Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Camden Hill Chelsea Boot

Long story short: I am really trying to make these work! I missed my return window as I only use these for winter hiking, hence why I haven't returned them. Pros: they are beautiful; I don't like the look of really "outdoorsy" boots for hiking. They're waterproof, and I feel protected and stable when using them. Cons: uncomfortable/painful Putting on: as other wearers have described, these were very difficult to put on when new. That changes after about 8-12 tries. Hiking: the soles offer great grip and stability, but feel very heavy during use on and off-trail. Fit: the shaft stretches out while relaxing enough to get the foot in, and stays that way. Squeezing them on also stretches the back stay, meaning that the foot, heel, ankle, and lower calf end up flopping around with the extra space. This is intensified by the heavy sole. Fit, cont'd: the insole is firm, borderline hard. The ball of my foot below my big toe hurts badly after wearing these. The toe box is just as hard from the inside and the friction on my pinky toes has led to painful blisters. The back stay also juts in right below the Achilles, another site for blisters. I have attempted ball of foot cushions and heel insoles to adjust the fit of these boots for me, which didn't help, so I removed them. Thick socks are the intuitive choice given how hard the inside of the boot is, which, compounds the difficulty of getting them on, and doesn't seem to help with the friction on the toe. I prevent the heel blisters with moleskin and bandaids, and will have to do the same with pinky toes; I am looking into pads for the ball of foot. I have a shoe stretcher in them now to widen the toe space. As they are leather and they get wet with use, I imagine there's natural expansion/contraction. While they would be moderately appropriate for home or casual wear, they're so heavy that I likely wouldn't opt for that as a choice either. I am super bummed, but hopeful I can keep making modifications to make these work. Additionally they are very hard to clean! Mud likes to stick to the stretchy fabric on the interior shaft. Womp womp!

I bought these boots two weeks ago and the first pair I had to return because they ran small. The second pair I tried to break in because they look so cute but they were just not practical. The leather does not budge and it made it almost hard to walk in them. I'm a Bluntstone boot fan for life.! They just have a better design and the leather has wayyy more give.

Not sure who can actually get these on. I am usually a 7.5. My other LLB boots are a 7.0. I ordered an 8 due to the reviews. My feet are not overly wide or chunky. I managed to get them on with super thin socks on. They run very narrow and squeeze my foot. Not sure about keeping these. I planned to make them my (non-snow) everyday shoe for winter in upstate NY but I need to wear thicker socks.

These boots are very nice quality but unfortunately the sizing isn't correct. I normally wear an 8.5 womens, the 8.5 was much too small. Ordered the 9, also too small! (Big toe pressing against front). Ordered the 9.5, doesn't fit (too roomy at heal, big toe still pressing against front). Unfortunately, there is no size that will fit me. I am sure they are on sale because they don't actually fit people well.

Stylish boot with a problematic fit. I ordered the boot in two sizes and, as other reviewers have noted, it is very hard to put on and take off even when wearing thin socks. In either size 8 1/2 and 9 medium, while it is very snug to put on, the back of the boot once on was not snug against my leg and rubbed on the lower part of my calf causing an irritation. Neither size fit well and returned both.

Entry at the top of boot would not allow foot to even enter! No real stretch on boot. No inner lining at all. Returned them. Will be better observant on buying a different pair.

Unexpected color although he said they were brown, they had a reddish purple hue to them. Return them for color purposes only. I own them in a cognac color and they are magnificent. Three years old and worn constantly and do not show the wear

Had to return then. Too tight, to narrow. I have a narrow foot but these were too tight. Could not get them on. I assume they would have been the correct length if I had been able to get them on. I even tried a size up but they were too tight. Very disappointed.

Color is purple and hurt my feet. Too bad because the color online didn't look purple

The boot was incredibly stiff, I couldn't wear it for sure. That's just me, maybe someone else would find it comfortable. Not me though.

Beautiful, but impossible to get on. I had to return because I couldn't get them to budge- a zipper would have saved the day. The leather and workmanship is beautiful.

The leather of one boot was not in the same condition as the other boot. It was jnot worth the fight to get them on. the width was ok once they were on. As many said they need a zipper to get into.

Do not buy these boots. They are extremely difficult to get on, so stiff that one's ankles can not bend while wearing them, and even more difficult to off. For company that built its reputation on the quality of its outerwear, that reputation gets booted to the curb with these.