I was researching into backpacks and found that the L.L.Bean high-end backpack seemed to compare well to other more expensive brands. I decided to go with the L.L.Bean backpack, I’ve used it on the trail and am happy with my purchase.
So, I’m still needing some heavy-duty hiking boots and low-temp sleeping bag for cold/bad weather backpacking. The products in the L.L.Bean catalog look suited to what I need, and seem to be quite a bit cheaper than buying stuff from REI or other places.
Does anyone have any thoughts about L.L.Bean quality or speculation as to why their products seem to be cheaper? Can I get good quality for even cheaper?
I’ll tell you a quick anecdote about LL bean. Years ago a relative ordered a bunch of shirts. After a few months IIRC two of them had a little thread running or something minor. My relative called them up to return them or find out what the deal is. They sent her new shirts with out blinking an eye, and without requesting the old ones. Kind of a lame story, but the point is they have A1 top notch customer service.
I’ve heard several other stories similar to this. (my backpack was 5 years old and they exchanged for a new one no questions asked, etc). It’s one of those things were you mutter “how the hell do they make any money”, but people are totally loyal to them.
Look at me I’m rambling away about how good they are on a messageboard.
Depends on what you’re going to use the equipment for. A little car camping and a weekend backpack trip in the state park or some serious trekking in Tibet?
I wouldn’t trust my life to LL Bean, but the products are probably fine for basic outings.
I’ve heard a lot of stories from a lot of people about LL Bean’s excellent customer service. Their warranty on their clothing is something like the Sears’ Craftsman warranty (even if it isn’t specifically written that way). From what I’ve heard, you can return a piece of clothing to them even a few years after buying it, and they won’t give you a problem.
Not that this explains why they’re cheaper; with service like that you’d really expect them to be pricier. But maybe it has something to do with a good, loyal customer base making it possible to cut their mark-up a little and still do really good business.
I’ve been shopping (first catalog, now on-line) with L.L. Bean for years. Never had a problem, never had a mistake in the order, never had a problem returning or exchanging anything.
I’ve bought clothing, tents, luggage, and even a “lightweight” love seat from them.
Probably in the near future, the most I’ll use the equipment for is a 3-4 day backpacking trip. No trekking in Nepal, but perhaps some American wilderness areas.
I’m pretty much an LL Bean freak when it comes to clothes–their clothes are top quality, they look good, they fit me (no easy task), and they are really not that expensive relative to clothes of similar quality you can buy anywhere else.
I think I own one pair of pants right now that didn’t come from them, and the vast majority of the non-T-shirt shirts I own come from them as well. If you’re not concerned about being especially fashionable, it’s hard to go wrong.
I don’t really camp much, so I can’t say that much about their camping and outdoor gear.
Another devoted L.L. Bean customer here. I’ve used L.L. Bean bookbags since the third grade. I’m on my third bag - the others are still in great shape, I just outgrew them as I moved through school. All of my luggage is from L.L. Bean too; the bag I’ve been dragging around since junior high looks as good as the brand new piece I got last year for Chirstmas. All of my shorts come from L.L. Bean, their polo shirts are excellent (they really let air circulate!), and their hunting boots are awesome - the only pair of boots I’ve ever owned that keep my feet warm when I’m standing in snow. My only complaint is that they’ve started “feminizing” a lot of the women’s outerwear, especially winter coats. I don’t want a girly-looking jacket - I want functional, d@##^it! - and their men’s coats aren’t cut large enough in the chest for me. I ended up purchasing my heavy winter coat from Land’s End; their women’s coats are basically the same as the men’s, just differently cut.
I don’t understand why they’re partnered with Subaru though.
I just recently threw away a pair of 17-year-old L.L.Bean top siders (or dock siders?) because I’d stepped in dog crap in the rain and just didn’t feel like cleaning them. However, they were still in working condition and I’d worn them several times a week for that entire time. Damn flimsy things. Cost me almost two dollars a year.
You should have asked for a new pair. I used to work for Stride-Rite who owns the Sperry Topsiders Company (the original boat shoe). Anyway, I was doing some IT work at the customer service center when one of the reps came in laughing and said that some doctor had just called in and was pissed that his shoes that he had worn for over 15 years had a problem with the sole. She told him to calm down and put in an order for a new, free pair to be sent out that day. Some companies do stuff like that because they like the crazy stories floating around.
I had an LL Bean backpack with a lifetime guarantee. When the zippers started getting all messed up, I sent it back and got a brand new one for free. I still have that one.
A guy I knew ran away from boarding school near Portland, ME where there’s a big LL Bean outlet store. In the camping section they have a bunch of tents and sleeping bags on display. So he got nice and cozy inside one of the tents and hid there, sleeping while the store was closed.
When the morning crew came to open the store they found him and he was promptly arrested. :wally
The quality of Bean’s clothing, gear, etc. is, in my experience, comparable to just about anything on the market and superior to other similarly priced goods. However, as mentioned earlier, there’s a limit to what you’re purchasing. Bean started out in out in Maine and the products are very well suited to that environment. The local climate has four seasons and some pretty tough winters. You’ll hardly mistake Maine for Tierra del Fuego, but rest assured, Bean’s stuff is well very suited for the occasional outdoor adventure.
Can you get good quality for less? Possibly, but it’d be quite a crapshoot. Why take the risk? I’ve a few things from Bean and have had no problems. But if I did, a quick phone call and it’s replaced.
As for the relatively low prices, off the top of my head I can come up with two possible explanations. One: A canvas backpack really isn’t all that expensive. How and where Bean produces I don’t know, but it’s quite possible that their stuff just seems less expensive when compared to the inflated prices of similar items. Two: Throughout the course of any given day, I’ll see two or three advertisements for, say, Levi’s Jeans. I think it safe to say that Bean hasn’t invested the same amount of time, energy, and money into PR and advertising. Exactly how much of a difference this makes (in terms of money that needs to be recouped) who’s to say? But hey, I suppose it’s as a good a WAG as any.
A friend of mine is a Portland native, and both he and his mother worked for L.L. Bean. Judging by his description of how they treat their employees, I’d say that’s how they keep their costs down. I heard enough stories of hiring people as “seasonal” employees and using that as a reason to pay less/not pay benefits to sour my opinion of them.
Most importantly, L. L. Bean has reintroduced their “Blue Jeans Sweater!” My last one is just about trashed, and they didn’t produce them for the last few years. A perfect lightweight sweater for California winters.
I grew up in Alabama and went to college in Wisconsin. I have vivid memories of that horrible October day my freshman year when the temperature dropped below freezing. I called my mom and begged her to send me warm clothes. (I didn’t have a car, and I went to a small school far from shopping.) She asked me where on earth she was supposed to find warm clothes in Alabama, and seemed to think the whole thing was funny.
After she stopped laughing, she called LL Bean, gave them my measurements and a dollar amount to charge to her credit card, and they sent me a winter wardrobe. They picked out what they thought I needed, and I have to say, they were right. I got through all four years of school on that box, with a couple extra pair of socks somewhere along the line.
I don’t buy everything from them, but when I need something they have, I get it there.
Umm, Bean’s is essentially a giant rebrander. They make a few shoes and other such items, but very little of what they sell is terribly unique or worthy of the globe-crossing piligrimages some make to Freeport.* There’s nothing wrong with most of the stuff, but chances are you’re paying a Bean’s markup for something somebody else sells with only the slightest modification. Part of that markup pays for the money-back guarantee, but I’ve always felt it’s more than a bit sleazy to be bringing back worn-out gear complaining it’s broken or defective. Lots of other places, like REI, offer reasonable money-back deals as well, and I’ve found them no less accomodating than L.L. Bean when I’ve had a legitimate beef.
*I swear, the L.L. Bean mystique is just nuts. Some of the Freeport cabbies have learned to speak rudiments of Japanese, because tourists from Japan swarm over the place by the tens-of-busloads each summer day to gape at this supposed mecca of Maine mercantilism. Why? It’s just a big department store with lots of wood veneer. Oh, and those salmon pools. Yippee.
