Torn between new walking boots and wellies. Boots more so for comfort but wellies for the resilience to the weather over prolonged walks.
Fields directly at the back of the house so it’s grass 80 percent of the time unless we head out somewhere at the weekend.

I wear German para boots that I got for £30 from the local army surplus store.
They are comfy, waterproof and have lasted 2 years so far without any signs of wear.

Really impressed with them

It depends on the distances you will be walking with the pup.

I have never got on with wellies, always preferring decent boots, but this last couple of years have seen me converted to the ease and simplicity of the wellington. You can just put them on and walk and even if the ground is wet as hell, your feet stay dry.

Just get boots that fit well and socks that stay up. My last pair were 9 quid specials and lasted ages. The current are Le Chameau copies and are a fair bit more comfy and better for walking longer distances in.

Oh be very careful. It’s not as simple as walking.

You need proper professional gait analysis, and to part with large sums of money, so that some one can tell you which expensive wellies in their range will suit you best.

It’s just one big can of worms and expense you have opened up, gone are the days where you can just put one foot in front of the other and walk/jog/run with your dog 🙁

http://www.wiggle.com/salomon-xa-pro-3d-gtx-ss15-1/

Wellies all the way in Winter, especially for wading through the stream to rescue small dogs that can’t swim quite as well as they thought they could.

When it’s dry, whatever comes to hand.

Wellies

I got some hi-tec gore-tex walking shoes for £30 after a PSA on here and they’ve been fab. Comfy, waterproof with decent grip for those slippy off camber sections (my dog walk is quite technical).

Should have the same sort of thing in TK Maxx for similar money.

“technical” dog walk, love it 😆
Are they actually waterproof though?

You might find you need footwear slightly larger than previous convention dictated if you really want the fields to come alive…

Le Chameau Ceres Michelin Neo Wellie are the pro dog walkers weapon of choice.

Since I’ve started walking 3 miles to work (mainly mud) my size 7 DMs have been great. Tried size 9 for greater stability but found them too unwieldy in the corners. So went old school with a size 6 but it felt sketchy in the corners and I couldn’t get up the big steps.
So I’m sticking with my 7ERS.

On the beach, why not try size 12s?

Are they actually waterproof though?

Surprisingly so yeah.

I just stay out of the deeper puddles. Only wore my wellies about twice this winter just gone.

Go to your LBS (Local Boot Shop) and ask them for advice, try on loads of boots and perhaps even take a pair out for a test walk, prevaricate – and then tell them you’ll leave it but buy online. 😉

£12 Dunlop wellies. They just keep going and going and going.

That’s a fearsome tread pattern on those Le Chameaus. Will that work in sandy soil as well as heavy clay, or do I need to be looking for something else for sticky surfaces?

I have cheapo wellies for the allotment and unfortunately they suck down socks if I even think about walking more than 100m in one go.

I’ve resorted to a pair of Scarpa walking boots that I’ve had for the past 10 years. They are 99% waterproof still and far more comfortable for extended walks, 2+hours, than my lightweight Salomon trail shoes.

Everyone else out with their dog/s is in wellies though…

What 4×4 to get me to my technical dog walk?

Without wanting to be to basic you might need a range….

My wife walks dogs for a living. She only wears walking boots but has several pairs. From cheap and bendy from sports direct to posh leather with a decent sole unit. She has weak ankles but for the rest of us there are of course plenty of days when you can walk a dog in approach shoes or trainers. Neither of us would ever dog walk in wellies

Modern water proof boots are water proof. But getting them wet every day does shorten their life

Rubber at the bottom with leather at the top, perfect 😀

http://www.lundhags.se/boots/

wellies stop your trouser legs getting muddy, otherwise you’ll need gaiters plus boots. Plus you can hose them down when you hose the dog down.

Wellies here until it’s warm/dry enough to just wear trainers. I splashed out on some fairly nice one (Bogs, £70 ish) but am very glad I did as they’re so much more comfy than cheap Dunlops for example, they’re also well insulated so you just wear a normal sock even in the coldest weather. I can happily walk for a couple of hours in them and barely notice I’m wearing them.

+1 for the Hitec gortex shoes that were psa on here. Have been brilliant through the winter, warm and dry.

maxxis Minion tread wellies then they pick up all the dogsh*t for you…..like mine do

Plus you can hose them down when you hose the dog down.

This. Very useful if the dogs have been rolling in fox poo and need the full hosing-down-and-shampooing-treatment.

Best things I used were calf-high waterproof snowboots from Lidl. Think were about 14 quid. Wellies hurt my feet, they just suck to walk any distance in. Just awful for yr feet.

Other than that it’s waterproof hiking boots and gaiters. Mrs Rider uses wellies with no issue. She’s weird 🙂

Oh yeah – Crocs! Handy for impromptu skiing on the wet mud piste – getting close to nature. And the dog poo and mud that squeezes in thru the holes – just walk back and forth through a muddy puddle a few times and it all rinses right back out. Well, most if it does.

I bought a pair of Toggi Country boots – leather, Goretex lined and totally waterproof. They can be got for £80 on the Internet, I got a pair once worn from ebay for £50.

They are so comfy, good sole, fully waterproof(wear them in the sea chasing my dog) and very hard wearing. I polish them with nickwax every couple of months and wear them every day.

something easy to wash the dog eggs off

I tend to go for a lightweight walking boot and keep an eye out for them in sales or PSA ….

currently killing some fancy innov8 goretex boots but will probably go for some approach trail trainers for summer…

I’ve got flat feet and like running up hills with the dogs an generally bouncing around..
can’t stand wellies tbh….I dont bother with gaiters use shorts or army waterproofs if it’s that bad……

I’m not really worried much about wet good merino socks keep it all warm .daily wet use does kill the shoes tbh

Wellies are ok for very short distances but chaff like crazy on anything long.

Toss up between waterproof walking boots out of Mountain warehouse that were £35 or these. But they are super-warm so a winter/depths of wilderness boot.

On the plus side you can always say you’re keeping up with the fashion stakes in that you have a set of Pykes 🙂

Kind of interested in this as I’ve just discovered I’ve worn out my Brasher Superlites after 2 years, worn them for probably a bit less than half that time. People who wear wellies, can you wear them for longish walks, tend to do 3ish miles of an evening, 6-7 at the weekend? Only ever worn cheapo wellies and they are hideous to walk in.

For the distance you will be doing until the dog is older 😉 then go for wellies most of the time. Morning grass will often be soaking due to dew and you will just get your trousers wet otherwise, it rains a lot and you have a high chance of stepping in dog poo.

Also have some walking trainer type things for the summer or your feet will sweat on even a short walk in wellies.

If you are going on long hikes then by all means get some nice walking boots but please don’t take the dog yet! You will probably end up using them anyway when wellies are overkill but trainers not enough so may as well get some.

Speaking from experience you will wear wellies for most of your everyday dog walks in the uk. But walking boots are comfier and I choose them for more “technical” and longer walks as they are more suitable and I am wearing walking trousers not jeans.

Boots and gaiters would be my choice

I’ve got meindl boots with rab Gaiters which are great for long walks. More flexible than having to have boots and wellies. Saying that if I’m only walking round the field out the back I’ve got an old pair of rigger boots.

The wife bankrupt me last Christmas when she wanted a pair of Muck Boots Chore Cool, that have a Vibram sole. She likes them muchly.

I’ve always used decathlon wellies unless it is dry, properly so, in which case trainers. As mentioned above, a comfy wellie keeps your feet and trousers dry. I thought about proper boots and gaiters but the faff of getting them on put me off. Plus with wellies you can get a wellie hog and they can live outdoors so you never have to bother cleaning them.

Wellies can suck your socks down to your toes, but if you tuck your trousers into the socks it tends to keep them in place.

The main advantage is the convenience though. Just slip them on and walk dog in the wet. Boots take lacing. And unlacing.

Wellies are the really convenient, but muck boots are even better. Morning grass is very wet

But I cycle with my dog rather than walk, 3 mile round trip. You should try it!

You need proper professional gait analysis, and to part with large sums of money, so that some one can tell

A pair of Muckboots will cost the same as a half-decent pair of walking boots, mine were around £70, a pair of approach shoes can cost that, walking boots £120 or more.

Wellies can suck your socks down to your toes, but if you tuck your trousers into the socks it tends to keep them in place.

Not if you get some neoprene boot socks, mine came from a country outfitters, but Dickies do them for work boots. I wear an ordinary pair of Marks and Sparks sport socks with the neoprene boot socks over them. Really comfy for extended distances; I regularly walk five or six miles in my Muckboots.
No way would I try walking any distance wearing cheap wellies.
http://www.outlandsales.co.uk/product.php/294/dickies_bama_boot_socks
Muckboots don’t chafe, either, they’re neoprene lined, and the top part is neoprene,behaved to fit the leg, so they’re stretchy, and don’t flap around.
Brilliant boots, I wouldnt, couldn’t be without mine.
Only found out about them after a recommendation on here, now I’m returning the favour.