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One of the most beloved L.L. Bean products has long been their Rubber Moccasins. They have been around since the 1930s, and have undergone several changes. The current pair that I have in the front hall closet (above image) are great for rainy days and quick dashes around the block with the dog in the rain. I got them about four years ago after my old pair of almost 20 years developed a serious hole in the bottom after years of use. That I put duct tape around the hole for probably over a year and soldiered on speaks of my attachment to those moccasins. I have had Maine Hunting Shoes resoled, but really didn't see the point for those moccasins, so I binned them. Then I ordered a new pair. When the new pair arrived they were so large that I sent them back. In the intervening years since I had last purchased a pair, L.L. Bean had redesigned these moccasins, and the sizing was now wonky. Instead of the old fitting method of ordering a half size down, I now had to order a size and a half down. Still they are decent enough, but they are also not the same as the old pair. The old pair really fit more like a pair of moccasins, the heel did not slip much, and the rubber was more supple.
Recently, Sartre asked if I had any pictures of the old ones, and while I do, I'm not sure that the pair that he had are in here. I don't have very many L.L. Bean catalogs, but enough to give my impressions. These catalogs make for interesting comparison to today's contemporary moccasins.
Spring 1964. The image above states that the Rubber Moccasins had already been made for 30 years, which places their development in the 1930s. The first thing that is noticeable is that the rubber front of the mocs are smooth, and lack the rubber reinforcement lines. If one reads the description, one learns an important bit of information, namely, that the moccasin bottoms were
lighter than the hunting shoe bottoms. My old moccasins also had a lighter feel to them. This is quite different than the current L.L. Bean moccasins, which feel as if they just have a rather inflexible Bean Boot bottom on them. In other words, the old moccasins had a completely different rubber bottom than the hunting shoe bottom. To me, this represents the effort that L.L. Bean put into making a pair of moccasins made out of rubber fit more like moccasins made out of leather.
L.L. Bean Archives. This photo above came from a tour that two bloggers,
A Restless Transplant and
All Plaidout, made to the L.L. Bean Archive a few years ago. The photos are still available
here. Though I don't know the age of the moccasins above, they are likely very much the same as the ones in the Spring 1964 catalog above. I would order these in a heartbeat, if they were still available. They are obviously lighter and more of a moccasin than the current L.L. Bean mocs in the hall closet.
Spring 1982. Fast forward to the early 1980s, nearly two decades later. The moccasins that I had, wore out, duct taped and kept wearing, were of this era. While they had the reinforcing lines, they were still a softer and more supple rubber moccasin than the pair that I currently have. The color was also a bit different than the contemporary moccasins in the first photo of this post.
Christmas 1982. Same year, but I included this as it is a bit of a clearer photograph than the one from the spring catalog. This is a overly detailed observation, but the stitching around the front of the 1964 mocs, the Archive mocs and the 1980s mocs is the same, and it is different than the contemporary pair that I have in the first photo above. Not sure what that means other than the 1980s moccasins shared a design and construction with the older ones from the 1960s and earlier.
Fall 1990. These are still the same moccasins as the early 80s, as can be seen by the shape and color of the rubber front. The sizing instructions are also representative of that era, and different from those of today.
I suppose that it is hard to keep products the same over the years for any company. However, L.L. Bean could improve the current moccasins by revisiting the past and building a lighter rubber bottom that fit truer to size. Moccasins should fit well with both bare feet and thinner socks, more like leather moccasins fit. The current moccasins fit more like Bean Boots that have had the tops shortened. If I wear heavy wool socks they fit better, but that hardly does me any good in the summer or warm weather rain. Still I am putting up with it, as I am a loyal L.L. Bean customer. I just think that the moccasins could be improved. They are a unique shoe that L.L. Bean developed and deserve to have the best contemporary design possible. Many thanks to Sartre, for asking about these moccasins and providing the reason to gather the images and my thoughts. Cold rain, and possibly, snow is in the forecast, and I'll no doubt have the mocs out again soon.
