L.L.Bean Maine Hunting Shoe

Rain boots suitable for walking in wet and muddy trails. not so good for hard core steeps and rocks. Comfortable and built to accommodate heavy socks. Love the bison leather and retro brick red sole.

Quite possible the ultimate wet weather shoe. the last time i bought a pair of Bean's maine hunting shoes (8 inch brown leather upper) was nearly twenty years ago.  the design hasn't changed much in the last fifty years, though.  rubber bottom is absolutely waterproof, leather uppers also keep your feet dry if properly treated.  comfortable if you don't need lots of support or foot protection.

i received these as a gift because the soles on my old pair are well-worn, and because the insides are (a) pretty smashed up and (b) not roomy enough to use with really warm socks.  these new ones are great, having done some flat trail-hiking in wet weather, and after plowing 3 inches of wet snow off my parents' driveway and walkways for a few hours this morning.  why?

-bison leather uppers - appreciably softer than the leather on my older pair.  too new to need waterproofing yet, but very supple and form-fitting.

-rubber bottoms on these have a mild shank, which provides more support than my older pair.

-rubber bottoms built to fit with very thick socks, increases the temperature range quite a bit.  i wore them with expedition-weigth Bridgedale socks today while sloshing around in inches of snow and slush, and my feet were peachy.

-the just plain cool factor of the bricky-red soles, which Bean apparently offered early in the company's life, according to stock photos that were unearthed as the company approached its 100th anniversary.

if you need traction, not ideal, get something with a real lug sole.  if you need true cold weather shoes, get ones insulated with felt or some kind of synthetic like primaloft. 

Use to be 5 stars. Newer boots use materials that stink/smell.

My older pairs of Maine Hunting boots were and are still great. I bought a newer pair a few years back, insulated Goretex ones, and the boots have an odor all their own. They really smell and it's the materials, not me. My older boots don't and never have smelled. I had an older pair re-soled and now they stink too!

I don't know what they switched to, but I can't believe that I am the only person that has run into this. If you have an older pair that doesn't stink, cherish them, because the new ones do. I have bought probably 10 pairs of these things in the past 45 years and only the newer ones have this problem.

Luckily my older tall Gore-tex boots don't have the smell because I certainly can't wear the new ones hunting; if I can smell them, the deer, in the next county, certainly can too. It doesn't matter where they are made if they are sourcing materials that stink. Nobody wants to say anything bad about these boots but these boots don't measure up to the old ones.

And no, none of my other footwear stinks either, it's the materials in these boots. Good luck getting anybody to acknowledge this at L.L. Bean.

Background

Continuous over 45 years, at least 10 pairs, worn every winter in New Hampshire

I love LL Bean gear. This footwear especially shows the benefit from decades of making gear for the most rigorous expeditions.

These boots are waterproof in standing water and very durable. I depend on them for all kinds of scouting and high adventure outings. I know I never have to worry about my feet.

There are lighter boots but I have found them less durable and the waterproofing doesn't hold up.

L.L. Bean Maine Hunting Boots only are made in Maine. All other boots are made in Vietnam. Surprising!!!!

Hunting boot is excellent.