I found my old L.L. Bean Duck Boots!

When was the last time you saw somebody running around in a pair of authentic L.L. Bean Boots?  Or duck boots as we called them in the 1980's?  Or what was originally called The Maine Hunting Shoe? Well that's too long!  So I'm bringing them back Baby!  It took me a while, but after rumaging through our attic I found my old pair.  Oddly, they were just thrown on the attic floor...much to my dismay after first looking in every box labeled Britt.  I digress...so here they are!  Re-introduced to the world and just waiting on a rainy, cold Saturday for a trip to the park and some tennis ball fetching with Riley.

My Boots

It's really amazing what great shape they are in!  I think I got these either my senior year of high school or freshman year of college (+/- 25 years ago), but I fondly remember wearing the heck out of these guys around campus in Nacogdoches.  As most colleges had, parking for off-campus residents was nicely placed at least a mile from campus out on the back 40.  So if it was raining, that meant breaking out the huge golf umbrella and the Bean Boots.  What a great pair of boots!  You could troupe through anything in these babies and sit through class with nice warm dry feet while the schmuck next to you in his Nike's was wondering when or if he would ever have dry socks again!  Let's take a poll...leave me a comment if you had a pair of Bean Boots and what style..as there were many.

Just to review, here are some of the more popular styles available:

8"

Rubber Moc - generally for the ladies!

6" - What I own!

Wool-lined Zipper

Gumshoe

Bison

Maine Hunting Shoe

10" - Shering Lined

10"

A little Bean Boot history:

"In 1911, an avid outdoorsman named Leon Leonwood (L.L.) Bean returned from a hunting trip with cold, damp feet and a revolutionary idea. L.L. enlisted a local cobbler to stitch leather uppers to workmen's rubber boots, creating a comfortable, functional boot for exploring the Maine woods. This innovative boot – the Maine Hunting Shoe – changed outdoor footwear forever and began one of the most successful family-run businesses in the country."

Photo courtesy of The Trad

For those really fond of duck boots!

Photo courtesy of Sartorially Inclined

I know most of you, if not all of you, are not going to run out now and get yourself a new pair.  And I doubt seriously that like me, you've got yours stashed away upstairs somewhere.  But if you have the occasion to need a good rain boot, hunting boot, grocery store boot or whatever, remember that these old boys may be just the ticket.  If you've got a moment, I'd really enjoy hearing your Bean Boot story!