We all know them. We all aspire to have them. Those pretty, shiny, tall drinks of water known as Hunter Boots. I’m not sure at which point they started as a rain boot, and then which celebrity decided to wear them out shopping one day and colour coordinate their red rubber boots with their Gucci hand bag. But now we all want them. And I can bet that NO ONE is gardening with them. Me, I love them. As far as a rain boot goes, they are beautiful. And you would think they are like walking on pillows of air…people wear them out walking for kilometres at a time. They must be comfortable! Well let me tell you…it is a tall R-U-B-B-B-E-R boot. There are no built-in Dr.Scholl’s in these beauties. So why all the hype? There is no doubt, they serve a purpose. If you are trucking through some mud or sloppy puddles then a tall rain boot is great. Well all know that when you walk in the rain, the water kicks up behind you and splashes all over the back of your calves. Tall rain boot…problem solved. But is it worth the price tag?

As an alternative, or if you’re one of those that wants to simply boycott the Hunter Boot movement, there are other options. Kamik offers a tall rain boot called the ‘Jennifer’, not as fashionable with the many fun colours that Hunter offers, but a nice drop in price from $179- to $79. I’m going to say they’re as comfortable as the Hunter, no more, no less. Native is another cool option, with their ‘Paddington‘ model, comes in the same fun colours as Hunter but priced nicely at $90-. A lighter boot, easier to walk in, and has some laces in the front in case you want to tighten your rain boots 😉 Native also has some sweet shoe options, for both adults and kids, which is a nice alternative to Crocs, and in my option, much more fashionable. I’m no fashionista, but I would have no problem rocking these shoes out on a shopping day over my Crocs, and they go perfectly with my Gucci bag….in my dreams at least.