Customer Reviews L.L.Bean 8" Bean Boots GORE-TEX®/Thinsulate™

I tried to submit a more thorough review of my experience with these boots, but I was told it couldn't be posted. Long story short, ordered my boots early so I would have them for winter. Got the boots when I expected...in time for late fall. One boot had a manufacturing defect where it was noticeably narrower than the other. Now I have to wait two more months for replacements. The one boot that fits is very comfortable and warm. The lining covers the entire interior, and I am sure it will be great for normal winter wear. The height of the boot seems sufficient for most snow I will experience. The other boot has very uneven seams where the leather meets the rubber. There is also some sort of adhesive on the leather. Customer service was very helpful with this issue. I am getting a replacement pair, but I have to wait two months for them due to the back order situation. I hope to have them by February so I can use them this winter. I thought I was thinking ahead by ordering early, but I guess my planning and foresight was for naught due to this defect. I would perhaps recommend ordering several sizes or even multiples of the same size all at once, so you can make sure you get a good pair that fit when you need them.

I have a size 13, wide foot, and I ordered these boots "13 wide". We've had a lot of snow this winter, and wearing these boots led me to the conclusion that: 1) the boots are extremely well constructed, and 2) they are way too narrow. This problem is compounded by the very firm molded rubber bottom feature. It turns out that "wide" at LLBean is 2E; I, and a significant fraction of the adult male population, require widths of up to 5E. I had to return the boots, and the LLBean Representative agreed to pass on a request for the development of a line of extra-wide boots. I can't say I'd recommend these boots to my wide-footed friends, but for those with "regular" width feet, they are 5-star.

I attempted to order boots in the fall. But there was a backlog in the regular sized men's boot. I ordered the wide hoping it might fit. Too large. I then tried to order the regular again but not available until Spring. I tried the narrow but too small. Why not stock the most common size? Why not avaiable during hte winter?