Hunter wellies - overpriced or worth it?

[Bengal12]

What do you think of Hunter wellies? I need a pair of either wellies or hiking boots for walking the dog on rainy days as our park gets v muddy. Currently using old trainers which get super caked in mud on an almost daily basis.
So thought I’d get Hunters as a lot of people in the park have them. I know they’re expensive but was thinking that if I keep them for a few year (5-10) the cost per wear will be minimal. But then I read some reviews that said the quality not what it used to be and in some cases soles came off, rubber crumbled etc etc after 3 months. But others singing their praises.
What has been your experience? I considered getting some waterproof hiking boots instead. Just thinking wellies would be easier to just rinse off after a walk. Would be used at least once a day in winter. I’ve looked at other brands but want something comfortable to walk in for 2-3 miles.
Thank you!

Expensive and split at a seam within 4 months. Also wellies don’t keep your feet warm.
I have a really cheap pair for very muddy days that are still going strong after 5 years but I’m happier with hiking boots. They are a lot warmer and I just give them a bash once the mud is dry & it comes off easily. A brush with a stiff brush if I feel they are really bad.

Hunter have two brands: the fashion Hunters and the Hunter field range which are the more technical and hard wearing (and more expensive again). The fields are brilliant and well worth the money but the others sadly do not last. As an alternative Barbour do some great boots too but it depends on your budget.

I have waterproof hiking boots which I love as they are lighter and warmer but with the mud in the fields now, they wouldn’t do. It depends how muddy you plan to get.

Overpriced. They've switched production plant and now their wellies are seriously substandard. And we're talking £10 wellies from ebay outliving them. Avoid.

Hunter are totally a commercial, useless brand of overpriced rubbish. Muck boots are the thing you want

I just got some and they seem pretty hard wearing.

No way they'd last you 5-10 years, they're crap to walk in too

Used to be good, but just don't seem to be the same since they moved production to China. Feels like they've gone for style over substance now which they can partially get away with because the majority of fashion conscious buyers aren't actually wearing them for eight hours a day in thick mud.

Have a look at muck boots. I really struggle with cold feet when out walking the dog in this weather but these have been a game changer. They are really comfy & have quite a thick sole. They are expensive but the reviews are great. I think they will last for years.

I just got some and they seem pretty hard wearing.

You just got them?

I have had a pair of hunters for over a year for dog walking, footballl matchs. Walked through lots of puddles yesterday and no seepage!! They are great with a pair of fleecy socks. I got mine on sale from MandMdirect.

I've had my muck boots for a decade and they're fantastic, horses, dogs and hours of muddy years later. Hunter are just London fashion

I wouldn’t waste your money on Hunters. The quality has been cheap for years. There is a lot better out there for less money.

They used to be pretty good but turned to rubbish when they became "fashionable". (I have quite a few pairs and the difference in quality is very obvious!)

I've had a pair of neoprene lined hunters that have lasted years. However they are freezing, the neoprene lining is separating and the side buckle has broke (it doesn't actually do anything though!).
I would go for muck boots next time.

I'd look at wellies over hiking boots but agree with the others that Hunters won't stand up to day to day use for very long.
Muck boots, Aigle, Bekina or Dunlop (the more expensive you go, the more comfortable and warm they are) are all good options for wellies. If you go for traditional shaped wellies have a look for a couple of pairs of fleecy boot liners too, definitely help keep your boots on in 'the squelch'!

We’ve had about 4 pairs so far and two have split. Get La Chameau instead - much classier and more hard wearing.

Don't bother! Expensive and split after hardly any wear.

I live rurally and wear wellies daily to walk the dog and Hunters (and Joules in case you were thinking of them) wellies don't last at all, have had both and they are really very poor quality for the price. Muck boots are fab, I have some Grub boots now which are similar but cheaper, and they are very comfy and hard wearing, would really recommend them. I also have some walking boots from Decathlon, they are great but I don't wear them till Spring as the puddles are too big!

As someone with horses, they used to be great before they became a fashion item.. You’d be lucky for them to last 5-10 weeks not years now.

I have some Hunters that I bought way way back when they did the coloured ones for charity (15 or so years ago). They are brilliant and still going strong and I have walked many many miles in them. I don’t know if they have changed them recently though, pretty sure mine were made in the UK and I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore.

They're a fashion brand of wellies now, not proper country boots.

Le Chameau and Aigle are the best available - get the neoprene-lined ones - more expensive but should last forever.

Absolutely shite. I'm rural and the townies all venture through our fields in their hunters, and i know full well their feet are cold

Aigle parcour 2 or Le Chameau viz are both good. I tend to chuck on my Ariat Windermere for most things nowadays though, but the Aigles have more grip.

If you're not going for one of those 3, just buy £10 Dunlops, they'll be better than any of the fashion wellies

I love mine but it seems I’m in a minority! I had a bright yellow pair that lasted about 8 years of regular beach walks (maybe twice a week). Now I have silver glittery. I find them comfy too.

@KimchiLaLa

I just got some and they seem pretty hard wearing.

Said the person who just got them. Would love to know what you think a year down the line!!

We have Hunters here and Aigles and cheapies from the garden centre. Aigles and garden centre ones going strong and the hunters are crumbling.

They used to be great - I got a pair in 1998 when I started agricultural college and they're still going strong and have had a lot of wear.

Friends who've bought Hunters more recently have been disappointed at the quality considering the price.
When this mine do finally give up, I won't be buying another pair.