Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters LL Bean Maine hunting boot and clones

Stick with the original. LL Bean service is great!

For the wet falls in CT, you can't do better. I been wearing LL Bean Maine Boots for 30 + years now. I wear thinsulate in winter and plain jane in the late spring and summer months. They are my favorite flying shoe, I wear a pair of short tops for that. You can't beat Schnees for when its really cold or out in Bethel in Feb.

Where appropriate nothing better - sized with felt liners plenty warm enough - extra felt liners are nice - for both work and hunting - but not for hiking. Good for birds but not for packing out after a successful deer or bigger hunt.

No doubt Goretex liners and oversocks work just fine for similar applications as well.

Forced to choose just one I'd go with quality Danners to do things the Maine Hunting Show won't but I'm not forced to choose.

Mostly I'm still annoyed that L.L. Bean stopped saying Maine Hunting and started calling them Bean Boots a long time ago. Then too I got annoyed at the common use of Velcro on what would otherwise have been prime hunting clothes from Bean. Is Bean hunter friendly these days or still catering to the puffy jacketed campus crowd?

Campus Crowd.

I have a set, I use them for early season stuff, Squirrel hunting, bow season, setting up stands and mucking about in the woods in general, There reasonably waterproof, comfortable for a couple of miles. Also great for shoveling show, raking leaves and the general fall through spring outside chores. In the winter its a nice boot for running to the store etc as its easy tpo slip into and will keep you dry in parking lot slush.

I find them more comfortable for sitting in a stand than the rubber Ankle/Instep fit rubber boots (which I use if walking greater distances in the wet woods)

For cold weather hunting I use a Rocky snow stalker which is in a different class insulation wise

I bought my bean boots in 1988 and they are still going. I good general purpose boot and very useful in the northeast.

I agree, the chain lug soles give very little traction in snow and mud and I don't recommend them for hunting. On the other hand, I have a pair of the felt lined ones (not sure if they still make that one) with the bobbed sole, and they are very good..still not quite warm enough for stand hunting, but then, I tend to get cold feet. I got a pair of Lacross big burlys with 1000gm insulation for Newfoundland and they were terrific for the wet bogs..hard to beat Bean customer service as others have noted..

I have always had great luck with Bean Boots. As a matter of fact, once the soles ware down they will replace them for you. The customer service there is the best I've seen.

CLB

Only down side is they seem flatter on the bottom as you gain weight.

the cabelas brand with the better soles for traction are good value..I wear them alot. Wouldn't have the beans again because the traction is poor.

The boots are now again called the Maine Hunting Shoe. They are different from Bean Boots as they lack a steel shank. It changed back a few years ago after their decission was met with some critisism.

There is a pair of the originals among the several pairs of hunting boots I have. Been rebuilt once or twice. I don't use them much anymore. They don't hold up well for me, first thing I know they're letting too much water in, also the original chain tread soles get too slippery too fast, I've had a few close calls with them. I think, from what I've seen of them and what I've heard, I'd get a pair of Schnees if I wanted a leather top rubber bottom boot.

I had a pair several years ago, didn't like them. They were cold in the fall, hot when the sun hit them, and hurt my feet. I tried wearing them to work when we were building on a really muddy lot, but I ended up hooking the rubber foot part on a jagged rebar, tore a hole in one, and threw them away. They didn't leak until I ripped them, just uncomfortable.

Damn, didn't Liar24 design these?

He ought to be the authority on these, and all other hunting boots, as he claims he is on everything else.........................

I find they work well under certain conditions, but I wouldn't use them for hunting rough terrain or as a work boot. I also found that the wool innersoles make a big difference.

To get a good fit, I ended up with different sizes for each foot. Bought a nearly new pair off e-bay, and mixed the pairs. You can also accomplish this by getting new bottoms for one boot. They can go up or down one size with this.

Paul

I don't think anyone is recommending the LL Bean Maine Hunting Boot for every climate, weather and terrain. But you can see that a lot of people like it for muck, swamps, heavy dew, and even snow.

I think we all may have started hunting with just one boot, but now own 3, 4, 5, or 6 very different boots. I still hunt in old running shoes (dyed green and brown), and worn out casual shoes like the Rockport mocassin and leather walker. (Rockport makes a super Chukka boot and hunting boot on that same mocassin design, but stores don't carry them.)

A common thing about those who use the LLBMHB is they seem to be still hunters or bird hunters, who walk more, walk quietly, and like to feel the ground under their feet.

This sums it up well.

Yes they are great boots for still hunters

On flat ground the chain soles suck if there are any hills to climb when wet.

I've used Bean Boots for over 30 years and find them to be, in general, damp, cold, or both. Since they have rubber bottoms, they don't breath and if your socks don't wick the moisture away, you're going to have damp/wet feet. If the weather is cold and you slow down or stop, you're going to have damp/wet/cold feet. They don't provide much support for your feet, so a properly fitted/shaped pair of insoles is critical if you're going to walk very far in them. The "chain" pattern soles don't have much of a tread profile when they are new and since they are made from a soft rubber compound, they wear very quickly on rocky ground or pavement. These days, I generally prefer a boot with Gore-Tex and cordura in its construction in lieu of all leather or a rubber bottom "pac" boot. However, boots are a very personal piece of gear and what works well for 1 person is often 180-degrees out from the preference of another, so my experience is very likely not a reflection of what your experience might be.

Jeff

Actually, they are quite useless in muck, swamps and heavy dew. They soak up moisture in a hurry through the stitching, and are about the most uncomfortable boot you can have on when wet.

Ted