Glastonbury - Wellington boots advice.

Off to my first Glasto this year and looking for advice regarding wellington boots...should i aim for a pair of Hunters? What about socks? Is there a certain type?

Willing to pay a bit extra to ensure my feet are dry and comfortable for the 5 days i am there.

Wellies are wellies man! If they're comfortable and don't rub, you really won't give a **** what you're wearing.

As for socks - thigh high and lace are perfect with wellies.

If you can find some not manufactured in China, that'd be a good start....they might last the 5 days then

Hunter wellies are over priced and not particularly comfortable I find, people just buy them because everyone else has them.

Look at : http://www.muckbootcompany.co.uk/

Much better quality and comfort.

Forget wellies.

My GF does press and interviews for festivals and i have encountered best combination for festivals to keep dry through experience.

Waterproof socks to keep feet dry in the tent in case something happens. For boots, get army boots from a website which sells old (not used) UK army boots for like £25-30. Comfortable enough as they are made to be worn throughout the day, waterproof, they look alright and dont take up tons of room.

I use beige ones i bought for fishing and festivals and the pair i have had has lasted me 2 years and are as good as new minus a bit of mud. Probably used twice a week and i paid around £28 including delivery.

Socks i use to use Sealskinz but they were overpriced and crap. Brand i use now i cant remember but they are from mountain warehouse and work fine. Normally i only bring two/three pairs and wear them over my socks.

Don't bother with Hunters, over priced and not made for normal human beings who have any hint of calf muscle. Get wellies that you can get on and off comfortable in a confined space (Hint: a tent ).

If you are wearing wellies for and extended period your feet and lower legs will sweat like a waterfall so get decent knee high wicking socks (multiple pairs for the period of the festival obviously ) that allow you to fold a good portion over the top of the wellie to stop wellie-whip (you'll soon know what that is if you don't do this )

Also try to get wellies that will allow you enough room to fit a sports or walking insole as that will make any length of time in them far more comfortable and try not to wear them all the time to allow everything to breath

Me? I've been going to festivals for 28 years (every year to multiple festies) now and as hinted by Avenged7Fold above have found much better alternatives to wellies that mean I don't wreck my feet

Wellies are wellies, forget hunters. Go in to blacks and try some on.

I tend to wear waterproof walking boots until it gets really bad and then wellies are fairly essential.

To be honest the drainage at Glasto is better than ever but we were there in 2005 when it was really awful. The reason army boots aren't great is that once it start to dry slightly, it becomes like a sticky bog and sometimes you can end up with your feet going quite far in, so mud inevitably gets over an ankle high boot.

Veteran of 10 Glastonbury's....

Can't think of anything worse to be walking around all day for days in than a new pair of wellies.

My understanding is Hunter wellies are cheaply made and fall apart with anything approaching 'normal' use. They might have been good once, hence their reputation, but they are just a fashion accessory now to most people.

Boots would be more comfortable. Buying a decent pair of wellies with a proper sole will be expensive. Saying that I have used the same pair of Brantano £5 wellies to walk to the dog in every day, all winter for the past 3 years and they're still going strong.

Wellies kill my feet, no support at all. Personally I'd advise a decent pair of walking boots (either waterproof or paired with some sealskins waterproof socks)

Waterproof hiking/Army boots > wellies for Glastonbury

You want something that's A) comfortable for standing/walking/dancing around in for hours on end and B) isn't going to come off when you get stuck in the mud. I'd suggest getting them now and wearing them as much as possible before the festival to break them in.

Socks: wool. Lots of pairs!

The one and only time in the last 10 years I have found a need to wear wellies:



In all other conditions it's just unacceptable

The photo was taken at WOMAD 2007 (WOMUD as it became known), it was worse than any wet Glasto I've ever been to and I first started going there in 1989

I wouldn't recommend waterproof socks as a substitute for good, waterproof boots. You will feel the cold, even if you're feet might be dry, with wet boots and they will be heavy (the boots that is, saturated with water).

Army boots/hiking boots are literately made to be worn all day, thoroughly used, comfortable and waterproof. With prices being not that far off or cheaper than expensive wellies with a decent sole, who would choose anything other than boots?

bobbyspangles said:

I wouldn't recommend waterproof socks as a substitute for good, waterproof boots. You will still feel the cold, even if you're feet might be dry, with wet boots and they will be heavy (the boots that is, saturated with water).

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I use both at festivals, waterproof boots are not much good if the floor of your tent gets damp.

Two pairs of waterproof socks to go over normal socks and you are sorted. An antislip pad does wonders too if they are cheap waterproof socks.

Pfft Hunters, go to a local outdoors/farmer shop. (Although looking at your postcodes you probably don't have any.)

Picture of my friends in 2007. Shows how deep it can get.

Like I said, drainage is better now, so I'd be surprised if it ever got that bad again.

Bonus image of random people:

I suppose a dingy is more comfortable than an inflatable mattress, plus the shape stops you rolling off at night!

I remember those 2 and an incident when a group of pirates attempted a boarding action

Lol Hunters. No idea how they became all the craze in festivals, they're nothing special.

By on fit first, then quality. Try some on in somewhere like Blacks, i would recommend Dunlops from my experience.

But as others have said, decent hiking boots would be best on anything other than flooded.