It is found along the shores of the northern Pacific Ocean from Central California to Alaska, across the Aleutian Islands to the Kamchatka Peninsula and south to Japan.

Unlike most chitons, the gumboot's valves are completely hidden by its leathery upper skin or girdle that usually is reddish-brown or brown, but occasionally is orange in color.

A nocturnal creature, the gumboot generally feeds at night and often remains in a hiding place during the day—although on foggy days it may be found exposed in tide pools or on rocks.

One researcher found that more than a quarter of gumboots hosted an Arctonoe vittata, a pale yellow scale worm that can grow up to 10 cm (3.9 in) length.

It has few natural predators, the most common being the lurid rocksnail, Paciocinebrina lurida—although the small snail's efforts to consume the chiton generally are limited to the outer mantle only.