Arxus Primo Boot

Arxus boots are gaining a great reputation around me for quality at reasonable price and I was pleased last year to pick up a set of the lighter weight Primo model for non-winter use.

Arxus are a Swedish company and, like many of the country’s brands, do not slouch on customer backup and quality control, with these boots, superbly designed both internally and externally for the conditions likely to be found in their recommended five degree plus temperature window.

The full rubber shaft of the boot is 2mm thick, with a Polycotton lining for wicking comfort on what is by definition a non-breathable product, it’s a rubber boot, and you can’t defeat physics. On the other hand, the lining in this warm weather unit never seems to get too humid and does not retain any unpleasant odour. There is a leather band at the top of the leg, above the full width strap, that surrounds the whole boot with a durable and silent metal buckle. Very little chance of a tear happening here, as it can with so many strap designs merely stitched to this gusset point.

The boot carries no internal thermal lining; so it is physically light and flexible in use and has a slightly different feel to things, as the light weight is not selfsupporting like the heavier models with 5mm neoprene insulation. I have skinny calves, so most wellies feel roomy on me but my wide feet fitted nicely, size 45 felt exactly like a 45 should with full-length, but mid-weight outdoor socks on. They didn’t feel like a `47` requiring extra layers to make up for it to fit! Grip from the open cleated sole was very good and they were comfortable to drive in because of the lower leg flexibility and overall flat sole design. In very cold conditions, the sole did seem to harden a touch and became a little slippy on wintery surfaces, although this is outside of their intended design remit. Importantly, water conditions never seeped inside the boot, with the upper well sealed to the sole unit and it gripped well on damp rocky surfaces, partly likely to its improved feel for the ground, flexibility and lack of cumbersome heft.

Nobody ever wants to clean their wellies but a spray with the hose helped keep build up to a minimum, a soft brush was very capable of cleaning the grain of the rubber where the dark green colour suited my tastes, and I’m not keen on pea green boots. These boots live in my vehicle now, although not inherently warm, they fit with any need I may have and have never let me down in terms of comfort or durability, often having walked far further than I intended to. The heel seems to stay well located and I never got blisters here, where some wellies seem to trade stiffness and warmth for walking ability.

Priced at £165, head to Hammond Country Sporting Goods