters, are there any alternatives?

Also been wearing jeans (see above). I’m going to change job soon so I aim to walk the dog & then cycle commute to the train station; any suggestions on good trousers for these?

Sounds like your walking boots are crap.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kabalo-Electric-Dryer-Warmer-Disinfectant/dp/B00VPMRN8O/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1465996374&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=boot+dryer

Depends on the conditions. I usually bike with him

If I’m walking and it’s wet, and it’s going to be muddy and or in long grass, then its usually wellies. Get good ones, not crap ones, I have muck boots and would recommend these

Hiking boots are OK, but they’re a lot more faff than wellies. Wellies don’t need to ‘dry out’, they slip on and off easy, then don’t need cleaning, they don’t need looking after

The only downside is they don’t really breathe, but I’ve never found it a problem

It’s worth spending good money on wellies, they’re really handy for dog walking

For trousers it doesn’t really matter. Jeans, walking trousers, combats etc. Once you’ve got wellies on they protect whatever you’re walking in

A decent set of wellies is a must. Will keep your trouser lowers dry, can be slipped on and off without too much hassle, require little maintenance compared to walking boots and allow you to wade when things get really wet underfoot.

I was always a walking boots person but after 8 years of 2 walks a day every day (and several pairs of hiking boots), wellies were a revelation.

Good wellies!

I’m a pretty keen hillwalker and have almost every variation of goretex / event / walking boots that you can imagine.

However for walking the dog it is wellies for me everytime. Another vote for muck boots, comfy and warm in winter. When its raining I have a knee length waterproof (like a single nylon shell barbour) which means that with the wellies there is very little left to get wet. Wear whatever you want underneath it.

I wear leather country boots. Goretex lined, treat with nick wax, mine get worn daily in mud, wet fields, rivers & the sea. Toggi website

After 18 months the soles are going on mine, and I’ll be getting another pair.

Ahh looks like I need to find some decent wellies TBH my experience has only ever been with cheap ones.
So I’d better check out the Muck boots.
Of course I will then need a decent long coat 🙂

^ Dubbary Wexford men’s a snip at £349.00?

Then the Barbour coat/cape thing. Then the pre-aged Ibex-hide brimmed hat 😉

A decent set of wellies is a must.

Got fed up with the mud and the slop and got a decent pair of walking wellies a couple of years ago (Aigle ones) and they are indeed a must. Waterproof and decent coverage of trouser. Expensive but worth it and not comparable to your usual working or gardening wellies. Just a quick hose down of wellies and dog when you get home.

Having said that, we do have a dog walker a couple of days a week, and she’s out every day with loads of dogs. Wears walking boots.

Salomon trainers/walking shoes here (both Gore-tex and normal versions), the quick laces are brill for allowing you slip them on and off easily. However, most of our walking is done on paths of some description whether in town or countryside. If you were just on open fields or areas with deep mud / long grass then wellies might be a better choice.

Oh and Salomons seemed the footwear of choice at crufts if that’s any help 🙂

Do posher wellies have stiffer soles then?

Ahh yes lots of long grass and I expect mud in winter…
still I can now provide a strong argument for the Howies Ventile jacket that I’ve always wanted

Do posher wellies have stiffer soles then?

No, just a buckle on the side and a logo on the front. Obviously means they are much better 😉

Wellies for walking? Only if you’re popping across a muddy field.

I use my hiking shoes all year around they rarely get wet, they did Sunday as I disappeared into a marsh. The wellies wouldn’t have helped and would have filled up then stayed wet. The shoes pretty much dried out in time for the pub stop, merino socks did too. This was on a damp gloomy day too.

I wear those light weight quick dry trousers so they dried out quick and if they get muddy then it brushes off. Jacket depends on the time of the year.

It’s worth spending good money on wellies, they’re really handy for dog walking

In winter I have a big old patch of six inch deep squelchy bog to walk across with our mutt. Walking boots don’t cut it. Decent wellies (Hunters with poncy welly socks) are the low hassle solution.

Do posher wellies have stiffer soles then

The reverse, I found. Either way, the point is, they’re comfy to walk in. Cheapos, not so much.

HOW MUCH!!! 😯 FOR WELLYS??? 😯 OMFG!!!
Your only taking the bloody dog for a walk. Dunlops with an old pair of trousers and a coat is all you need in reality..
(Three dogs out every day in all weathers)

In winter I have a big old patch of six inch deep squelchy bog to walk across with our mutt.

Is that the only place you can walk him?

FFS just buy a pair of Dunlop green wellies and stick a decent footbed in. They are for dog walking not fashion!

Put it another way… I used to wear walking boot to walk the dog and hated wellies. Right up until I twigged that wellies go on in a fraction of the time, kept my feet dry in even the wettest long grass and cost 9 quid.

It you want to be posh, look at expensive wellies, but it’s really not worth it.

As for clothing, wear what you would do normally for a walk if it rains, consider wearing waterproof overtrousers as well as a jacket.

Is that the only place you can walk him?

It’s the nearest best walk.

So I could go to other places, but I’m lazy.

Wellies help me remain so.

HOW MUCH!!! FOR WELLYS???

You’re new here, right?

I use Lidl wellies with my orthotic soles in, they’re way comfier than normal wellies but I still prefer the support of my (£10 Aldi) faux hiking boots when it’s not soaking wet out.

Sandals and shorts….wellies when its wet, I like paddling in the stream with the 2 dogs 🙂

I have a pair of the Decathlon neoprene lined wellies, excellent for walking the dog during the wetter months of the year. No need for thick socks to keep your feet warm with a pair of these on. For the legs a pair of soft-shell walking trousers.

So I could go to other places, but I’m lazy.

Wellies help me remain so.

😆

Thigh waders and a sombrero for me, nothing else. I don’t even have a dog.

I find the perfect dog walking boot is a pair of Dunlop wellies with a Scholl shock absorbing insole in them.

In my lengthy dog walking experience taking dogs out twice a day will kill any welly in less than 12 months so it’s just not worth the expense of buying ‘posh wellies’.

+1 for £9 Dunlop wellies,anything else is being poncy. For longer day walks it’s the waterproof walking boots.

We need pictures of said dog to give proper advice .

Green dunlop cheapo wellies for me too, with a pair of overtrousers left in position on them for most of the winter.

You’re new here, right?

No but it feels like it sometimes, this is hitting new heights…

Amazing the things we argue over 🙂

Personally didn’t like walking in cheap wellies, just seemed really stiff and inflexible compared to the (bit more expensive) ones I have now. For me, they are much nicer. Lot of local walks are common land and tow paths and they get really wet and boggy for about 10 months of the year, for that tall wellies are brilliant.

I’m not arguing, more suffering from shock..
M’old’n’tight…

Wellingtons…have tried all sorts and prices but they all give me a bald patch on my calf muscles (i guess they are too big – muscles not wellies 😉 !!), just looks like I shave my calf muscles only! Having black haired legs adds to the humor value!! Hiking boots, combat shorts and merino socks all year round for me even………….I dont care looking an idiot in the middle of winter as long as I have a full leg of hair!

anything else is being poncy.

Is it poncy if you get them as a gift, and they were bought at 50% discount?

Short walks then £9 green dunlops

Longer walks then £££ Aigle

I have both and the Aigle are far more comfortable (yes tried other footbeds in the dunlops)

The wellies with a long zip are much better if you have narrow ankles….much less wallow. Not cheap though.

Nobody mentioned it yet, but decent socks make a huge difference for wellies. I’m a bottom of the range – before they outsourced and started to leak – original Hunters man myself. Have two pairs (lent a pair to teen1 who psuedo-lost them) and they are fine.

If buying again, i’d be looking at Aigle for about £120 or so. Anout the same as some walking boots, but better suited to doggy conditions.

Could try some shorter height wellies, eg Nokian Trimmi. I think they are great for summer weather – lightweight and not too hot. So long as you don’t step in a really deep bog, or wade through a river etc.

For proper winter, Grub Boots are great, nice and cosy.

You lot must spend a lot of time cleaning your dogs if you are walking them through muddy bogs everyday!

I can’t think of many dog owners I know who walk in wellies, seen the odd few but most just use normal outdoor shoes or trainers.