Boots or Wellies Poll

[Sasperella]

My newbie friend innocently asked me yesterday "so a practical question....what footwear do I need?" Well, well well, isn't that the golden question 

I've worn wellies at loads of festivals and never found them to hurt my feet or give me blisters. As long as you don't wear shit socks that constantly slip down they're fine... I do HATE how hot they can get but they're easy enough to take off

This year I have a sexy pair of timberlands that I'm considering taking.... But too scared of ruining them, or encountering a too high puddle or whatever. I'd never subject them to a 2016. 2014? Maybe. 2017? Fuck them both off and wear skateshoes!

My newbie friend did however suggest flipflops if sunny....so I was able to at least categorically say no to that 

[hfuhruhurr]

As said before, if ultra sloppy mud then wellies/muck boots with 2 pairs of socks, preferably outer pair long enough to go isolate you from any wellie contact. If not sloppy then walking boots every time.

Gel insoles and decent socks. Plus vaseline - always helps with any unwanted friction. 

[Zoo Music Girl]

Wellies all the way! Have said it many times but mine cost me a fiver and must have done me at least 15 festivals now, nine of them Glastonbury. Granted that sometimes they are brought and not worn (2010, 2017). Mine are perfectly comfortable with socks and I'm not forking out for boots I'd only ever wear a few days a year. I take wellies, converse and flip flops for camp. Sorted.

 

[stuartbert two hats]

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

For a sticky mud festival, rather than as very watery one, I was very happy with my choice.

The reason I would go for boot every time now is that I think the times of lots of standing water are largely behind us. 2014 should have had massive puddles everywhere, flooding out the tents in Pennards, but the massive ditches dug into the site to drain it worked spectacularly.  

The site has been cleverly rearranged to keep the public out of the places where there will be welly level water levels.

[Mr.Tease]

Welly wearers: Noah

Wellys: the ark

Boot wearers : the heathens

[Mr.Tease]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

For a sticky mud festival, rather than as very watery one, I was very happy with my choice.

The reason I would go for boot every time now is that I think the times of lots of standing water are largely behind us. 2014 should have had massive puddles everywhere, flooding out the tents in Pennards, but the massive ditches dug into the site to drain it worked spectacularly.  

The site has been cleverly rearranged to keep the public out of the places where there will be welly level water levels.

You have just jinxed us all! 

[Dave_c]

What do farmers wear? There is your answer ?

[The Nal]

4 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

No and no. 2016 was my first year wearing boots and Ill never wear wellies again. No sore toes, no scrapes on calves, no Glasto back. Life changing. 

[Losing my hair]

8 minutes ago, Dave_c said:

What do farmers wear? There is your answer ?

When I worked on a farm it was boots unless it was unavoidable; in a ditch, cleaning out pig shit etc. Wearing wellies all day just makes your legs ache.

[CaledonianGonzo]

13 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

As mentioned in the other thread, I coped better than the rest of my group who were in wellies and generally took twice as long to get anywhere.

Pelting up to Ronnie Spector in The Park from the Pyramid, I got there about 15 minutes before the rest of them.

[stuartbert two hats]

15 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

As mentioned in the other thread, I coped better than the rest of my group who were in wellies and generally took twice as long to get anywhere.

Pelting up to Ronnie Spector in The Park from the Pyramid, I got there about 15 minutes before the rest of them.

I did too. I was wondering if anyone had the opposite experience.

[jparx]

I thought wellies were a nightmare in 2016. I made the huge mistake of opting for wellies over my usual boots and I regretted it all weekend. Constantly getting stuck in the mud, wellies pulling off and so uncomfortable. A good pair of boots all day long, in any conditions.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Unfortunately I wasn't there as I probably would have been the perfect test case as a committed welly fan. They served me well in 2011 and 2014 but neither were as bad from what I can tell.

Mr Tease maybe?

[clarkete]

1 hour ago, jparx said:

I thought wellies were a nightmare in 2016. I made the huge mistake of opting for wellies over my usual boots and I regretted it all weekend. Constantly getting stuck in the mud, wellies pulling off and so uncomfortable. A good pair of boots all day long, in any conditions.

Surely in some conditions the level of mud is higher than the top of the boot?

That's certainly been my tipping point, then spending 2 or 3 days with feet perpetually encased in damp mud, which was OK but for the awful bit at the start of the day when it was cold because your feet hadn't warmed it up yet.

In truth the answer can be either, both or neither.  Some years you can feel a bit daft in big boots in the hot sun  

Edited April 22, 2019 by clarkete

[CaledonianGonzo]

9 minutes ago, clarkete said:

Surely in some conditions the level of mud is higher than the top of the boot?

This is probably key for when wellies become the better option - but in truth in 2016 there weren't any bits that bad (or if they were they were so minor they could be easily skirted). 

[Gnomicide]

3 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

This is probably key for when wellies become the better option - but in truth in 2016 there weren't any bits that bad (or if they were they were so minor they could be easily skirted). 

The only bit I saw was the path up by Gate D where cars trucks etc passed it, you could get round it though.

[gigpusher]

1 hour ago, clarkete said:

Surely in some conditions the level of mud is higher than the top of the boot?

That's certainly been my tipping point, then spending 2 or 3 days with feet perpetually encased in damp mud, which was OK but for the awful bit at the start of the day when it was cold because your feet hadn't warmed it up yet.

In truth the answer can be either, both or neither.  Some years you can feel a bit daft in big boots in the hot sun  

If you wear seal skinz socks then it doesn't really make any difference. Also I think the drainage on the site is much better than it used to be so I don't think it ever really gets that bad any more. I usually bring some old trainers that I'm not bothered about for really nice weather because you still get muddy points from people washing hair etc on the taps. 

The good thing about walking boots though is that they are designed for long periods of walking and so are more comfortable for long periods and even cope with the hot weather better. 

 

[Crazyfool01]

4 minutes ago, gigpusher said:

If you wear seal skinz socks then it doesn't really make any difference. Also I think the drainage on the site is much better than it used to be so I don't think it ever really gets that bad any more. I usually bring some old trainers that I'm not bothered about for really nice weather because you still get muddy points from people washing hair etc on the taps. 

The good thing about walking boots though is that they are designed for long periods of walking and so are more comfortable for long periods and even cope with the hot weather better. 

 

yes yes yes to this ... I can dance in puddles (ish) in my sealskinz and my feet are still dry so combined with walking shoes this is a good combo ... if its lakes of water I swap to wellies but this is rare these days 

[gigpusher]

4 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

yes yes yes to this ... I can dance in puddles (ish) in my sealskinz and my feet are still dry so combined with walking shoes this is a good combo ... if its lakes of water I swap to wellies but this is rare these days 

I have demonstrated their power by walking in a full bath of water and got out with dry feet. 

[Lubic]

I invested in a decent pair of wellies for 2014 (won't mention the brand as they have a bad rep around here...) and they have served me very well since. Nice fit, paired with comfy insoles and football socks, and handled 2016 with ease. They're quite tall which helps deal with deep mud and puddle splashing. Trainers/converse for dry days, and you're all sorted.

Would only bother buying a decent pair of boots if I was going to commit to them come rain or shine, and not bother bringing more than 1 pair of footwear. My friend does that and he gets on fine, so fair enough.

[gfest2009]

4 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

For a sticky mud festival, rather than as very watery one, I was very happy with my choice.

The reason I would go for boot every time now is that I think the times of lots of standing water are largely behind us. 2014 should have had massive puddles everywhere, flooding out the tents in Pennards, but the massive ditches dug into the site to drain it worked spectacularly.  

The site has been cleverly rearranged to keep the public out of the places where there will be welly level water levels.

Husband and I both wore walking boots for the first time in 2016 and were (silently) smug about it the whole fest. Absolute game changer; would not go back. If I recall correctly, we had wellies in the car just in case, but never felt the need to go and collect them. Saw SO many lost/abandoned wellies around the site... The years blend, but on one muddy year a mountain of wellies had a different punny form every day: welliephant graveyard, wellie henge, etc. 

[Mr.Tease]

1 hour ago, gfest2009 said:

Husband and I both wore walking boots for the first time in 2016 and were (silently) smug about it the whole fest. Absolute game changer; would not go back. If I recall correctly, we had wellies in the car just in case, but never felt the need to go and collect them. Saw SO many lost/abandoned wellies around the site... The years blend, but on one muddy year a mountain of wellies had a different punny form every day: welliephant graveyard, wellie henge, etc. 

Look upon this and realise the error of your ways- it's not too late to come back from this walking-boot foolishness!

 

[stuartbert two hats]

8 minutes ago, Mr.Tease said:

Look upon this and realise the error of your ways- it's not too late to come back from this walking-boot foolishness!

 

There aren't any tents there any more, there's a massive drainage ditch.

[Sasperella]

5 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Did anyone in 2016 who wore boots feel like they would be better off in wellies?  As in, did you feel nervous walking about in case you got water/mud over the top of your boots?

This guy I was seeing at the time had worn boots while I had wellies. He slipped right over and twisted his knee somewhere or other in the wee hours of Saturday morning (which subsequently swelled up pretty bad) and then in the wee hours of Monday morning we were in Silver Hayes when his sole came clean off.... He was slipping and sliding all over the place for most of the night even before that though

Maybe he had shit balance, was super wrecked and had old, shoddy walking boots. 

If I was still talking to him I text him and ask if he regrets it, but as it is we're going to have to draw our own conclusions....

[stuartbert two hats]

Just now, Sasperella said:

This guy I was seeing at the time had worn boots while I had wellies. He slipped right over and twisted his knee somewhere or other in the wee hours of Saturday morning (which subsequently swelled up pretty bad) and then in the wee hours of Monday morning we were in Silver Hayes when his sole came clean off.... He was slipping and sliding all over the place for most of the night even before that though

Maybe he had shit balance, was super wrecked and had old, shoddy walking boots. 

If I was still talking to him I text him and ask if he regrets it, but as it is we're going to have to draw our own conclusions....

If his sole came off, he had shit boots. I suspect we can all agree that shit footwear is a bad idea.