While rain boots just keep feet dry, duck boots offer extra warmth in addition to waterproofing with their combination of rubber bottoms and leather uppers. They're a practical solution that can handle everything from crisp fall days with rain to winter days when the sidewalks are a slushy mess.

Over time, however, so many have reinterpreted the boots that it can be easy to lose sight of the immense history, importance, and persistence they carry. The first pair was cobbled together in 1911 after Maine fisherman and hunter Leon Leonwood Bean grew tired of getting his feet wet during outdoor excursions.

L.L. Bean's Dreamed up and designed by L.L. Bean's namesake founder, duck boots are a staple in wardrobes 100 years later because of the shoe's form and function. You can't go wrong with the original pair.

They're great for the snow and provide excellent traction. They're also great at keeping your feet warm and dry whether you're in the snow or rain. (These boots are the preppy fall or early winter rain boot of choice in the north east.)

Duck Boots solve two problems by combining the lower parts of a rubber boot with the laced upper parts of a leather boot. They're not as stuffy and sweltering inside as an all-rubber boot, but they're less prone to leaks than an all-leather shoe as you tramp through puddles and snow all day.

Product information

Bean Boots (originally named Maine Hunting Shoes) are a type of water-resistant "duck boots" manufactured by L.L.Bean. They are constructed from a rubber sole and a leather upper. The boots were created in 1911 and were an instant success. The boots became an item of clothing connected to elite prep schools.

Boots and Early Peoples The earliest evidence of this comes from Spanish cave paintings. These images date from 15,000 BC and depict a man and a woman wearing fur-lined boots made of animal skin. Images from funeral jars suggest that the people of Persia wore boots as far back as 7,000 BC.

Functional concerns include: protection of the foot and leg from water, mud, pestilence (infectious disease, insect bites and stings, snake bites), extreme temperatures, sharp or blunt hazards (e.g. work boots may provide steel toes), physical abrasion, corrosive agents, or damaging radiation; ankle support and ...

Leather is probably the first material used to make boots and is still used to make different types of boots today. However, over time, boots have been made from a wide variety of materials, such as rubber and nylon. The soles can also be made from various materials, including cork, rope, and vulcanized rubber.

It has quietly been a utilitarian mainstay of L.L. Bean's product lineup for the last 100 years. In the early 2000s, those quiet sales would change. Students at elite prep schools started to pick up the Bean Boots as required parts to their wardrobe. Other brands noticed the duck boot craze and jumped on board.

Commonly known as waterfowl, ducks' feet are called palmate. This is the most common type of webbed foot. Palmate is when the three front facing toes are joined by webbing and the small, raised back toe (the hallux) is separate.

Boots was established in 1849, by John Boot. After his father's death in 1860, Jesse Boot, aged 10, helped his mother run the family's herbal medicine shop in Nottingham, which was incorporated as Boot and Co. Ltd in 1883, becoming Boots Pure Drug Company Ltd in 1888.

Although boots were a popular style of women's footwear in the 19th century, they were not recognized as a high fashion item until the 1960s. They became widely popular in the 1970s and have remained a staple of women's winter wardrobes since then.

Boots are worn both for their functionality - protecting the foot and leg from water, snow, mud or hazards or providing additional ankle support for strenuous activities - as well as for reasons of style and fashion. Cowboy boots are a specific style of riding boots that combine function with fashion.

Boots are strong, heavy shoes which cover your ankle and which have thick soles. You wear them to protect your feet, for example when you are walking or taking part in sport.