Bootmobile

Bootmobile Baxter in Freeport, Maine, 2012

The Bootmobiles are a fleet of brandmobiles created and owned by L.L.Bean, which consist of trucks with custom bodies built to resemble a Bean boot. First introduced for the company's centennial in 2012, the Bootmobiles tour the United States for store openings and events.

Design and construction

L.L. Bean's Bean Boots, which the Bootmobile is meant to resemble

The original Bootmobile (later named Baxter) was completed in January 2012, and consists of a Ford F-250 Super Duty truck with a custom body constructed by Echo Artz of Kissimmee, Florida. Its body is 13 feet (4.0 m) tall 20 feet (6.1 m) long, and 7 feet (2.1 m) wide, with a steel frame and a fiberglass exterior; an actual Bean boot of comparable proportions would be a size 747.

The laces on each Bootmobile are made from mooring rope, and its eyelets from Bundt cake pans. A second Bootmobile, built on a GMC Sierra chassis, was built in 2013 with a 12-foot-tall body. A third was constructed in 2019 on a Chevrolet Silverado chassis, with an aluminum-framed body; it is equivalent in scale to a size-708 boot. The body of the newest Bootmobile, Sebago, was constructed in 2025 by Craftsmen Industries of St. Charles, Missouri, while another was reportedly built by Turtle Transit of Hudson, Massachusetts.

Promotional use

A small team of L.L.Bean employees drive the Bootmobiles; no special license is required, but each driver must pass a company road test. By 2024, the fleet had visited 25 U.S. states and two provinces of Canada, having traveled about 350,000 miles (563,000 km), primarily in the Northeast.

The Bootmobiles have occasionally been recolored for events. They were painted red to commemorate the Boston Red Sox' World Series championships in 2013 and 2018, and wrapped in pink in partnership with Dunkin' in 2026.

Fleet

As of 2026, L.L.Bean owns four Bootmobiles, three of which are still operated:

Additionally, L.L.Bean introduced a smaller Bootmobile in Japan in 2017, based on a Toyota Hilux.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Lingeman, Jake (August 12, 2012). "Shootin' the boot: L.L. Bean celebrates 100th anniversary with Bootmobile". Autoweek. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Abelson, Jenn (January 18, 2012). "L.L.Bean marks 100 years with 'Bootmobile'". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Meet the Fleet". L.L.Bean. Retrieved October 16, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 Chang, Richard (January 19, 2012). "L.L. Bean Outfits Bootmobile for Nationwide Tour". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  5. ↑ "L.L. Bean's Bootmobile pays a visit to Waterville". Centralmaine.com. July 30, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ Hallman, Randy (May 18, 2015). "L.L. Bean Bootmobile to make a visit". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ Regenold, Stephen (November 14, 2014). "Tour Of L.L.Bean 'Bootmobile'". Gear Junkie. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ "L.L.Bean Bootmobile rolling onto campus in November". www.roanoke.edu. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Urie, Daniel (October 10, 2023). "L.L. Bean's Bootmobile and pop-up shop will be in 3 Pa. locations including Cumberland County". PennLive. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Kurutz, Steven (August 20, 2024). "A Shoe That Goes 65 M.P.H." The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  11. ↑ Kurutz, Steven (August 20, 2024). "A Shoe That Goes 65 M.P.H." The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  12. ↑ Casey, Eric (August 24, 2026). "A Hudson business built a reputation as a designer of whimsical promotional vehicles. Then, a Dark Horse appeared". Worcester Business Journal. Archived from the original on August 24, 2026. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  13. ↑ "LL Bean hunting boots go red to honor Sox". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. November 2, 2013. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  14. ↑ Valigra, Lori (October 31, 2018). "LL Bean creates special boots to mark Red Sox World Series victory". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "L.L. Bean and Dunkin' team up for fall collaboration". News Center Maine. September 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Soley, Luna (October 23, 2023). "L.L. Bean Bootmobile meets Planters Nutmobile in corporate crossover". The Times Record. Retrieved May 23, 2024 – via Portland Press Herald.
  17. ↑ "LL Bean's newest Bootmobile is kicking it in Japan". Associated Press. May 20, 2017 – via The Seattle Times.