Dad & Melody (my step mom) got me my favorite boots for Christmas this year. I have worn these same boots for about 6 years now. Every 2 years I have to get new ones, because the tread wears down to almost nothing. And considering I don't wear any other shoe, I would say 2 yrs. is great. I now have 2 old pair to wear as a back up, to paint in, etc. It is great to have the backup pair when these boots get soaked!
People make fun of my blue boots, but I don't care, they are the most comfortable boot I have ever worn. L. L. Bean's Speed Guide Hikers are really an all season boot if their ever was one. I wear these in everything, even in summer, and they are not hot to wear.
I wore these on a camping trip to Baxter State Park in Maine, including hiking up the 3 peaks of Mt. Katahdin, and these boots performed wonderfully. Since then I will not use any other boot.
Since my knee surgeries about 10 yrs. my ankles are soft as mud, so I need ankle support. These boots provide that in spades.
From Backpacker Magazine, February, 2002: "After nine months of hiking on rocky trails in areas from Pennsylvania to New Hampshire, during which the Speed Guides repeatedly bashed up against rocks, sticks, and thorns, the boots still look like I just pulled them from the box...That's why I like L.L. Bean's Speed Guide Hikers. If something breaks on your trips, it won't be these boots."Thanks dad & Mel for the best boots ever. And you know what I will be asking for in 2 yrs. :-P
