Anyone use these for mukluks, and if so how well do they work?
I love them
Not sure what you mean by using them as mukluks, but I love mine. I have a pair of lace up, and a pair of slip on, about 6 inches high, soory forget the model name. In winter I use a thicker wool sock and I’m good to go, shoveling snow, or a day hike. snow, water, mud, slush, these boot handle it all. In the warmer months, a lighter wool or cotton sock does just fine. The slip ons see daily use, all 4 seasons.
Just give the leather a once a year coat of sno-seal.
I’ve had the lace-on boot in water up to the top of the boot, the leather part, with out leaking.
And the best part; After a few years of use, the stiching had started to come out in the back, mainly because of taking them off with the laces too tight, so I sent them back to Bean for repair, I sent a letter saying that I woould pay for any repair and shipping cost. Three weeks later I got them back. With new rubber bottoms, new insoles, new laces, and a letter saying that the stiching should have not failed, so there was no cost for the repair! Great boots, great company.
Yup! Usin’ dem fer 35 years
Great boot. Basically, de only thing ah’ buys fro’ Bean.
FE
Try This Boot Or Sorel
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0058224831059a.shtml
I looked the LL Bean boot up on the net. Don’t like the soles. I prefer lugs in the snow. Especially on slopes.
bean boots
Do you guys canoe with the Bean boots? I am really wondering if they are flexible enough to kneel and get them under the seat. I have had a pair before, they are great boots, but do they make good paddeling boots?
Definitely a matter of opinion
Here’s my opinion(s):I think they are a great canoe boot for someone who is mostly sitting, and who does not expect to step out into water any deeper than half a foot. They are also a good solid camp boot, nice to slip on during a rainy day. But I’ve since migrated to a Chota mukluk because they are warmer, lighter, and allow me to step in deeper water. The soles are also more flexible, and are more comfortable while kneeling. Finally, and this is not applicable to most people, since I have been canoe poling I find that my feet become more fatigued while standing in the canoe and shifting balance points while wearing bean boots instead of mukluks.
-rs
could be.
The Hunting Shoe has a flexible sole…Its meant for good ground feel to allow you feel that stick before you step on it and snap it and spook your quarry.
The Bean Boot is different with a thicker sole.
That sounds correct
– Last Updated: Nov-23-09 8:17 PM EST –
I used an old pair of Maine Hunting Shoes as my winter boots for a brief time when I was about 13 or so. I remember the soles being quite flexible, though in this case, they were padded on the inside with a 3/8-inch wool felt insole. I think they would be "almost" on a par with Chota Quick-Lace boots, as far as flexibility goes, and if I recall, the extra tall version is just about as high as Chotas, though I don't know if they make that version anymore.
For general winter wear, I actually prefer the "old-style" soles of the Maine Hunting Shoe and the older (and now resurrected if you look hard enough) Sorels (thin, flexible, with a fine-toothed traction surface) much more than the bulky, lugged-sole boots that are more popular these days. When walking in deep snow, I have a better feel for what's under my feet (tree limbs, stump roots, rocks) which ultimately makes me much more sure-footed than thick soles with lugs (I can feel BEFORE my full weight goes down whether my foot will slip or grip - I can't do that with thick soles), especially since lugs really don't do much more than the fine-toothed tread of the old-style boots anyway (if the snow is deep, the only real traction you can ever get is when contacting "pointy" objects buried in the snow, and in that case, any irregularity on the bottom of the boot will grab and hold just fine). On snow-covered downed tree limbs (the most common hazard beneath the snow), lugged boots definitely have much LESS grip than the old style. I think big lug soles became popular for the same reason as is true for so many modern outdoor gear: Because they "look" effective, not because they are. If anyone steers me onto the topic of snowshoeing, I'll provide even more reasons to dislike modern, heavy, lugged-sole boots.
Bottom line, I think the Maine Hunting Shoe is a great compromise boot. It's not as warm as a shoe-pack, not as rugged as a hiking boot, not as impervious to water as a paddling boot, but very good for moderately cold weather and an occasional need for "high-top", "short-term" waterproofness. If I were paddling AND doing a lot of walking, I'd consider it a good choice. However, as I mentioned in a recent thread, I seem to have much less trouble flexing my feet under a canoe seat than most people, though I really can't imagine why without literally "walking in the other person's shoes" (HaHa) for a while.
I live in my bean boots,
and while I wear them for much more than paddling, they are my favorite paddle footwear. Ninety percent of my paddling is kneeling and I don’t have a problem flexing my feet. I regularly step in water that reaches over the rubber part and my feet don’t get wet. That’s not saying you could wade around and not get wet! They are also comfortable for portaging.
Slippery
I use a hunting shoe in the canoe and can step out briefly over the rubbers and still stay dry. You gotta use lots of the snow seal or whatevah on the seams.
I do find however that the hunting shoe is like greased lightning on ice…I’m always falling down hunting which is kinda a concern with firearm in hand!!
Fan of the Bean Maine hunting shoe
I’ve been using the Main hunting boot/shoe for close to 30 years for most of my deer hunting - bow and gun, canoe trips, and hiking. I paddle mostly kneeling and they fit fine under the seat of my canoes. They are a light and comfortable boot. I have been currently using the 10" Main hunting shoe type. This boot is also recommended by the great Cliff Jacobson for canoe trips. The only two areas in which I have found them somewhat lacking is in hunting in cold weather under 30 degrees and in slippery conditions.
Todd