Is It Wrong to Love a Pair of Boots?

(Note: I was not given any sort of compensation for this review.)

I think I would be considered a "loyal consumer."  When I get good service and good products from a store or brand, I tend to return to them almost obsessively.  For instance, I am a Land's End girl.  I got a Land's End coat for Christmas 4 years ago when I started to have to do recess duty at one of my schools and love it (there are times I find myself looking forward to cold weather so I can get my coat out again!).  Land's End Trekker Shoes (especially this style) are my favorite shoes.  I wear them until snow hits the ground (and sticks).  Therefore, when I needed new boots for this winter, the first place I looked was LandsEnd.com.  However, I had something very specific in mind and didn't find what I was looking for there.  I need boots that are tall, waterproof and at least moderately warm.  Last year, when we got 20+ inches of snow dumped on us in one day, I was leaving my blue jeans outside my boots to try to keep snow from getting down into them.  My feet ended up wet and cold anyway, since the water resistance had worn off (or just couldn't handle what the weather was throwing at it).  Eventually, I found these boots made by L.L. Bean.  I thought they looked like exactly what I needed.  Most of the reviews were good, I decided to go for it.  That decision was made just in the nick of time...they arrived last Wednesday, we got our first "sticking" snow of the season Thursday, and our first blizzard Saturday and Sunday.  Here are the positives about these boots:

• They are tall.  I can even make them taller by unfolding the cuff at the top and tying the lace at the front.  They don't come up to my knees or anything, but they were plenty tall to deal with shoveling the 10.5 inches of snow we got on Saturday.
• They are warm.  I wore a pair of thick socks and the boots for shoveling and my feet did not get at all cold.  That's important to me, because I don't wear thick socks to work and I don't want to have to bring an extra pair (I'm already carrying my shoes) in order to not freeze.
• They are waterproof.  The shoe part of the boots (about up to the ankle) is rubber.  Unless I'm walking through a flood, my feet won't get wet.
• There are good treads on the bottom.  I feel like as long as I'm walking on snow I have decent footing.  Not much helps on ice, short of cleats.

These boots are not for everyone:

• My mom tried them on and found them uncomfortably tight.  She does usually wear a wide shoe (I don't).  She felt, even with a larger size, that she wouldn't have enough room to be comfortable.
• You can definitely feel where the rubber shoe ends and the fabric upper begins.  This might bother some people though I have not found it troublesome.
• There is not a lot of arch support.  If I was going to be using the boots for a long period of time, I'd put an insert in them to help.