Genuine Shearling & Leather Bean Boot (Men)

Firstly beautiful boot and I wish I could have kept them. On the site it does say to go a half size down wich I did. I think at least for me maybe I misunderstood. Size down from your sneaker size or your boot size wich isn’t stated. I wear an 11 1/2 ordered a size 11 and I was swimming in these things, no matter if I had 2 pairs of socks or how I tied them. In retrospect it’s probly best to go to a store if possible to get fitted. I became interested in these for sloppy north eastern weather. The smaller sized pair I ordered are working out just fine.

I will start off with the positives and then proceed with the detrimental negatives. First, these boots are advertised as "Best for rain, slush, snow and colder conditions. Not designed to stay submerged in water." Positives. I got them on sale and they are incredibly comfortable. Great arch support, great for hiking up rough mountains or just walking around town. They look awesome and are very warm. I have never made a purchase from this brand before and always wanted a pair of "duck boots / bean boots". I was under the impression of high quality and the "original" duck boot as every item they are selling is at a premium. As a business owner myself I though they must have worked there way up to that price selling quality products. I didn't have an issue spending the money believing I was getting a good product. The negatives (I'm the least picky person you will ever meet). I've hardly wore the boots for 3 months and not everyday. Maybe a total of 35 days of use and never more than 8 hours on my feet. I am located in Northern Nevada and we had a very mild winter. It snowed twice the entire winter and no rain. Now that the season is over the problems have come to light. I could not figure out all winter why my toes felt like they were going to need to be amputated and the ransid smell coming from the boots. I thought maybe it was just the leather they use. Little did I know what was happening. The last couple of times I wore them there was snow on the ground and the first time I had to actually test them. Come to find out, the boots are full of mold from water trapped beneath the insoles. Not sweat either and the boots have never been submerged or seen rain. No the boots were not stored with snow on them and have never seen snow inside them. I took great care of them and it is just a shame. I would usually take the insoles out after wearing them but being lazy and it being the last time I wore them for the season I left the insoles in. A week later, Ive taken them out to find mold and a severe amount of water under the insoles as if I ran them through the washing machine. These boots could not survive a rain puddle. I am at a loss for words and just upset I spent the money. I will not be making any other purchases from this company. This is another fashion boot not meant for actual use.