L.L. Bean hit on popular recipe for dry feet

Wet feet while hunting more than 100 years ago in Maine resulted in the invention of one of the most iconic pieces of gear ever made. It was during a soggy trek that Leon Leonwood Bean had the idea of building a boot with leather on the top and rubber on the bottom.

His resulting Maine Hunting Boot was an original and hot-selling product of the day. Unfortunately, the rubber cracked on the first batch, causing a mass return by customers who were refunded in full.

Leon didn’t give up, and after finding a better rubber supplier he built version after version of his boots, eventually finding a formula for success.

It still exists today. Indeed, it is thriving as a product in multiple versions, for men, women, and kids, and still made in Maine. Leon Leonwood is now referred to by his initials, L.L., and the retailer that holds his name, and is still operated by his family, grosses sales of more than a billion dollars a year.

I got a unique look at the legacy of the Maine Hunting Boot – aka “Bean Boots” – last week in Minneapolis. Before a store-opening event, a worker from L.L.Bean drove the company’s gargantuan “Bootmobile” through a part of town near my office.

It parked in an icy lot. At more than 11 feet tall, and with shoelaces made of mooring rope, the Bootmobile gets no shortage of strange looks. “I am constantly waving,” said Eddie Flaherty, one of the drivers.

It’s built of steel and fiberglass over a pickup truck frame. The boot, which is a scaled iteration of the brand’s hallmark model, is estimated to be a size 708.

Flaherty pilots the big boot around the U.S., including about 40,000 miles in the last two years. He attends events to garner publicity for the brand. He told me about driving through Times Square and in a parade for the Boston Red Sox.

Apparently the exposure works. “The boots’ popularity in the last few years has grown exceptionally,” said Mac McKeever, who works in marketing for the company. “They are not only popular with outdoorsmen, farmers and loggers, but they have also garnered favor in the fashion community, with college students, and urbanites.”

Hundreds of thousands of pairs are sold each year. The company offers many versions, from functional to fancy, and they range from $79 to $299. All have roots in Leon Leonwood’s original design. 

As for the Bootmobile, I’m sure L.L. never envisioned his footwear idea taking such form.