Pros: possibly the most comfortable thing I’ve ever put on my feet. Dry, warm, soft lining, supple rubber uppers and very supportive sole… more like hiking boots than wellingtons allowing comfortable day-long walking. Superb grip. Outstanding construction… if you can call it that… more like craftsmanship. NASA inspired “Outlast” lining keeps feet at comfortable temperature… not too hot, not too cold — regardless of conditions.
Cons: practically none… they are a “generous” fit for my size 12 (47) feet, and there is a bit of movement there with thin socks, which can be irritating when navigating uneven terrain. A pair of thick welly socks cures that problem though, and is I suspect what they were designed for. Price… they are expensive, but you do get what you pay for.
Price: RRP. GB£175 (c. €210.00)
The Aigle Parcours 2 Outlast is an outstanding wellington boot in every way. These are the cutting edge of rubber boot design and craftsmanship. They are, quite simply, superb, and the outlast lining works like a charm… keeping your feet toasty warm in cold weather and delightfully cool when it’s warm. If you wear wellingtons a lot, and are outdoors in all sorts of conditions, then a good pair of comfortable boots is an investment… and investments don’t come much smarter than this.
Check out the Aigle Parcours 2 Outlast on the Aigleboots.co.uk website… or pick up a pair via Amazon.co.uk using the link below
Aigle Parcours 2 Outlast Full Review
A good pair of wellies is an essential part of the wildlife enthusiasts wardrobe. In fact I probably wear wellies more often than any other piece of outdoor gear I own, with the possible exception of binoculars. The Irish weather is legendary for all the wrong reasons… and while we do have dry spells the wet is never very far away. Wellies are often the only sensible choice of footwear for the Irish wildlife enthusiast.
Which is why I was so excited to try out Aigle’s newest high-performance boot, the Parcours 2 Outlast.
The Parcours 2 “Anti Fatigue” boot was introduced in 2012 to replace the original Parcours design that first arrived on the welly scene in 1996. According to Aigle independent testing confirms the new design delivers twice the energy absorption capacity of the European standard and twice the grip of the original Parcours boot.
The range includes the Parcours 2 Enduro, the neoprene-lined Parcours 2 ISO, the Parcours 2 Outlast reviewed here, the up-market Parcours 2 Trophy and the “prestige” Parcours 2 Signature boot — the latter two feature leather and brass trim and leather in part of the lining for a more luxury look / feel. For me though the winner in terms of all-round utility and practicality has to be the “Outlast”, with its high-tech temperature-regulating lining.
First Impressions
There’s no denying that the Parcours 2 is a good-looking wellington, and there’s something about the way the bright orange of the “Outlast” lining contrasts with the dark green Gomma Plus natural rubber that accentuates the sleek lines. They looked fantastic — and then I put my feet into them and was instantly in welly heaven.
They are so comfortable… in fact they could well be the most comfortable thing I’ve ever put on my feet… no exaggeration. My wife tried them on… the size 47s (UK12) swamping her size 38 feet… but her verdict on the oversized boots… “it’s like a memory foam mattress for your feet”.
It wasn’t just the comfort though, the boots are sculpted with a fitted ankle to offer impressive support. They felt less like a traditional welly, and more like a hiking boot on your feet. The rubber upper is supple and yielding, yet feels hard wearing enough to take the abuse any working wellington is going to encounter, and the heavy duty sole sports mean-looking deep-set grips that look more than capable of tackling the demands of muddy Irish terrain. The adgustable gusset offers up to 6cm of adjustment to accommodate wider calves
To say they made a good first impression would be something of an understatement.
In the field
The initial positive experience continued as I put the boots through their paces in various conditions across a wide range of terrain. From challenging headland cliff walks to treacherous woodland paths and boggy uneven pasture, the Parcour 2 Outlast took everything in its stride… keeping my feet warm, dry and supremely comfortable throughout.
The anti-fatigue soles lived up to their promise… you really can wear and walk in the Outlast boots all day without undue fatigue, and the Outlast lining really does work — keeping your feet warm when it’s cold and cool when it’s warm. I don’t know how it works… and I really don’t care… I just know that my feet don’t get hot and sweaty in the sunshine, and don’t get cold even on the chilliest days.
Just to test them I wore them with light summer socks and stood in a freezing stream for a good ten minutes. My feet stayed toasty warm and comfortable throughout.
Speaking of the thin summer socks… the boots are roomy… and with very light socks while I didn’t feel my feet getting the slightest bit cold, I did feel there was a bit more than optimal movement there. Switching to a pair of thick socks (which is likely what the designers had in mind) soon solved that problem though.
In photos the rubber upper looks a bit rigid… but it’s not… it’s wonderfully pliable and supple… to the point that it almost doesn’t interfere with normal movement at all — driving in the wellies is no problem… and your can even (perish the thought) run comfortably in them, although perhaps the only time you might want to do that is on a really pressing “twitch”.
Conclusion
It’s not like me to review something I genuinely have nothing negative to say about… but the Aigle Parcours 2 Outlast leaves me struggling to find a downside. Yes they are expensive… but they really are the “Rolls Royce” of wellies. So far they have excelled in every situation, and there’s nothing about them to suggest that longevity is likely to be an issue. In the world of high performance wellies the Aigle Parcours 2 Outlast has to be up there with the very best wellington boots on the market today.
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the folks at Aigle for submitting the Parcours 2 Outlast boots for review on Ireland’s Wildlife.
NB. Ireland’s Wildlife has no specific affiliation to any optics or gear manufacturer and all reviews on the site are completely independent and objective. If you’re an optics or gear manufacturer and would like to submit your product for review on the site please drop us a line using the contact form and we can take things from there.
