L.L. Bean Maine Hunting Shoe: 100 Wears on a Classic
Highlights:
- Price: $149 MSRP
- Pros: Classic design, Acceptable performance
- Cons: Comfort of a 100-year-old shoe
Content:
History:
LL Bean’s Bean Boots are as ubiquitous as falling leaves or pumpkin-spice everything during Fall in many parts of the United States. However, while they have been knocked off countless times, many people don’t know that the Bean Boot itself is a copy. Leon Leonwood Bean first came out with these, the Maine Hunting Shoe.
Famously, these shoes first came out more than a century ago in 1912. The LL Bean founder was trying to combine the waterproof-nature of a rubber boot, and the breathability of a leather one. His first attempt was as close to backyard tinkering as you could get. He bought 100 pairs of rubber boots, 100 pairs of leather boots, cut them in half and tried to sew them together. After 90% of these failed to keep water out, he recalled them and created this shoe.
Seemingly, the popularity has only been growing since. Several of the past few years have actually seen the company sell out before winter even started. LL Bean has needed to increase production just to keep up, passing a million pairs a year in 2017. However, the Maine Hunting Shoe makes up just a small percentage of the total boots sold.
Focusing more closely on hunting, the Maine Hunting Shoe has a few differences compared to the Bean Boot. However, these differences deserve their own post, and we’ll have one of those up in next few weeks. Instead, here we will focus on the Maine Hunting Shoe as it stands on its own.
This par has just hit 100 wears. And none of those were particularly easy on them. From pushing a car stuck in 2 feet of water, to walking through 4-inch-thick mud, these were the pair that always drew the short straw. A lot of shoes on this website owe their high level of shine to them.
Looks:
The Maine Hunting Shoe, or MHS for short, has a classic design that we all know. And, some of us love. Starting at the toe, the shoe features a matt dark brown rubber with a significant amount of spring to it. Stamped into the rubber are five ridges that provide a bit of structure as well as some resistance to impact. That same rubber continues around the entire foot, with molding lines in the middle on either side. Around the back, the shoe features the classic “Maine Hunting Shoe” logo that first adorned boots in this style.
Underneath the dark brown rubber, a yellow outsole features LL Bean’s classic chain pattern. While this looks like a distinct piece, it is actually part of the same molding as the rest of the rubber. Designed to mimic the chains used on tires in winter, this is the only major change between the original boots and the current design. Originally, the shoes featured a herringbone pattern.
On this pair, the outsole is one of the only sections that shows a significant amount of wear. Both the heel and the forefoot have lost a good bit of their thread definition. While not visible when wearing the shoe, this has resulted in a decrease in grip.
Finishing off the rubber portion of the shoe is one of its most divisive features. Supposedly to help with grip in icy conditions, the heel of the MHS is small. Very small. Especially compared to modern boots. Helping with grip or not, the small heel has become a staple in the “Duck Boot” design. As a side note, the heel used to be an extra you had to pay for. It cost 25 cents.
Sewn into the rubber of the shoe with a triple-puritan-stitch, the upper only comes in 10″ or longer options. The dark brown pebbled leather here is the most common option, however Bean does offer the MHS in a waxed canvas. Lacking much in the way of design, the upper is almost purely business. A minimum of 8 antique brass eyelets cover the fully gusseted tongue.
Around the back, the pull tab runs the full length of the upper. This is the other section of the shoe where you can tell these are far from new. The cuts of leather on the heel tabs are uneven, with one being much thinner than the other. This tab stretched out even with just a small amount of use.
Otherwise, the upper leather is in great shape. Even after being soaked through.
Fit, Comfort, & Break-In:
These shoes are one of the main reasons that the bannock device can sometimes be useless. These shoes run absolutely massive. They were designed for use with thick socks, but even then, you’ll need to size down. I am an 11.75 D on the bannock and this pair is a size 10.
They are also not a forgiving shoe if you get the size wrong. The tall heel pushes your foot forward, and the rubber is soft but will still win in a fight versus your toes. This is made worse by LL Bean only offering whole sizes. I strongly suggest trying on a pair before you buy. Most LL Bean stores should have MHS in stock, but if they don’t, the Bean Boot fits extremely similar (though not exactly the same).
If you get the sizing correct, however, the Maine Hunting Shoe isn’t a particularly uncomfortable shoe. The rubber underfoot is extremely soft and pliable right off the bat. The upper leather is a bit stiff, but quickly softens up.
That being said, it is a design that predates Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency. It isn’t a modern shoe. The small heel can be felt as you walk, and isn’t as stable as a modern boot would be. Further, while the design is better than an all-rubber boot, breathability is still extremely poor. Finally, even when brand new the shoes have terrible grip compared to modern options. With wear, they are almost dangerous.
This is a shoe you buy for looks, not comfort or performance.
Materials:
While being extremely simple in design, LL Bean continues to use high quality materials. The rubber on the lower section of the boot manages to be both extremely soft and flexible, but still impact resistant. From a wear perspective, the rubber isn’t as good as others, but that is the trade off for such a soft bottom. If you’re looking for a longer lasting alternative, check out the Bean Boot.
One item that shows LL Bean is interested in building a quality product is the inclusion of a metal shank. On a boot that is purely fashion focused, they could have easily skipped this, however by including it they show they intend for this boot to last.
The leather on the LL Bean Maine Hunting Shoe is appropriate for a shoe of this price. Not as nice as something from most of the other Made-In-Maine manufacturers (like Quoddy or Rancourt), it is still a tight grained leather with minimal processing. Though, it should be noted, the pebble pattern is embossed into a coating, rather than the leather itself.
The two main components combined do a great job on their original intended purpose. These boots have been in 8” of standing water without letting anything in, though that does require maintenance. Even better, this regular submersion in water and mud has done no damage to the leather at all.
The laces do let the shoe down, at least a bit. Not only are they stiff, the dark brown warp around them has split in nearly a half dozen places between the two boots. This happened almost immediately after the first wear, and has not slowed down over time. I fully understand that laces are easy to replace, but they should last more than a few days before splitting.
Finally, while it might not matter to some, the MHS is made in the United States from (mostly) U.S. made materials.
Ease of Care:
If you only plan on wearing these to a pumpkin patch for pictures once a year, there isn’t much you need to do. The leather on these boots has a plastic coating and it should retain its natural moisture for some time. The rubber will last until it dry rots. However, by doing this the boots will lose their ability to withstand water pretty quickly, particularly at the stitching where the leather meets the rubber.
Using a sealer, such as LL Bean’s own Boot Guard, you can keep the leather and stitching waterproof for a decade or more. You’ll want to rub a small amount into the leather of the shoe, but work quite a bit into the stitching. Keep the boots somewhere warm, and it should absorb over a day or two. For this pair, I do this once a year when I take them out for the fall, but if you use yours year-round, you’ll want to apply every 6 months.
The ability to resole the MHS really sets it apart from a lot of competitors. For a very reasonable $39 (plus shipping to Maine), LL Bean will remove the rubber bottom and replace it with an entirely new one. Be sure to plan ahead, though. The company itself claims it can take 8 weeks, and reviews online say it can be even longer if you send them in just before fall. There are also rumors that they will sometimes replace the MHS rubber with Bean Boot rubber, so be sure to specify you want to keep the softer compound.
Pricing:
The LL Bean Maine Hunting Shoe isn’t cheap. Starting at $149 for the 10 inch version, and going up from there, these shoes run the same price or more as some modern hunting boots. While the MHS used to cost slightly more than a Bean Boot in the same size, as of December 2020 the are actually a dollar cheaper in the 10”.
It used to be nearly impossible to these boots on sale. LL Bean never put them on their one-day deals and excluded these and the Bean Boots from sales. A few years ago LL Bean updated that policy, and now they are almost always included in their 10 to 15% off sales they run around holidays. Alternatively, LL Bean will regularly run deals where if you spend a certain amount you get a $20 or $50 dollar gift card.
The biggest competition to the MHs is going to be its sister product, the Bean Boot. Nearly identical in many ways, including price, the choice here is really just preference. The other competition is mostly lower quality boots for a lower price including the Sperry Salt Water Boot for $119, and the Land’s End Duck Boot for $110 – though it is on sale for 50% off almost every day. That being said, the Sorel Cheyanne II for $155 probably comes close – or even passes – the quality of the MHS.
Value:
Similar to Jordan retros, if you’re buying this for performance, you’re going to be upset. There are countless options that cost significantly less that are gripper, will be waterproof for longer, and will breathe better.
Also like those same retros, you choose to buy one of these because of the style, not the performance. For that same reason, it isn’t really fair to compare it to anything else. The Sorel might perform better than the MHS, but it won’t outperform a pair of modern hiking boots.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a classic Duck Boot, you’re going to need to go LL Bean.
Of course, that higher cost blow is helped by the affordable option to have LL Bean resole the boots. The LL Bean sole is almost certain to outlast the Sperry or the Land’s End. And even if they didn’t, after just one or two resoles the MHS will actually end up costing less overall.
Wrap-up:
The LL Bean Duck Boot line is the definitive Duck Boot, and the Maine Hunting Shoe is the genesis. While it probably won’t last quite as long as it’s stable-mate the Bean Boot, it also loses a lot of the “Pumpkin Spice Everything” image.
It won’t perform quite as a modern boot, but it will still keep your feet dry with a bit of maintenance. If you’re looking for a workhorse that also has a classic look, you can do worse than the MHS.