Can you wear Hunter rain boots hiking and camping?
Every year, we go camping for a week during the summer. Before, I have just gone to target and bought a cheap pair of cute polka dotted rain boots to wear camping and hiking. After that week each time, they all had gotten ripped, or there was a hole in them, or something. It gets super hot each time- around 90 to 100 F outside, and very humid. It doesn't usually rain too much at all when we go, I just like that rain boots keep me from getting poison ivy because of how tall they are, they keep dirt and stuff out of my shoes, and they are super easy to take on and off. I am thinking about buying a pair of nice "Hunter" brand boots this year, so I could just wear them for all of our camping trips from this summer on. I do realize that Hunter rain boots are for RAIN and SNOW, which later on in winter and on rainy days I will use them for, I am just wondering if hot, humid weather, and camping would ruin them. I understand that in hot weather they "bloom" a little, but I am wondering that after a week they may go into like, blooming overdrive? Also, would hiking in rocks, and dry dirt, and twigs, etc, would make their life shorter? Obviously they are pricey because of their awesome quality, so I don't want to buy them, then use them for an experience not intended for their purpose, therefore shortening their lifespan, or just straight up ripping them or something. So to sum it up, I want to know if I can buy and expensive pair of Hunter brand Rain boots, and rely on them to stay in good quality this summer, and for summers to come, camping and hiking. I am not rich, and I don't want to spend money on a pair of expensive rain boots, for me to use them in the wrong way and waste them. Thanks for your answers!!!
Can you wash boots in a washing machine?
It depends on the material and how they are put together. You cannot wash leather boots in a machine. It may be possible to wash fabric boots, but only if they are securely stitched rather than glued. And be prepared for them to shrink. Basically, I would not put boots in a machine except in very special cases.
How can I dry the inside of my sons wellington boots?
May I suggest putting a bit of newspaper inside of them, this will soak up most of the moisture and when left long enough will dry itself and be quite easy to get out long enough is about 8 hours, so do it before you go to bed
Which wellies are better? Hunter or Barbour Wellies?
Hunter and its predecessor companies have a tradition of making boots for other firms as well as themselves. Barbour is in the waxed jacket/country clothing business and for many decades it has had its Barbour brand wellies made by Hunter or its predecessor Gates. If you place a Hunter Original and a Barbour Town and Country wellie next to one another you will notice very little difference other than the label. The top binding and the sole pattern will be identical, as will the upper detail. However, Hunter and Barbour wellies do differ when you flex them. Hunters vary a lot in the way they flex as you walk in them. Some models are soft and pliable, but others have a stiffer, almost cardboardy feel to them, making them feel disagreeably like vinyl. Barbour wellies have invariably supple uppers, flexing as you walk in them, and you almost forget you have them on your feet. There are more Hunter styles than Barbour styles when it comes to wellies, so that may be a consideration, but if you are on the horns of a dilemma between Hunter Originals http://www.thewellyshop.com/Wellies/Hunter/Hunter-Original---BLACK/p-108-117-291/ and Barbour Town and Country wellies http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/Barbour-Town-and-Country-Wellington-2010.html then I would go for the Barbours because they have softer rubber uppers, making them more comfortable to wear and walk in. An additional recommendation is that Barbours tend to be a little cheaper than Hunters, but without a loss of quality. You pay a premium for the Hunter label on the front of the boot, but you can be confident in having purchased Barbour wellies because they are made to a high standard by Hunter which rebrands them as Barbour.
Why did the boots of US soldiers in WWII have shoestrings and Soviet and German soldiers boots did not?
Think climate.It should be remembered that northern Europe is a cold climate with muddy winters. The tall, pull-on boot had long been popular for European armies because it was simple, had no laces or buckles to fail, was easier to keep clean, and most importantly, kept the wearer’s foot dryer from the winter mud and slush. Cold fingers and mittens don’t do well with muddy laces. If trousers were tucked in, they also protected the lower trousers from mud. Gaiters were unnecessary with tall leather boots.Of course, most of Europe is above 45 degrees latitude. Most of the United States and most of the British and French colonial empires are below 45 degrees. Summers are much warmer in the US, equatorial Africa and India. They are very hot and humid in fact. American and British colonial troops discovered that laced boots were preferable in the climate they fought in. They were easily removed to dry the feet and change sweaty socks in hot weather. It was much easier to march over rough terrain with laced boots because they fit better. They did require gaiters or leggings to protect the lower trousers.Such boots did not keep the feet dry enough in northern European winters, although they were superior in the summer. US troops were issued waterproof Pac-boots with felt liners in the winter of 1944–45 but switched back to regular boots in the spring.After WWII, lace-up boots became taller and leggings were eliminated.Neither pull-on or lace-up heavy leather boots are effective in tropical jungles. In Vietnam, a jungle boot was developed by the US that had uppers of quick-drying nylon, impermeable rubber soles, mesh ventilating insoles, and had screened drain holes. The idea was that the boot was inevitably going to get soaked, but it would dry out faster.
Why were military boots for soldiers in WW1 and WW2 more tight and high than modern military boots today?
At the start of World War One, military fashion had led to essentially two models of military footwear in general use - the laced ankle boot, waterproofed with dubbin or similar and supported by long puttees or gaiters (, leather, cloth or canvas leggings (also known as anklets in their shorter form) secured around the top of the boot with buckles) - or pull-on, unlaced ‘jackboots’. Both sorts of boot were leather, with leather soles, metal-studded and with metal plates on heel and toe for control of wear and to give secure footing. Most nations wore their style of boot with socks or stocking, generally of thick wool (the Russians taking a slightly different tack with footcloths, wrapped around the foot).All these boots, while hard-wearing and protective, were not waterproof and meant soldiers having to devote considerable time and care to keeping feet dry in order to avoid immersion foot and other wet- and cold-associated injuries.Boot technology had not moved on significantly by 1939, although the British had moved from puttees to short canvas anklets.During World War Two, advances in technology made the use of composite or rubber soles feasible, giving better grip, lighter weight and quieter wear to specialists using them (this was still an expensive technology). Simultaneously, the USA developed a high-leg laced paratroopers’ boot (the Corcoran) which gave excellent ankle and lower leg support and which was popular enough that a high-leg combat boot was soon introduced throughout the US service (in Europe at least), doing away altogether with the high gaiters used until then.After the war, everywhere but the USSR, high-leg laced combat boots with synthetic soles gradually became the norm, with variants for cold weather (lined), ski-march and jungle combat also in service. Towards the end of the 20th Century, special forces began to adopt civilian pattern waterproof hiking boots, generally equipped with replaceable non-slip Vibram soles and incorporating a waterproof membrane such as Gore-Tex and these gradually became the norm in regular service, often with synthetic woven composition (tougher than leather) in a variety of colours to match the near universal use of camouflaged clothing.
What are your favorite hiking boots for serious treks?
Seriously, I've gone through many expensive options with varying degrees of comfort, durability and grip. The frequently worn boots/shoes, with that unmissable design which instantaneously tells anyone who glances at your feet that you are a tourist or worse, are not for me. Limmer boots are great but heavy. Also, these options are never cheap. In India, I bought a pair of common leather boots, a size too small, on a whim for under $20 - they have a decent sole and look pretty snazzy. I replaced the original shoelaces for something more stretchy. As the leather expanded they moulded to my feet and today I am a pleased hiker. :) Here is the bottom-line: light, great grip, not water resistant but they dry real quick and in the Himalayas, even with top boots, you can't avoid getting your feet wet. Multipurpose and attractive, durable and absolutely affordable. Despite what anyone tells you, old-school is the best way to go. My buddy has leather army government-made boots from Nepal that are even better but I heard they stopped selling them to the public. PS. The pair had their official test in Sikkim and passed with flying colours!