Has anyone successfully stretched Hunter wellies?

[Bluesheep8]

I've upped my walking and somehow my calves have expanded and my wellies are too tight! I've googled and found a way of supposedly stretching them with a hairdryer. Has anyone tried this, or make another suggestion? I spent far too much on them to take to a charity shop (when open)

[Soutiner]

I would have thought you would stretch the rubber making them prone to split?!

Why don’t you cut them down half an inch or an inch instead?

[Bluesheep8]

Hmmm, thanks no I won't be cutting them but thanks anyway

[chuckyegg2]

If they’re in good condition give them a scrub and put them up on eBay. They will sell well And you can put the money towards something new - perhaps some walking boots or walking trainers might be good, especially coming into the spring.

[Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel]

Your suggestion of stretching them is as daft as cutting them

[Kidssendingmenuts]

You need muck boots or grub boots. They are made of neoprene and stretch with your calves. Hunters can't be stretched, heating them up will just mold them into a pointless expensive mess.

[Bluesheep8]

Your suggestion of stretching them is as daft as cutting them

I don't think it's daft. The method came up when I googled it and I wanted to know if anyone had tried it. It's not some random idea I just dreamt up

[ElementalIllusion]

Don’t do it.

I ruined two pairs of Hunter wellies trying to do this, one pair were unsalvageable and had to be thrown away and the other ended up being wearable but looking crap.

There is no way to stretch them, I tried half a dozen different methods I found online and all failed.
Warming them to stretch them or ‘mould’ the rubber just completely ruined them, it makes the rubbed rough, hard and brittle and doesn’t make them any wider.

[ElementalIllusion]

You’d be much better cleaning them up and selling them on Facebook or eBay and buying replacements.

[Bluesheep8]

Ok that's unanimous then. I'm not on Facebook etc so some lucky person is going to have a great charity shop find once they're open again because that's where the boots are heading. Thanks for the helpful replies