The Reason It Took So Long For Your Bean Boots Last Year

The cold weather is here with an unkind reminder that winter will arrive sooner than you want it to. Your Bean Boots, on the other hand, probably will not.

My wife bought me a pair of LL Bean Boots for my birthday earlier this month.  When she ordered them in September, she knew they wouldn't arrive in time for my birthday on October 2nd, but we got a card in the mail today informing us that the boots new expected delivery date would be December 11th!

So what is the hold up?  According to Boston.com the rush is always on to get Bean Boots—aka L.L. Bean’s signature snow boots, New England’s most in-demand cold-weather staple. L.L. Bean struggled to keep up with pre-orders around the holidays last year, selling out in some sizes and even, in some cases, delivering after New Year’s.

The company finally caught up on its backlog in July—only to be bombarded by all the kids looking for their back-to-school Bean Boots.

The challenge is that these LL Bean boots can't be rushed.  There are only 200 people who work to manufacture these boots in Maine.  They aren't assembled in China or Taiwan.  Every pair is handmade.  The Globe reports that every pair of boots takes about 85 minutes to make.

I've never owned a pair, but my guess is that these boots will last for decades.  I'm hoping to get my money's (and my wait's) worth.

Additional Reporting by Kiah Heron