Just when you thought you had all the camping kit you could ever need…
Now at first I thought what’s the point of folding wellies? They can’t be a substitute for actual wellies – those sturdy, bulky and chunky soled waterproof boots that we all know so well – not the most comfortable or stylish but on a practical basis very functional.
A few days later I got a phone call ‘dad can you muck out Roo on the way home?’, without thinking I agreed but after what had been a lovely sunny day by the time I got to the stables it was chucking it down, and there’s me in my lightweight, white soled, mesh trainers – about to deliver a wheelbarrow of manure to the ‘leaking’ muck heap squelching through it’s dark coloured and farm scented puddles……and that’s when the penny dropped – ‘if only I had some folding wellies in the glove box!’ – would they really fit in there? If so they would always be with me, just in case….and not only that if they could fit in the glove box they could easily fit in my backpack too. I had to have some….
A last minute camping trip, running late, it was a rush to get packed. Another really hot summers day with the forecast of 48hrs with very little chance of rain. It was only going to be a one-nighter anyway so I quickly went through my kit – tent, sleeping bag, pillow, stove, pan, food, jacket – all the essentials, check. All went as planned until the next morning. I woke up early, refreshed after a good nights’ sleep. Everywhere was brightly lit, it was going to be another blue sky day. Just then I realised the morning dew on the tent and even more so on the grass. The toilet block was 200m away across the field and I would have to walk through some long grass to get there. I knew the answer straight away, I reached into the glove box for my folding wellies, no wet feet for me!
So what are these folding wellies like? They are made from a supple rubber-type material that is very flexible but not so much that they don’t maintain their shape once on. The sole is not chunky, it’s more like a slick tyre made from smooth rubber – it feels a bit like wearing slippers, well 100% waterproof slippers anyway! They fold around the sole to be stowed away in their carry bag, so even if they are dirty they won’t spread dirt on to other items. The glove box in my car is not very big at all and I was surprised they fitted as easily as they did (size 9-9.5) and that’s where I’m going to keep them so they are always to hand if I find myself in need of some temporary waterproof boots. I won’t go hiking in them and I won’t do a full days’ gardening in them – for that I’ve got my trusty old heavy duty, ‘normal’ wellies. I’ll keep my folding wellies for occasional use. I’ll use them to cross boggy moorland or a stream if I’m out hiking. I’ll take them to the beach to walk between sandbanks if the tide comes in behind me. I’ll pack them for my camping trips if I’m leaving the car behind.
Conclusion: I’ve lived a long time without folding wellies in my life, I’ve had the occasional wet and smelly experience at the stables and put up with wet feet until I have driven home from wilder days out more times than I can remember – even when wearing walking boots, from now on that’s going to change. I will drive to places in my comfortable trainers knowing that if the weather changes (for the worst) I’ve got my folding wellies close to hand.
The folks at www.wellies.com are currently offering 20% off the Pokeboo folding wellies when you use the promotional code ‘nwcamp‘ prior to checkout, they also sell lots of ‘normal’ wellies too…
[folding wellies in this article supplied by wellies.com. Nearly Wild Camping receives a small commission for any wellies purchased using the promotional code above]
Afterthought: From a greener point of view just think how many wellies won’t have to go to landfill if people could simply fold them away and take them home ready for next years summer music festivals…
