This article is taken from the August-September 2025 issue of The Critic. To get the full magazine why not subscribe? Right now we’re offering five issues for just £25.
There is something quintessentially romantic about summer showers. Charles Perugini painted them; Emily Dickinson poeticised them; and we have all been caught in them, especially in England where “summer” is often more sentiment than season.
In June, I was caught up in a rain shower — well, it was more of a swift and silent storm — and was forced to take cover beneath the boughs in our nearby wood. Being only partially equipped to meet the occasion, by the time I reached home, I was Barbour-dry from head to hip, damp to the knee and drenched from the ankle down. Now I do not want you to imagine that I had plastic bags wrapped about the legs in the manner of the Withnail lads, but I was reminded of the lament from Uncle Monty: “This afternoon I shall take you into Penrith and get you fitted with some good quality rubber boots.”
But what, these days, passes for quality in the rubber boot race? More to the point, who other than the eponymous Barbour brand can be relied upon to deliver comfort without looking completely like a mannequin cut from the pages of Country Life? There are two strong contenders, both long established brands, one British, the other French.
Hoggs have been constructing boots for nearly 140 years. Quartered in Strathmiglo, Fife, Hoggs have not followed their Scottish cousin Hunter in taking boots to China, preferring instead to keep the flag flying, and their factory working, here. That said, they buy the best international materials to build sturdy British boots, such as their Field Sport neoprene-lined Wellington, perfectly cast to keep water out and warmth in. The outsole, sourced from Vibram of Italy who have conquered mountains from the Alps to the Himalayas, is designed to keep your feet sealed to the ground, even in the most slippery conditions.
Meanwhile, the neoprene lining protected by a thick rubberised exterior and fastening brace to tighten the fit keeps everything cosy. You have to go a long way to find a boot as brawny as a Hogg.
But go as far as Normandy and you will encounter one in the shape of Le Chameau, makers since 1927 of bottes en caoutchouc (understandably the French prefer not to use “Wellington”). And they have been making them rather well. Each pair handcrafted by a Maître Bottier, Le Chameau (Camel) boots are the acme of Gallic quality.
The Chasseur neoprene-lined boot, encased by Chamolux rubber, has a zipper which runs from ankle to shin, making the boot easy to pull on (and off) but hard to breach once the zip is done up. This trademark design is difficult to beat and means you can spot a Le Chameau, no matter how muddied, from the other side of a large field. If you prefer to encase your lower leg with a leather lining, Le Chameau can provide that too, albeit for a slightly higher price.
The humble gumboot has history. Beginning as riding gear for Hessian cavalry, with decorative tassels and a V notch atop the shaft, the design was modified to accommodate the tastes of Arthur Wellesley, whose beneficence bestowed upon the boot its ducal title. Starting with Hussars, the Wellington soon became the legwear of choice amongst the hunting squirearchy and thence to all manner of country pursuits from rough shooting to ratting.
Today, every garden centre in England has a corner dedicated to green polyurethane and every weekend the countryside braces for its assault from the rubber-shod city. From meadow to riverbank, to wood and glade, even allotments and gardens, listen for the tramp of marching feet. If they must come, surely it is better that they come elegantly as well as comfortably? And there is little more elegant, and weatherproof, than the footwear from Hogg or Le Chameau. If their boots fit, wear them!
