Friday 5 July 2013

The demise of my favourite gumboots!

The heavy rain which has fallen the last couple of years has made our backyard's once dry and dusty pathways into muddy and slippery ones at times so, out of necessity, I bought my first pair of gumboots a while back.



I wanted a good quality ankle length pair and found some which really appealed to me at a camping store thinking that they would be a better quality than those on sale in chain stores. Not so unfortunately as they only lasted a year before splitting and a trip out the back eventually became a very soggy affair.
 
So, it was with much reluctance that I decided they had outlived their usefulness and wondered if I could grow some plants in them. I did a Google search and found some great suggestions on The Micro Gardener which is a website I must go back to as it looks very interesting. First, I tried to put some drainage holes in the soles which was a bit awkward.
 

 
Then I thought of the old shoe last which we use as a door stop so put a gumboot on that and tried again.
 
 
Still, no success so I asked hubby what to do and he said to use the electric drill. Anyway, he decided to do it himself and I know he wasn't feeling well but obviously he wasn't thinking too well either as he misjudged where he put the drill bit and must have hit the shoe last and all of a sudden the gumboot went flying across the yard and he almost got a nasty injury.
 

 
  So that was the demise of one shoe. The drill was put away before it did any more damage and I managed to put some holes into the remaining gumboot with a hammer and nail.
 
 
I have planted some violets in it and hopefully it will have a more beneficial life as a plant container than as a leaky gumboot.
 
 
 
As we are still having some days like this I needed to get another pair of gumboots but ankle length boots are hard to find. I really couldn't get my head around buy the leopard skin ones at Big W so was pleasantly surprised to find a pair at Target. Hopefully they will last a little longer than the last pair.
  

 
Now I can walk around in the mud and check out the plants and hopefully return to the house with dry feet!
 
 
 
 
Has anyone else had the same problem with their gumboots or are there some brands which are more sturdy and can cope with squelching around in the mud?
 
 
 

 

 

 

 


7 comments:

  1. I have owned two pair of coloured and decorated gumboots, and both pair fell apart within a year, much to my disgust. These coloured ones are not made of rubber but a type of plastic. When in NZ four three years ago I bought a pair of farm rubber gumboots [red band is the brand] and they are doing sterling work, and show no signs of perishing. Maybe if you try a stock firm [Elders or the like] you can find rubber gumboots ... sadly they are plain black, but they do last.

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  2. Thanks Shirley, I might do that as I was thinking that the gumboots farmers wear must be a lot more durable. I don't really care about the colour so much but, being short, prefer the shorter gumboots.

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  3. I also bought the plastic type pretty boots, but they barely lasted any time at all. I now own a plain black rubber boot that farmers wear and have had them for about 4 years. The purple is rather pretty though.

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  4. Deb, I really liked the red ones and was so disappointed when they split. It looks like the plain black rubber boots are the way to go.

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  5. Like Shirl I haven't had much success with pretty gumboots as they only last a year before cracking around the seams at the bottom. I invested in a plain black pair in January this year from the local Norco produce supplies store and was delighted to find they were only a few dollars more than the supermarket ones and much more comfortable, although they are made from PVC. Also they are made in Australia - another plus to my thinking. As they are worn about 5 days out of 7 I'm pleased with their durability compared to the previous pairs.
    Cheers, Rob xo

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  6. I'll have to have a look around for some more durable ones I think as the new purple ones don't look like they will last too long either. I'd like to get some that don't go up to the knee though as I find them more comfortable. Yours sound like good ones, Robyn.

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