Rainwear Central Rainwear Forum

Rain related trends during 2012 that I have noticed:

Rainwear: all types- unchanged from previous years
However- puffy "North Face" style very shiny nylon winter coats seem to be more popular this year

Boots:
Hunter rubber seem (and I hope not but) to not be as popular this year. Perhaps people continue to wear and buy them but only wear with heavy rain days.
Ugg boot styles seem to be more popular this year.
Even with my observed reduction of Hunter sightings, tall shiny leather boots are popular.

Other:
Lycra/Spandex tights and leggings are quite popular for 2012. Not all are shiny, but the trend seems to be they are popular.

Can others on the forum confirm these ideas in other locations?

I would certainly confirm there are a lot more ladies wearing tall, shiny leather boots these day, and I can only assume that people are finally starting to realise that the Hunter boots of today are nothing like the Hunters of old and are refusing to pay the premium price for them, or at least I hope that's what's happening.

I hope that is the case but am not sure it is. There are excellent other rubber boots out there such as ones from Kamik, but would think I would see more as cheaper boots are half the price. I still don't see as many rubber boots no matter what the brand.

How were the Hunters before different?

When Hunters were made in Scotland they were all handmade with greater quality control & attention to detail. Now they are mass-produced in China, using lesser quality materials & they don't last nearly as long. Some people have reported that they rip more easily, although personally I haven't noticed. But what I have noticed is the treads on the soles wear out more quickly now.

They are also prone to fading, I had a pair of the Chinese ones in red and within a couple of months they had faded to a musky pink colour, I've also seen someone selling a pair on ebay recently in another colour with the same problem. If you really want to pay a fortune for wellies, stick to Aigle or Le Chameau

Tretorn also makes a good quality boot, and quite affordable too, compared to Aigle & Le Chameau.

Also with the Hunter, I have found that these days, even with the right foot size, they have become uncomfortably tight acros the instep.