I received these boots on Monday - now it is Thursday - and I really like them. It's true that the leather is a bit stiff, but what would you expect with durable leather and shearling lining? These are boots, not slippers. They will work themselves in. These boots are the kind you keep for years, so you have to be committed for the long haul! They look great, they are good for walking, and I am very happy with them.
I live in Chicago and between the -50F temperatures and the feet of water from the melting snow, it's been a mess here. I've been wearing these boots and I can't recommend them enough. They fit amazingly, are comfortable to walk around in for hours, and they keep my feet so warm. Plus, it's incredible how waterproof they are. I've been looking for the right boots for months, knowing how the weather gets, and always ended up with wet, cold feet. These boots are amazing. Importantly (for me at least) they're also really cute and don't look like I'm wearing rubber shoes or like I have big horse feet. I honestly love these boots.
We just moved to South Dakota and we do get 15 degrees below 0. I wore these boots with the Rag wool socks in the snow and my feet felt perfectly warm and comfortable. They are a taller boot, so they take a little time to lace them up. Also these boots get softer(the leather) as you wear them. As far as the fit, I wear between 7.5 to 8.5 depending on the shoe and style. I bought these in 7 regular. At first (with out socks), I was swimming in them. But, once I put thick and even thinner socks on they were fine. Still had about 1 inch at the toe, width was fine. LL Bean Boots are addicting though so be careful!! Once you try them you will want more. I have the mocs and these...and now I am waiting on the "wool" 8" boots. It seemed strange to me that a rubber boot could be so comfortable..who would have thought? But these do have support and do work will for those in their middle years :)) Highly recommend these boots...but if you want softer leather try either the Bison or the tumbled leather boots. My husband thinks I own a share of LL Bean due to "too much frequent shopping!!"
These were my first pair of Bean Boots and I am so excited because I absolutely LOVE them. When I heard they ran rather large, I decided to go with a 7 narrow (I'm normally a 7.5 regular). When I received them, they were way to small length wise, but I could tell the narrow was perfect for me. I exchanged them for an 8 narrow, and I have a little extra room to wear extra comfy socks, and they are perfect! They say to order down if you're a half size, but that wasn't the case for me. I wouldn't recommend trying them on in a store before ordering so you don't have to go through the hassle of exchanging. My new favorite winter boot for sure!!!
