LLBean Gumshoes AKA duck boots

[Ryan]

Does anyone have a pair of these? Recommend them or do you have a pair from another brand you prefer. Know where I can get some cheaper that are just as good. Any opinions/suggestions would be great.

 

[warbird]

I've had a pair for a long long time. Those and the Land's End that I have both have held up very well. My LL's are non-insulated and the Land's are. I'm sre you might find something less expensive but it's hard to fins a company that stands behind their products like LL Bean.

One place you might look would be Sierra Trading Post, my favorite resource for just about everything. www.sierratradingpost.com

 

[Patrick Murtha]

I have LL Bean duck boots in 3-eyelet (gumshoe) and 6-eyelet styles (tan uppers) and also 5-eyelet (brown uppers), and am on the lookout for a good buy on the 8-eyelets. I guess you could say I like Bean boots! So I recommend them strongly.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I have had a pair of high Gore-Tex and Thinsulate lined LL Bean Duck Boots for well over 10 years and they are my favorite snow and slush boots. They are fantastically tough and oddly stylish. You'll see them on just about everyone in Boston in the wintertime.

 

[Doug C]

I have a pair from Cabelas.. they go just over the ankles, they are brown rubber w/tan leather upper and a thin brown collar. I love them and you rarely see anybody with 'em on anymore - they are strangely stylish though as Hem said, yet it's sort of like they've been forgotten by the masses(atleast where I live)..which is a big plus for me. I got the (cheap) Cabela ones because I wanted the LLB ones but wasn't sure I'd use them ... well that was a mistake because I totally wear them more than any other boots (including my Aldens 405s) I have, so I will be replacing them soon w/ LLBs. The don't make me feel like I'm "Walkin Tall" like most boots do, they are almost athletic that way. Get some!

Doug C

 

[Atticus Finch]

Does anyone have a pair of these? Recommend them or do you have a pair from another brand you prefer. Know where I can get some cheaper that are just as good. Any opinions/suggestions would be great.

I have had many pairs. All L.L. Bean. I've been wearing them for thirty years.

Atticus

 

[Doctor Strange]

I had a pair of knockoffs by Sporto for a few years. They were okay, but nothing special, and they obviously weren't up to Bean standards, because they started to give out after about four or five seasons of moderate (i.e., nowhere near daily) wear.

 

[nobodyspecial]

I have two pair (above the ankle and knee high for canoe trips) and love them. I want to buy a slip on pair for popping out to the mailbox and the like. It's worth the money as I believe Bean will resole them at a minimal cost - at least they did in years past.

 

[Spats McGee]

I've had several pairs over the years. In fact, I can't think of a time when I didn't have a pair since I was in my teens. They were probably all from Cabela's, though I'm not sure about that. Just the slip-on, unlined version. Nothing fancy, but I tend to wear them to death during the late fall and spring, when the ground is wet. As others have noted, they're oddly stylish. I think of it as a "so-ugly-they're-cute" kind of way. In any event, keeping your feet dry goes a long way towards staying warm and comfortable. I've only ever had the low, slip-on type, and I'd just add this one word of caution: While they're great for keeping water out, if you step in puddle deeper than the shoe, they're also great for keeping water in!

 

[Patrick Murtha]

As others have noted, they're oddly stylish. I think of it as a "so-ugly-they're-cute" kind of way.

They are the epitome of New England prepster style, so they send a coded sartorial signal as well, that you might be welcome at a Bush or Kennedy family affair. They are now truly a classic.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Does anyone have a pair of these? Recommend them or do you have a pair from another brand you prefer. Know where I can get some cheaper that are just as good. Any opinions/suggestions would be great.

I've had my Sportsman's Guide house brand pair for 12 years now and they are still going strong. If not I would return them, everything they sell is 100% guaranteed forever. http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=171856 I bought them, in the ladies' style of course, because I wanted something very inexpensive to wear around the house and yard every day. The dogs sleep on them and chew them and they have held up with no problems. Not bad for less than $30.00

 

[RockBottom]

I've had my Sportsman's Guide house brand pair for 12 years now and they are still going strong. If not I would return them, everything they sell is 100% guaranteed forever.

Same with L.L. Bean. I bought a "Flying Tiger" jacket from them, wore it for a year and then decided I didn't like it. They gave me a full refund. They are the single best company I've ever dealt with both in quality of stuff and customer service. The only downside at all is that an increasing proportion of their stuff is now made in Asia rather than New England. Nothing can be done about that, I guess. (Their luggage, for instance, is made in Vietnam and some of their shoes and slippers in El Salvador. The leather jacket I had was from Turkey.)

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Yes, I know. As a teenager I threw away a pair of cheeleader mocs I loved that went all to pot before I remembered their excellent guarantee. Some years ago my brother sent me a weird zippered turtleneck sweater that fit as if it were sewn backwards that I still have yet to return. The very nice lady in customer service assured me that as soon as I find it they will take it back, as I knew they would. Terrible quality, but it goes to show that even L.L. Bean's buyers can make mistakes sometimes.
Ryan wanted to know if there was possible something inexpensive to begin with, cheaper than L.L. Bean but still good quality.

 

[Patrick Murtha]

Ryan wanted to know if there was possible something inexpensive to begin with, cheaper than L.L. Bean but still good quality.

My strong recommendation is to find genuine Bean boots through Ebay. Knockoffs such as Sportos are just nowhere near as good in this case. Through Ebay, I've bought very lightly used Beans for less than half the retail price.

 

[Ian Dundrillon]

I have a number of pairs of these, from the lace-ups to the pull-ons, from L.L. Bean; the oldest (I got from my Dad) are 37 years old and are still going strong. My latest pair are Redhead and are of a low clog configuration.
I actually like these better than my L.L. Bean mocs because they don't rub my ankles when worn without socks. I think they make great casual shoes in any climate, any season, even at the beach, or the shore, as our yankee brethren say.

Note to BegintheBeguine: I see you are from Atlanta, I went to Emory. I saw (on another thread) that you shop at the PX for your pipe tobacco. The PX is where I began my pipe smoking journey. Since you live in Rochester, do I correctly assume the PX in question is at Ft. Drum?

Best regards to all,
Ian

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Hi Ian. We have a little PX here, in the Army Reserve building. It's smaller than the gift shop at a Stuckey's. Smaller than a Git n Go. I stop there before work sometimes, as they close early and I am a night owl. Fort Drum is way too far away, but the closest big PX is in Niagara Falls, about 80 minutes away. I keep planning to get a carload of people and shop there, but never quite get around to it. It depends on what site you are viewing whether they show these AAFESes or not. [huh]
My dad got at least one degree from Emory, among other universities, and taught at Emory at Valdosta before my time. The last time I visited the campus I went to see the mummy exhibit. It was cool. Beautiful campus.

 

[Doug C]

Hey I have a question about the LL Bean ones in particular - have they ever offered these shoes in half sizes? Or could someone comment on the fit for the whole sizes? The major draw back of the Cabela one's I have is that I had to go one size larger... I figured at the time I'll just wear thick socks, but that's not usually the reality. I'd love a 10.5 from LL Bean.

Doug C

 

[Doug C]

Oh, I just read Bean's comment on fit, and it looks like they recommend ordering 1 and a half size smaller than one normally wears. So, I would be getting a 9

Doug C

 

[Ian Dundrillon]

Sizing

Dear Doug C,
I would advise caution. I have many pairs of L.L. Bean shoes and have
found that their sizing recommendation doesn't fly (at least for me). I
wear a 9 1/2 Narrow, but am most comfortable in a 10 (Bean). Thicker
socks only will work so far. Since I live at the beach I often go without
socks, so I routinely use removable insoles. Going "short" in this type of
shoe translates into discomfort very quickly.
Best regards,
Ian