More Wintery Purchases: Boots and a Heavy-Duty Raincoat

I recently purchased a pair of boots from Ebay (admittedly more fashionable than practical), and a very heavy duty raincoat. For those of you who don't know, when it rains in Wellington, having an umbrella is practically useless. My previous rain jacket, although it claimed to be waterproof, didn't do much at keeping out a downpour!

This is the style of boots purchased. They are actually a better quality than I expected. The sole is rubbery and non-slip, and the inside is nice and soft. I was a bit concerned that there was no other layer underneath where it has been laser printed with a design, hence the water would just come straight through. But, it appears to be an extra layer on top! However, I'm not sure of their water-resistible abilities yet!

When I initially tried them on they seemed a little big (and wide around the ankle), with tights on. But with jeans, I'm glad they aren't any tighter! Otherwise they would just be uncomfortable as a few of my pairs of jeans have zips around the ankle.

There were lots of pairs of these boots at varying prices, all from different sellers. I just searched 'chelsea boots' on Ebay and refined by size. The majority are just plain chelsea boots, but I thought the pattern made them a little more unique (admittedly this is a little ironic as there are probably thousands exactly like these). I had to search around a bit to find some that shipped to NZ, but if you are anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere you generally won't have any trouble.

The raincoat is from Mountain Warehouse. The smallest size it comes in is a women's 8, so it's a little big for me around the top half. It is on sale at the moment for half price here, from a size 8-20 in either the black or a berry colour.

It has some great features including:

• Adjustable waist (there is a toggle/drawstring thing), which is what initially drew me to this particular raincoat! It gives some shape even if it is a little bit big for me!
• Adjustable sleeves. There is a velcro flap that allows you to pull the wrists in tighter if need be.
• Removable hood 
• Really warm! I have a down jacket and this is almost equal in terms of warmth!
• Longer length. I really wanted a longer length raincoat because most finish at the hips, meaning that if its raining, not much of you is protected. Although this isn't super long, it can double as a parka, and protect me from any potentially showers!
• And other features like breathability, taped seams (to prevent water coming in through the stitching) etc etc, all explained on the site :)

Overall, I am very pleased with this raincoat, and for probably half of what I would pay for a similar style in New Zealand. A very PRACTICAL purchase, but it seems more justified that way!