thespiritofsimon wrote:I love my wellies (Bekina Agrilite). They're super light-weight, strong, insulated and grippy as you like. I've done much walking in them but I'm new to (and in love with) the big hills and mountains of Scotland so I'm after a voice of experience. Can I hike Munros in wellies? Am I crazy to even ask?
Thanks.
I know Scandinavians who do a lot of hill walking in their wellies. Except theirs are a bit more sophisticated, and often have proper mountain soles/mid-soles and some lacing. And most of them
are crazy
.
I do a lot of winter nature walks in wellies, over my local marshes, but the walking is gentle and flat. Though they fit me well, I would not go into the hills in them, for two main reasons;
1. They are not particularly supportive of the ankles, despite the height.
2. They do not hold my foot in position perfectly, as they can't be laced tighter around it. Footwear for the hills must grip your foot so it does not move at all. This is particularly important at the heel, but also in terms of toes sliding to the end. Heel lift will cause blisters, and this is likely to occur when climbing hills. Going down hill may see the toes bashing against the end, and you can't lace the boot tighter to stop either happening.
There are a few other reasons, including sweatiness over a long day, "clunkiness" on scrambly bits. The brand you use appears to have good tread patterns, but many only have grips that work in one direction and can slip sideways surprisingly easily.
If you want to try it, go up a more modest hill and see how you get on.
