# The Great L.L. Bean Boot Backlog of '14



## mendozar (Dec 13, 2005)

Did everyone catch how L.L. Bean has a 60,000 backlog it can't fill during this season? Apparently going for 2.5X on the secondary market!

https://www.businessweek.com/articl...an-is-dealing-with-its-suddenly-trendy-status


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## Dr.Piper (Dec 5, 2014)

mendozar said:


> Did everyone catch how L.L. Bean has a 60,000 backlog it can't fill during this season? Apparently going for 2.5X on the secondary market!
> 
> https://www.businessweek.com/articl...an-is-dealing-with-its-suddenly-trendy-status


Good God! First a rye whiskey shortage, then bourbon, and now this! What's a traditional drinker who likes to keep dry feet to do?!?

Seriously, though, amazing how such (once fairly niche) things have taken off like gangbusters lately...


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

Are the mocs going for that much, too? I don't like mine enough to pass up the opportunity to sell them at a premium like that!


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Dr.Piper said:


> Good God! First a rye whiskey shortage, then bourbon, and now this! What's a traditional drinker who likes to keep dry feet to do?!?
> 
> Seriously, though, amazing how such (once fairly niche) things have taken off like gangbusters lately...


Life without Pappy Van Winkle has been grim.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Orgetorix said:


> Are the mocs going for that much, too? I don't like mine enough to pass up the opportunity to sell them at a premium like that!


I've got at least a half dozen Bean Boots in my closet and I'm contemplating doing the same. Maybe I'll set up shop in the parking lot of my local LL Bean on Christmas Eve and sell them out of the tailgate of my Volvo.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Check out the bottom pair:


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

^ Dang! I wonder how much my 100th anniversary boots would go for?


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## Congresspark (Jun 13, 2007)

From what I've seen on campus, my students bought them all.


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## jddillard3 (Jun 7, 2013)

Similar to the "Hush Puppy" story in Malcom Gladwell's Tipping Point.

Or I could have read farther down the article before posting :icon_headagainstwal


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## ajasont (Mar 25, 2014)

Do you all find that both men and women are wearing the boots? I am curious if bean boots will be replacing Uggs on college campus women.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

ajasont said:


> Do you all find that both men and women are wearing the boots? I am curious if bean boots will be replacing Uggs on college campus women.


We can only hope. In the battle for ugliest footwear imaginable, Uggs beat Bean Boots by a mile.


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## my19 (Nov 11, 2009)

hardline_42 said:


> We can only hope. In the battle for ugliest footwear imaginable, Uggs beat Bean Boots by a mile.


Based on a very small sample -- the women in my house -- Uggs and Ugg-clones will remain the favorites. Step in, step out. None of that annoying lacing and tying involved.


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## oxford cloth button down (Jan 1, 2012)

ajasont said:


> Do you all find that both men and women are wearing the boots? I am curious if bean boots will be replacing Uggs on college campus women.


From what I have seen yes, but I only live near a small private liberal arts school.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

my19 said:


> Based on a very small sample -- the women in my house -- Uggs and Ugg-clones will remain the favorites. Step in, step out. None of that annoying lacing and tying involved.


Yeah, a close friend of mine is buying his wife Uggs for Christmas, it's all she wants. When they see me in bean boots they comment that I look like I belong in New England or something lol


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## my19 (Nov 11, 2009)

orange fury said:


> Yeah, a close friend of mine is buying his wife Uggs for Christmas, it's all she wants. When they see me in bean boots they comment that I look like I belong in New England or something lol


I know the feeling. I have several pairs of Bean boots, from mocs to 10-inch boots. Neither wife nor daughter has ever expressed the slightest interest in them. But I grew up in the Northeast, where Bean boots are widely seen. Wife and daughter are true Texans ...


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## wwilson (Jul 13, 2012)

We have all types of boots here...the styles on campus for the girls typically range from tall leather boots with their tights/jeans tucked in to bean boots with wool socks up over the tights/jeans almost like leggings (think 80's Sheena Easton!) I'm starting to see a few lace-up work styles on the girls as well. The boots the guys are wearing range from lace-up to pull-on with the occasional frat guy in bean boots...vests are everywhere!


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

my19 said:


> I know the feeling. I have several pairs of Bean boots, from mocs to 10-inch boots. Neither wife nor daughter has ever expressed the slightest interest in them. But I grew up in the Northeast, where Bean boots are widely seen. Wife and daughter are true Texans ...


My wife actually wanted a pair of bean boots once I got mine, but that was when we discovered the shortage. We were both born and raised in TX, so we have a few pairs of Ariats in the closet. She primarily wears riding boots in the winter with pants tucked in though.

Per our friends- I take it as a compliment, they've told Mrs OF out of earshot from me that I'm the best dressed person they know lol.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

hardline_42 said:


> We can only hope. In the battle for ugliest footwear imaginable, Uggs beat Bean Boots by a mile.


And yet they are still a very distant second to Crocs. I'll admit, Uggs have stayed popular for far longer than I would have predicted.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

FLCracka said:


> And yet they are still a very distant second to Crocs. I'll admit, Uggs have stayed popular for far longer than I would have predicted.


In fairness, Uggs are ridiculously comfortable. Hideous, but comfortable.


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## ajasont (Mar 25, 2014)

orange fury said:


> In fairness, Uggs are ridiculously comfortable. Hideous, but comfortable.


It would appear to me that Uggs just have a better comfort:ugly ratio compared to Crocs.


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## tigerpac (Jan 23, 2014)

I got Ugg slippers as a gift a year or two. While comfortable I'm happy to not leave the house with them.


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## Dr.Piper (Dec 5, 2014)

tocqueville said:


> Life without Pappy Van Winkle has been grim.


Indeed! I had precisely one bottle before it was popular. Now out of reach for foreseeable future...

Back OT, have seen lots of Bean boots (mocs too!) on students around my parts. And vests. And big, bushy beards.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

tigerpac said:


> I got Ugg slippers as a gift a year or two. While comfortable I'm happy to not leave the house with them.


I, too, got some Ugg slippers as a gift, several years ago, and I actually find them both comfortable and nice looking. Problem is, where I live, warm slippers aren't often needed.


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## TDWat (Aug 31, 2012)

ajasont said:


> Do you all find that both men and women are wearing the boots? I am curious if bean boots will be replacing Uggs on college campus women.


From what I've seen on my campus, the frequency of bean boots among both men and women has exploded over the past few years that I've been here. However, I think we are, for the most part, the anomaly in the Texas area.


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## catside (Oct 7, 2010)

No offence but ! Ugly boots. I understand the utility but never liked them. Good riddance.


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## Danny (Mar 24, 2005)

I had a pair of bean boots sitting my closet that were a little too small, I just sold them on ebay for $130. Gotta strike while the iron is hot! Seems pretty nutty though.


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## Oak City Trad (Aug 2, 2014)

Is this like the whole Topsiders "thing" a few years back?


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Whatever it is, there is no lack of attention to the topic, here and elsewhere. Isn't this at least the second thread on the Bean boot shortage?


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Oak City Trad said:


> Is this like the whole Topsiders "thing" a few years back?


when I was growing up, topsiders were ubiquitous as casual shoes - my dad has worn them as long as I can remember, and I really started wearing them in middle/high school. In college they were the shoe of choice for the frat set (admittedly, I wore them 99% of the time in college). I think the difference with Bean Boots is that - at least down here - we never saw them outside of an LL Bean catalogue.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I actually used to see them quite a lot on campus in the winter when I was a student in the 70s. These things go in cycles, apparently.


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## CMDC (Jan 31, 2009)

Now I know what to look for on my thrift run this weekend.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I'll sell ya mine for the going rate.


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## Oak City Trad (Aug 2, 2014)

orange fury said:


> when I was growing up, topsiders were ubiquitous as casual shoes - my dad has worn them as long as I can remember, and I really started wearing them in middle/high school. In college they were the shoe of choice for the frat set (admittedly, I wore them 99% of the time in college). I think the difference with Bean Boots is that - at least down here - we never saw them outside of an LL Bean catalogue.


Retired Navy in my family; avid sailors (sans trust fund) who wore the Topsider as an actual boat shoe. Definitely goes in cycles, and it's fascinating how these things evolve.

Northerners have seemed to embrace Texas in the past few decades (e.g., Bush family), possibly from the oil industry? I could see a few die-hards still sporting Bean Boots. Though somehow it's hard to picture a pair next to cowboy boots. Combine the two and you could stand to make a fortune off this latest trend!


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Oak City Trad said:


> Retired Navy in my family; avid sailors (sans trust fund) who wore the Topsider as an actual boat shoe. Definitely goes in cycles, and it's fascinating how these things evolve.
> 
> Northerners have seemed to embrace Texas in the past few decades (e.g., Bush family), possibly from the oil industry? I could see a few die-hards still sporting Bean Boots. *Though somehow it's hard to picture a pair next to cowboy boots*. Combine the two and you could stand to make a fortune off this latest trend!


Ask and ye shall receive:


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## PhiAlphaBorn1856 (May 28, 2014)

It's weird how I beat this trend as I only bought a pair during my freshman year right before they got incredibly popular on my campus. I was lucky enough to get a pair of mocs late this summer as well before this shortage, so I should be set for the next decade.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Just don't do what I did with my first pair, storing them over the summers in a hot garage. The tops will dry rot and your Bean boots will be no more!


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Did you ask Bean for an exchange?



eagle2250 said:


> ^^Just don't do what I did with my first pair, storing them over the summers in a hot garage. The tops will dry rot and your Bean boots will be no more!


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^I suppose with LL Bean's warranty policy I could have done that, but the damage was a result of my stupidity and not of some design flaws of substandard materials, so I did not. However I did buy a new pair of the 8" Bean Boots (to replace the destroyed pair) and a pair of their three eyelet camp mocs. They are unarguably wonderful foot gear! :thumbs-up:


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^I suppose with LL Bean's warranty policy I could have done that, but the damage was a result of my stupidity and not of some design flaws of substandard materials, so I did not. However I did buy a new pair of the 8" Bean Boots (to replace the destroyed pair) and a pair of their three eyelet camp mocs. They are unarguably wonderful foot gear! :thumbs-up:


I love my boots, but it hasn't been cold enough to justify them recently. However, the boot mocs have gotten a ton of wear, they've been fantastic


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## gaseousclay (Nov 8, 2009)

this is right up there with the great ammo shortage of 2012 and the shell cordovan shortage of god knows when.


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## HerrDavid (Aug 23, 2012)

I'm not surprised really. Duck boots were all over Brooklyn the past couple of winters, so much so that my girlfriend, who's originally from NJ, took to ribbing me for being "hip." I protested, telling her that in New England (I'm originally from CT) duck boots are basically on a level with Dad jeans. She didn't believe until we were in Hartford for a UConn game and she saw all the middle-aged folks wearing them.


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## Halbermensch (Mar 8, 2013)

I blame tumblr. Seriously.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I blame girls.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Last night, my girlfriend and I were walking down the street and she pointed out to me the four guys in front of us who were all wearing Bean boots (and the weather was perfectly clear) with rolled up jeans or chinos and skinny fit sport coats. When we all got stuck at the light, I could see that they were all in their twenties and appeared to be headed to meet some friends at a bar. 

It was really odd to see all of them wearing the same boot - each had a slightly different version, but essentially the same (again, without the weather calling for it and with their pants rolled up to highlight the boots). It is so funny how things becomes trends, etc. and, then, how many people buy into it for the moment. 

That's it - that's all I got, but it was my first real-life experience with the trend we've been chatting about so I thought I share it.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Okay. That is just wrong.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Duvel said:


> Okay. That is just wrong.


If you are referring to what I saw, it struck me as silly more than anything else. Clothes were just not a big thing to most of my friends in my twenties; hence, I can't image that ever have happening to us as I didn't then (and don't today) know three people who would be current to fashion (and I always dressed in the same quasi-Trad way, trends just past me by). But you would have thought they would have noticed that they all looked too similar and done something ("hey, somebody has to not wear their Bean boots today and we all can't roll up our trousers").


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

It would have been inconceivable for us to go out looking anything alike. We wanted to attract the opposite sex not keep them at bay. "So, you guys are all... friends?" Not that there's anything wrong with that.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

^ahahaha

seriously though, I got mine in November and have worn them once, it's been much too warm and sunny for them. Granted, you two are much further north than I, but I can imagine wearing these if the weather or location (like camping) didn't call for them.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

In our twenties, our two goals were to meet girls and drink (that was my preferred order; although, the second can really help the first), but some of my friends flipped the order of the top two, with dressing current to fashion being probably number 79 on the list right after eating broccoli.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

I don't see anything terribly wrong with it. Is it a little affected? Sure, but you can get away with that if you're young (or old). In trad's heyday, would it really be that hard to believe that a group of Ivy League guys might all be wearing OCBD's, khakis and Weejuns? Can anyone deny that wearing white, wool athletic socks, purposely bleached to turn yellow, with a pair of tattered penny loafers held together with duct tape isn't seriously affected? 

Clothing, especially when you're at an age where you're still forming your identity, is more about a sense of belonging than about individuality. I say, look on the bright side. Despite their rolled up pants and skinny sport coats, the guys you saw were probably better dressed than their parents were at their age and owning Bean Boots might, at the very least, open them up to cultivating an appreciation for traditional, American-made goods.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

hardline_42 said:


> I don't see anything terribly wrong with it. Is it a little affected? Sure, but you can get away with that if you're young (or old). In trad's heyday, would it really be that hard to believe that a group of Ivy League guys might all be wearing OCBD's, khakis and Weejuns? Can anyone deny that wearing white, wool athletic socks, purposely bleached to turn yellow, with a pair of tattered penny loafers held together with duct tape isn't seriously affected?
> 
> Clothing, especially when you're at an age where you're still forming your identity, is more about a sense of belonging than about individuality. I say, look on the bright side. Despite their rolled up pants and skinny sport coats, the guys you saw were probably better dressed than their parents were at their age and owning Bean Boots might, at the very least, open them up to cultivating an appreciation for traditional, American-made goods.


I hope I didn't express ranker as I didn't feel it - but it did look a little silly. That said, your point is a good one, from the movies and pictures I've seen, the Ivy period had a lot of "uniform" dressing. So maybe it only looked silly because you don't see it done that often today.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Sunday I received an email saying that the boots had shipped. Today I received a lovely $10 gift card from Bean apologizing for the delay. That's classy.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Gotta love the Bean. Seriously, I could almost dress exclusively from the Bean lineup anytime.

Regarding the fashion of young men, about the only thing we wore in common simultaneously were khakis or jeans. Even then, we were all different. It was more unconscious, that is, we threw stuff on that looked good but fashion was not high on our list of priorities for a guys' night out.


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

tocqueville said:


> Sunday I received an email saying that the boots had shipped. Today I received a lovely $10 gift card from Bean apologizing for the delay. That's classy.


Kudos to Bean. My girlfriend sent $179 worth of gifts from Bissinger's Chocolate - they billed us twice, sent the chocolate before we wanted (you can select a send date on the site) and sent the wrong chocolate to one recipient. After multiple calls (and - no exaggeration - multiple hours on the phone), she finally got it all corrected. While most of the people seemed to sincerely want to help, no one offered us anything as a token to say - sorry. So again - kudos to Bean.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Just for the record, I'm wearing mine today. After a day of rain with temps in the 50s yesterday, it dropped over night into the 20s and there's ice everywhere. And it's cold, baby, it's cold.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

I go out to Ann Arbor quite frequently and noticed early this fall that the Bean Boots were being worn by _every_body, male and female, this year. We were at my wife's aunt and uncle's house a few weeks ago and my wife remarked that her cousin was home from college for the weekend and was wearing a pair of the Bean Boots and my wife pointed out that I have the same boots for shoveling snow and going to the farm on winter weekends.

I like when fashion trends come and go and make me fashionable again (or for the first time?).


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## wwilson (Jul 13, 2012)

We thrift junkies should be pleasantly surprised this summer with an abundance of "as-new" Bean boots...


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## Brio1 (May 13, 2010)

ajasont said:


> It would appear to me that Uggs just have a better comfort:ugly ratio compared to Crocs.


I've heard them referred to as " Thuggs " and " Crock of **** " by a Nordstrom employee ...


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Duvel said:


> Gotta love the Bean. Seriously, I could almost dress exclusively from the Bean lineup anytime..


I could not, and i would not recommend it. It's a safe look but a dowdy look.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

Ha. Well, I almost do anyway. Today I'm wearing an old Bean tartan bd and my Bean boots, and almost wore the Bean Norwegian sweater but at the last minute chose an LE sweater instead. Between LLB, LE, PRL, and BB, most of my bases are covered.



tocqueville said:


> I could not, and i would not recommend it.


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## Orgetorix (May 20, 2005)

tocqueville said:


> It's a safe look but a dowdy look.


You do realize you're posting in the Trad forum, right? ;-)


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## yoshi (Nov 13, 2014)

I saw a young man, roughly 20, wearing Bean boots today with his khakis rolled up to show them off. It was roughly 62 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I'm not thinking anything I wear these days, whether it's from O'Connell's or Bean or wherever, is exactly pushing the envelope. My fashion-forward days are well behind me.



tocqueville said:


> I could not, and i would not recommend it. It's a safe look but a dowdy look.


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## Gurdon (Feb 7, 2005)

*Old Bean Boots*

With the recent rain and flooding on the North Coast of California, I have been wearing my recently refurbished 20 year-old Bean boots frequently.

If anyone is looking for the functional equivalent, and with outdoors creds, google Schnee's outdoor store in Bozeman. Both of my Montana-dwelling sons wear Schnee's insulated Maine hunting boot style boots, for cold weather hunting. But, I understand the brand preference associated with certain articles of clothing.

There is no possibility that I would replace worn Bean boots, even with a functionally superior Montana-based alternative, rather than having them refurbished. Nor would I discard an OCBD with a worn collar rather than having said collar turned over and sewn back on by the local shirt laundry.

Regards,
Gurdon


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

Gurdon said:


> With the recent rain and flooding on the North Coast of California, I have been wearing my recently refurbished 20 year-old Bean boots frequently.
> 
> If anyone is looking for the functional equivalent, and with outdoors creds, google Schnee's outdoor store in Bozeman. Both of my Montana-dwelling sons wear Schnee's insulated Maine hunting boot style boots, for cold weather hunting. But, I understand the brand preference associated with certain articles of clothing.
> 
> ...


Schnee's, Hoffman and Kenetrek all make much more functional versions of the Bean Boots, but at a substantially higher price. My take is, if you need to move up to one of those models over the standard Bean/MHS, you're probably going to want more from a pair of boots than Leon's humble design can deliver. It's time to step up to a true pac boot with a liner, which is what I assume your sons are actually wearing.


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## Oak City Trad (Aug 2, 2014)

orange fury said:


> Ask and ye shall receive:


Love it!


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Duvel said:


> I'm not thinking anything I wear these days, whether it's from O'Connell's or Bean or wherever, is exactly pushing the envelope. My fashion-forward days are well behind me.


Part of the problem is fit. I think some of the same stuff just trimmer would be a lot better.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

Orgetorix said:


> You do realize you're posting in the Trad forum, right? ;-)


It's a risk we all run. Trad can easily cross the line to dowdy, but I'm confident that it's not predetermined. Jovan and the other posters on the WAYWT threads are quite trad and certainly are not dowdy.


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I don't agree, necessarily. I find that a roomier fit looks a little more traditional and feels more comfortable. I'm speaking as someone reasonably close to his ideal weight.



tocqueville said:


> Part of the problem is fit. I think some of the same stuff just trimmer would be a lot better.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

They arrived!


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## Captain America (Aug 28, 2012)

I think this whole subject is humorous in a number of ways. I didn't know about the current demand for these boots, until hanging out making chitchat with a teenage girl at our church's monthly doughnut deal after Mass. I was very surprised then, and I'm very surprised now. My sister used to wear these; my only connection with Bean boots are some all-leather hiking boots. . . I remember thinking around 1982 that I should get some of the rubber bottomed boots, but I've got a narrow foot, and I kept hearing about lousy arch support, etc., and I was happy enough to set the notion aside pretty quickly.


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## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

just chiming in but the popularity of Bean Boots and Topsiders (or Sebago, etc) is only reinforced by their functionality. Even Southern frat boys who live four hours from the coast find themselves at the lake pretty often.


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## tocqueville (Nov 15, 2009)

So they fit, to my relief. I gather the leather will soften up? Will the rubber bottom stretch at all? I hope not. I sized down as per conventional wisdom and there's still plenty of room, even with the Bean Boot socks I bought.


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

tocqueville said:


> So they fit, to my relief. I gather the leather will soften up? Will the rubber bottom stretch at all? I hope not. I sized down as per conventional wisdom and there's still plenty of room, even with the Bean Boot socks I bought.


The leather is stiff when new but it softens up over time. You might want to add some snoseal to help it along and waterproof it. The rubber bottoms will not stretch at all.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^True dat, but the tread patterns on those rubber bottom(s) will gradually wear smooth from all that wear on blacktop and concrete! LOL. On the other hand, not much blacktop or concrete is encountered in the field!


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## hardline_42 (Jan 20, 2010)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^True dat, but the tread patterns on those rubber bottom(s) will gradually wear smooth from all that wear on blacktop and concrete! LOL. On the other hand, not much blacktop or concrete is encountered in the field!


I think that's why the rubber compound on the Bean Boots was made harder than that of the MHS. I guess LLB realized more people were wearing them in concrete jungles than in the field and toughened up the rubber bottoms.


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## Akilae (Jan 10, 2013)

My girlfriend and I both found this Bean Boot shortage a bit hilarious, if for no other reason than Bean Boots really not being great footwear.

I wore Bean Boots for two winters, then switched up to Kennetrek pac boots. I'm sure the chain tread on Bean Boots are great in their intended setting: Relatively fresh snow on level ground. However even for the NYC commute Bean Boots can be tricky and slip at the slightest sight of ice and, quite inexplicably to me, the cast iron grates/manhole covers/cellar doors that are all over the city. They also tend to not work well for extended walks; the foot bed is simply too flexible. So far my Kennetreks have been doing quite well as serious winter boots, and my Bean Boots have been relegated to a rain shoe.

Bean Boots good boots for specific settings, but I worry that L.L. Bean will look at this annual shortage as a sign that the boot is perfect as-is and doesn't need to be improved (at least bring back air bob soles!).


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## Fading Fast (Aug 22, 2012)

Akilae said:


> My girlfriend and I both found this Bean Boot shortage a bit hilarious, if for no other reason than Bean Boots really not being great footwear.
> 
> I wore Bean Boots for two winters, then switched up to Kennetrek pac boots. I'm sure the chain tread on Bean Boots are great in their intended setting: Relatively fresh snow on level ground. However even for the NYC commute Bean Boots can be tricky and slip at the slightest sight of ice and, quite inexplicably to me, the cast iron grates/manhole covers/cellar doors that are all over the city. They also tend to not work well for extended walks; the foot bed is simply too flexible. So far my Kennetreks have been doing quite well as serious winter boots, and my Bean Boots have been relegated to a rain shoe.
> 
> Bean Boots good boots for specific settings, but I worry that L.L. Bean will look at this annual shortage as a sign that the boot is perfect as-is and doesn't need to be improved (at least bring back air bob soles!).


While I enjoy wearing my Bean boots in the city more than you seem to - I find them very comfortable, but I also, being flat footed, put a Dr Scholls insole into them (and almost every shoe I own) - but like you, I've noticed that on metal - manhole covers, etc. - they have no grip. I just keep myself aware, but fully appreciate your comment as I have felt my feet going out from under me on more than one occasion.


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## sbdivemaster (Nov 13, 2011)

As a side note, it's not just the boots in high demand. Yesterday, I was in touch with customer service regarding some replacement buttons for my field coat (they are sending 6 of each size), and I saw that the field coat is back ordered until late February. Demand for all kinds of Bean classics must be on the rise...


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## Duvel (Mar 16, 2014)

I am partly to blame. I've been wearing my vintage field coat, my vintage Norwegian sweater, and my boots all over the place this winter.



sbdivemaster said:


> As a side note, it's not just the boots in high demand. Yesterday, I was in touch with customer service regarding some replacement buttons for my field coat (they are sending 6 of each size), and I saw that the field coat is back ordered until late February. Demand for all kinds of Bean classics must be on the rise...


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

sbdivemaster said:


> As a side note, it's not just the boots in high demand. Yesterday, I was in touch with customer service regarding some replacement buttons for my field coat (they are sending 6 of each size), and I saw that the field coat is back ordered until late February. Demand for all kinds of Bean classics must be on the rise...


The chamois shirt in apple cinnamon plaid is due to ship mid February, but this one sold out almost immediately in the fall


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## Dr. D (Nov 19, 2010)

Here it is well known that Beans sells out of many winter items early in the fall. Each autumn my wife reminds me that we need to place an order for a winter coat for my son before Halloween otherwise he will be stuck with no other options except purple stripes in size XXXXXXXL. 

With regards to the original topic, I was at the Beans outlet this afternoon and there were dozens of boots (and mocs) in seemingly every size. On sale. Don't fear a shortage, gents.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Dr. D said:


> Here it is well known that Beans sells out of many winter items early in the fall. Each autumn my wife reminds me that we need to place an order for a winter coat for my son before Halloween otherwise he will be stuck with no other options except purple stripes in size XXXXXXXL.


This is very true- I missed out on the Ragg Wool sweater last year when I waited until December, so this year I bought it the day it came out. Same thing with my Shetlands, though I missed the Cabernet and Fair Isle in my size.


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## WillBarrett (Feb 18, 2012)

Cold enough in Birmingham today to wear my vintage Norwegian with a jacket. Great piece. Man, I love that company.


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## Semper Jeep (Oct 11, 2011)

orange fury said:


> The chamois shirt in apple cinnamon plaid is due to ship mid February, but this one sold out almost immediately in the fall


I ordered one of those back in the early fall and it told me it would ship in late January but I actually ended up getting it a week or two into December.


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## fred johnson (Jul 22, 2009)

Stopped in at my nearby LLB Outlet - boots of every type and size, on sale, all over the place. Hard to imagine a shortage.


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