Best shooting wellies: how to stay dry, comfortable and still look the part
Wellies are an essential bit of kit for a shooter and anybody else who spends time outside
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When the rain comes down and the mud starts churning up you’ll be looking for the best shooting wellies you can find. Sturdy, robust footwear that won’t slip on wet ground, will let you walk dry footed through streams and over ploughed fields. Footwear you can just hose off after wearing.
Shooting boots are ideal for drier days ( read our list of the best shooting boots here) but in a downpour you’ll need your wellies to hand. You’ll also need a good shooting jacket.
We asked around some keen Shots and fieldsports fans and here’s what they said they look for when choosing wellies.
Mark Ripley, regular of The Shooting Show says: “The best tip for buying boots is to look what keepers and farmers are wearing, these guys live in wellies day in day out so if they are happy with a brand then it’s a good bet they are worth looking at!”
We looked out some pairs of rubber wellies with decent soles, that are well made, adjustable for wider calfs and in different price brackets. Here’s what we found.
Our list of best shooting wellies
Aigle Unisex’s Parcours 2′ Wellington Boots £187.47
Best for price
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Rubber
- Colours: Green bronze, khaki, brown, black, noir
- Sizes: 3.5-14.5
- Closure: Pull on
The Shooting Show contributor Mark Ripley says : “Right, as far as wellies go I reckon it’s worth buying a good pair that will last you. I brought a pair of Aigle Parcours boots about 18 months ago which have been the best boots I’ve owned.
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Patrick Laurie in his (just seen) Skellerup boots
Skellerup Quatro Insulated Safety Welly Wellington Boot Wellies 6-13 Midsole £82.76
Best for doing an all-round job
- Lining: Insulated fleece Neoprene
- Composition: Waterproof rubber
- Colours: As shown
- Sizes: 6,8,12,13
- Tested to -50C comfortable temperature range of -25C to 30C
+ Steel toecap
+ Stainless steel penetration resistant midsole
Shooting Times contributor Patrick Laurie is a fan of these. He says: “My wellies lead a double life, both on the farm and on shoot days. It’s interesting that wellies have diverged over the last few decades – you used to get countryside wellies – now you get shooting person wellies and farming person wellies.
“I’m wearing wellies every day of the week in the winter, so they need to be comfortable. My favourites are Skellerup Red Band from New Zealand. I’ve tried LOTS of wellies over the last ten years, including many sent to test for Shooting Times. Some of the shooting brands I was sent to test lasted just a few months on the farm. Skellerups last the longest, hands down – I buy a pair every year.
“They do the job, they keep you warm, they’re comfortable to walk and stand in – and while all boots leak eventually, Skellerups stay dry for longest. People often laugh at my boots on shoot days, calling them farmer boots. They’re black and they’ve got a silly red stripe around the sole, but you can’t see that kind of stuff when they’re muddy anyway. Also, I’ve always preferred black wellies for no obvious reason other than my dad had black wellies and so did my grandad – both farmers.”
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DUNLOP Unisex Adults’ Dunlop Pricemastor Boots £29.99
Best for basics
- Lining: Unlined
- Composition: Synthetic
- Colours: Black
- Sizes: 3-12
Charles Owen Grisedale says: “Wellies! Never out of them as a child on the farm . These days comfort reigns supreme ; I favour the best boots I can find, with over trousers if needed. (Read our list of the best waterproof trousers.) The most expensive wellies are not necessarily the best; nightmare finding the right ones for me. The local farmers Co-Op supplies my needs . I spend most of my life on my feet.”
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A pair of Aigles (right) doing their thing in a muddy field
Aigle Men’s Benyl M Wellington Boots £125.01
Best for fit
- Lining: Polyamide
- Composition: Rubber
- Colours: Green khaki, bronze, brown, black
- Sizes: 3-12
+ Lugged sole
+ Adjustment strap
+ Three width fittings
Shooting Times contributor and Sporting Gun reviewer Charles Smith Jones is also a fan of Aigle wellies: He says: “Wellies are fine if you are not travelling far. Back when I stalked in them I found that wearing a very thin pair of socks underneath thicker ones eliminated the annoying squeaking you can get if wearing a single layer. Fit is far more important than the label and I am constantly astonished by how much it’s possible to pay for a pair. As long as they are not too loose and floppy there is nothing wrong with a cheaper ‘agricultural’ pair. I discovered Aigle in the 1980s when they were still something of a budget brand and still like them. Although I am naturally drawn towards green as a country colour, practically speaking it doesn’t really matter what colour they are – if the deer can see your wellies they will certainly pick up the rest of you!
“These days I tend to wear my wellies only in very muddy conditions, when there is flooding or a lot of standing water, or when they are more convenient to slip on and off.”
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Le Chameau fans
Shooting Times contributor Graham Downing says: “When winter sets in and it’s wet and muddy I do shoot in wellies on a driven day. I use Le Chameau wellies with a neoprene lining, in a size that’s sufficiently large for me to wear a decent thick shooting sock inside them. The Le Chameau wellies are good and practical.”
Le Chameau Men’s Chasseur Neoprene Lined Boots Vert Vierzon Green £ £419.56
Best for wearing with shooting socks
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Rubber
- Colours: Green
- Sizes: 6-12.5
+ Men’s version available too
+ Adjust to fit wider calves
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Ellena Swift gundog training in her trusty Le Chameau wellies
Best for warm feet
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Rubber
- Colours: Green
- Sizes: 6-15
+ Adjust to fit wider calves
– Expensive
Ellena Swift, Shooting Times contributor and gundog expert, commented: “I wear wellies every single day of the year no matter the weather as I wash down the kennels. I have tried most brands and the only ones I didn’t get cold feet in or chilblains were Le Chameau. On average mine would last about two seasons which I was quite happy with being how much I abused them.
“I was then offered a pair of Gateway (see below). These are similar to Chameau however the difference in support is remarkable. I was always tempted to swap to boots as it would give me better ankle support (having rolled my ankles a lot out shooting!) but the Gateway are so fitted and supportive. They also offer the warmth. I prefer the strap also to be at the back, not on the side (as it catches on every bit of cover).”
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Gateway1® Sportsman 18″ 4mm Wellington Boots £118
Best for support
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Vulcanised natural rubber
- Colours: Dark green
- Sizes: 2-16
Ellena Swift says: “Gateway clinches it for me with the supportive fit and better design.”
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More shooting wellies to consider
Our reviewers haven’t mentioned the brands below, but we see them fairly often out in the field, so they are worth considering.
Burford insulated boot by Ariat £155
Best for year-round comfort
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Waterproof rubber
- Colours: Olive
- Sizes: 7-12
+ Excellent grip
+ Sturdy
+ Adjustable strap
– Relatively expensive
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Seeland Men’s Noble Boots £120.09
Best for walking in sticky mud
- Lining: Neoprene
- Composition: Waterproof rubber
- Colours: Dark Olive
- Sizes: 7-13.5
- Weight: 1196g
+ Excellent grip
+ Zip assists removal
– No wide fit option
These boots make it easy to walk across wet, muddy and icy surfaces, with innovative mud-release channels. They have Neoprene insulation to keep your feet warm and comfortable, and reinforced uppers for when you are wading through brambles in search of a good roosting spot.
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Best for all-round use
- Lining: Mesh
- Composition: Rubber
- Colours: Green moss
- Sizes: 4-15
+ Reinforced toe
+ No slip grip
– Not the most stylish-looking
These boots are real workhorses designed to be worked to their absolute limit, so if you’re a gamekeeper or part of a DIY syndicate where elbow grease comes as standard then you should definitely consider these for one role or another.
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This article was originally published in 2018 and is updated regularly.
