About Rubber Boots

Also known as rain boots or gumboots, they are are waterproof boots made from PVC rubber. Rubber boots are usually below knee-high and traditionally worn in muddy or wet environments. The boots were firstly worn by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. They became fashionable among the British aristocracy in the early 19th century. Therefore rubber boots are also known as wellington boots or wellies.

Rubber boots generally have neither zippers nor laces because zippers get rusty and both zippers and laces allow for water to get inside the boots. They are designed as slip-on footwear, which makes it easy to wear and remove.

Rubber boots are also commonly worn during many activities including fishing, camping, hunting, riding and etc. There are also purposely made rubber boots for the cold weather, which are lined with warm insulating material and are especially popular during winter seasons in Canada.

There are rubber boots in adult and children sizes available in almost every department store. Rubber boots are generally unisex, and the only difference between men and women are their preference in colors. Most men prefer to buy rubber boots with conservative colors such as black, blue, white or gray, while women sometimes opt for pink, red, yellow and violet-colored rubber boots.

While black rubber boots with red or green soles are popular in Canada, yellow-soled black rubber boots are often seen in the US. Green rubber boots remain favorite of Britain.

Rubber boots do not just simply protect the feet from getting wet, they also acts as the primary defense of the body to keep away germs and bacteria that can be contracted by the body through the feet when wading in flood waters, a typical occurrence during rainy seasons.

Flood waters carry not just germs and bacteria but other objects as well that can cause harm to unprotected feet. Broken glass, sharp pieces of wood, rusty nails and sheets of steel sometimes are not seen through the murky flood waters and the rubber boots, through its thick rubber sole, provides enough protection from these kinds of objects submerged under flood waters.

Because of this characteristic, rubber boots became a season-long necessity, especially those whose everyday lives includes wading in water. Even during summer, rubber boots are still being worn by those whose feet are often exposed to water, like farmers.

Lately designers have made rubber boots newest trendy footwear. A wave of lolly flavored and loudly colored rubber boots have hit the shelves offering a more fashionable take on the traditionally dull footwear.