I purchased these boots 20+ years ago and loved them for their quality, warmth and waterproofness. Unfortunately, I lost the boots so was thrilled to find them still available. I quickly purchased them, but was so disappointed when they arrived.
No issue with the fit, style and ability to keep my feet dry; HUGE issue with the "shearling" lining. The shearling was so thin it did nothing to keep my feet warm. Additionally, the interior foot bed was not shearling at all, but instead some plastic or cardboard insert that provided no comfort and absolutely NO WARMTH.
After wearing them a few times to shovel snow, these must go back.
Not sure why LLBean is cutting corners on quality when most of us loyal customers would pay more to have the quality of a few years ago. I will not purchase any products with "shearling" from LLBean in the future, which is a shame since this has been my "go to” store for these purchases for the past 30 years.
I had my eye on these boots for quite awhile and finally purchased. Bought in January just in time for a cold freeze in Pittsburgh. Morning temperature was at +7 (that's the temp not a wind chill!) and I wore these boots out for first time. My feet were totally warm, including my toes, which helped the rest of me feel warm as well. The roll down feature is nice but they look great not rolled. Warm boot, not clunky or heavy so walking is not an issue. Sizing for me was just right but I wear orthotics so I usually buy a half size larger anyway. I agree with some that the laces could be a bit longer, that's my only negative point. If you're on the fence on whether to purchase, I highly recommend.
I finally ordered these boots! I was nervous about the size. I am usually a small 6.5, as I fit into some size 6 shoes depending on what they are...I ordered the 6's with my fingers crossed because they say if you are a half size to round down and then order a size down, so I would be a 5. But they don't make 5s in these. Got em, tried them on with a normal pair of socks and I haven't taken them off since. They are so awesome and I might have to wear them in July. Just cause.
I live in a place where winter boot are not just a nice thing to have, they're a necessary thing to have. Since my last pair of boots cracked in the sole last spring, I had been searching for boots to replace them (and didn't find these until February, so I had been looking regularly for over five months). I tried everything on--every sturdy, warm boot with a decent tread from every possible brand. I have some serious requirements for my boots. They have to be warm enough for a Vermont winter (comfortable hovering around zero), waterproof, snowproof (meaning tall enough for tromping in new snow), sturdy enough for walking the dog up the mountain in my backyard and stylish enough for walking into town for my morning coffee. No small errand for footwear. I was hesitant to buy the Bean Boots because of the reviews haranguing the lack of wool in the foot, thinking that they meant that there was no insulation in the foot bed at all. I was happy to find that there is a sturdier form of insulation in the foot bed (I've had boots with shearling in the foot and my toes were always freezing). I wear a size 8.5 and the size 8 fits perfectly. In short, I love love love these boots. They truly stand up to the test of a Vermont winter.
