L.L. Bean vs Lands’ End: Which Brand is Better?

L.L. Bean vs Lands' End: Which Brand is Better?

As the range of products that we review and explore expands, looking at brands that are renowned for a variety of outdoor products and not solely limited to clothes is also necessary.

This past year we have gone through numerous brands and their top-selling and most popular designs, and fortunately there are many more brands to feature and become acquainted with.

In today’s brand face-off, we have selected L.L. Bean and Lands’ End, two brands that make outdoor clothing and other gear that are essential for having a safe and cozy time in your adventures.

We will begin with L.L. Bean, as it is a brand that has been previously featured in our comparisons.

Let’s get started!

Contents:

– – – –

* Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases (meaning: we may earn commissions if you buy products recommended/reviewed here, by following the links to Amazon shown here). The availability of products in this page may change at any time. Please check the materials, features, colors and sizes on the various shops (linked in this page) before buying, because sometimes our articles may contain errors. Product images you see here are for illustration purposes.

1. L.L. Bean

A short history of the brand

A brand established more than a century ago, L.L. Bean began with a pair of rubber boots, made by Leon Leonwood Bean, the brand’s founder.

Being a fisherman himself, he knew too well the importance of good footwear and his rubber boot became a popular item in his community for its quality and the protection it provided to those who went hunting or fishing.

L.L.Bean 100th Anniversary

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

While at first it focused primarily on these two activities, throughout the years the brand expanded its product range to cater to other outdoor activities through their innovative and quality designs.

Nowadays, L.L. Bean retails in more than 50 stores, primarily located in the U.S, as well as Japan and Canada.

Materials and Manufacture

If there is anything we have learned from looking at so many brands and the materials they use, it’s the fact that a high quality brand will not rely only on regular fabrics for their products, but will almost always work with specialized ones as well.

Many brands have developed their own fabric technologies, while others utilize already-developed options, one of which is Gore-Tex, one of the best-performing fabrics to date, and one which L.L. Bean use for their weather-resistant and highly durable products.

Other fabrics that this brand has incorporated in their designs are Loomia fabrics, as well as PrimaLoft.

100th Anniversary Maine Hunting Shoe | L.L.Bean

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

Being a brand that specializes in outdoor garments, they rely on PrimaLoft’s synthetic insulation for jackets that are made to be lightweight and weather-resistant in low temperatures, whereas natural down is part of their other winter coats, which are made to provide great insulation, preferably in dry conditions as down is notorious for its susceptibility to moisture, as we have discussed in a past piece.

L.L. Bean makes most of their products in Maine, where their headquarters are also located, while the rest are made in Asian countries.

Popular designs

As we usually do in these brand comparisons, we have picked two popular products by L.L. Bean:

L.L. Bean Men’s Mountain Classic Down Parka

LL Bean Men's Mountain Classic Down Parka

Image: llbean.com

Check it out on LLBean.com

The coat we have picked is the Mountain Classic down parka for men. This is a medium-length parka that ends at the thighs and provides warmth during harsh winter days.

It comes with the Bean Tested® DownTek insulation, which is a synthetic, weather-resistant insulator that helps keep you warm in wet conditions and dries quickly as well. This is a 100% recycled polyester jacket with an attached hood and adjustable sleeve cuffs.

DownTek Technology | L.L.Bean

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

L.L. Bean Continental Rucksack

LL Bean Continental Rucksack

Image: llbean.com

Check it out on LLBean.com

We chose a backpack as the second product. The Continental Rucksack is an iconic pack by L.L. Bean, which is made of recycled polyester fabric, lined with 210-denier nylon and reinforced with Kodra nylon.

It has an air mesh back panel that helps keep the back of the pack breathable in order to prevent discomfort and excessive sweating. The top lid comes in a hinged design that makes accessing contents much easier.

There are several sleeves on this rucksack, providing plenty of storage space and helping to keep everything organized.

You might also like: Backpack vs Rucksack: What’s the Difference?


This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

Price

L.L. Bean prices are quite varied, generally speaking. Being a brand that makes quality products, you will find designs that can be considered expensive, but their product range includes options that are quite affordable, as well.

Typically, the prices start at roughly $70, whereas the more expensive designs can cost more than $200.

Are their products worth the price?

Overall, L.L. Bean designs are made of good quality materials and are quite comfortable to wear. Judging from the reasonable prices on most products and their overall performance, this is a quality brand that is worth the chance, in our opinion.

2. Lands’ End

A short history of the brand

Established over 50 years ago, Lands’ End started out as a small mail-ordering company for yachting equipment in Chicago.

Its founder, Gary Comer, a copywriter with a passion for sailing and traveling the world, founded Lands’ End along with four of his friends, who, like him, were also passionate sailors.

It took them several years to position the brand as one that could rival other popular names at the time and in 1977 the company was a million-dollar business.

Lands’ End is one of the brands to first embrace e-commerce as part of their mail-ordering operation and continued to expand their product range and reach, featuring not only yachting supplies but apparel, too.

Nowadays there are numerous Lands’ End stores, although that, the brand continues to rely primarily on its online retail stores.

Lands’ End Ultimate Waterproof Rain Jacket, field tested by The Weather ChannelⓇ.

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

Materials and Manufacture

Brands are always moving towards greener and more sustainable production means and Lands’ End is one of them, too.

They take great pride in their progress in this regard and continuously make efforts to use materials that are responsibly sourced. For those looking to find out more, you can take a look here.

Primarily, they rely on nylon for their weatherproof outerwear, but cotton and polyester also play a major role, especially for the outerwear and some of their bags.

Their insulating jackets rely mainly on natural down, which is the best insulator there is when it comes to warmth and loft. Lands’ End use only responsibly-sourced down as per the RDS certification that ensure the humane treatment of the birds and prohibit live plucking.

The manufacturing facilities operate within international standards, along with the brand’s own high standards of providing quality conditions and treatment to their employees.

Lands' End Fall Heritage

This video will be loaded from YouTube.com, a third party. If you click "Play", you accept their terms of service, and their use of cookies.

Popular designs

Lands’ End Women’s Classic Squall Raincoat

Lands End Womens Classic Squall Raincoat

Image: landsend.com

Check it out on Amazon.com

Our first selection by Lands’ End is Squall, a classic raincoat for women, made out of 100% Nylon. This design comes with sealed seams that prevent any water leaks or seeping through.

To make it a comfortable jacket, the inside of the upper body is lined with soft fleece, which is both antistatic and anti-pill, also helping to provide some insulation against the cold.

There is a 2-way zipper on this design that is protected by a storm flap, and it also comes with four outer pockets and adjustable sleeve cuffs.

Lands’ End Handled Canvas Backpack

Lands End Handled Canvas Backpack

Image: landsend.com

Check it out on LandsEnd.com

The backpack we chose is the Handled canvas design made of cotton. It is a laptop-suitable design, which comes with adjustable shoulder straps that are padded to make them more comfortable.

It comes with several pockets, some of which are on the outside, such as the mesh pockets, and some are on the inside. There is a key fob, too, for those who might need it.

Price

Lands’ End is also a brand that provides a wide price range for their products. Their backpacks are quite reasonably priced, as is the activewear and a lot of other designs.

Jackets, our main focus, are also quite varied in price, many of which go for around $100, whereas the winter parkas can go upwards of $300.

Are their products worth the price?

All in all these are quality designs made of durable materials. Depending on what you are looking for, the price can be definitely worth it.

3. Which Brand is Better?

Both L.L. Bean and Lands’ End design and manufacture a wide range of products within similar categories. Which one is better, as usual, will depend on which one fits your requirements and preferences better.

If we were to decide, we would go with L.L. Bean for those looking to purchase technical clothing as their performance gear is of high quality, especially the footwear and backpacks.

On the other hand, Lands’ End provides better fits and choices, especially for the activewear and casual apparel. Their affordable prices can also be a deciding factor for some buyers.

With that being said, we would advise you to have a clear idea of what it is you are looking for, in order to avoid buying a product that doesn’t meet your needs.

10 Comments

  1. I agree with your conclusions. As a plus size woman I find far more choices at Lands End. I really like items at L.L.Bean and would pay their price, but so often they are not offered in the plus sizes. I think they are missing an opportunity there. I am generally happy with my Lands End purchases but would like another source of quality casual wear.

  2. Have found over the years Landsend prices are better, color selection is better, styles more versatile and it wears like iron – you will have it many years. LLBean used to feature Maine made products but no more.

  3. I enjoy the catalogs of both
    I like the tall size that Land’s End offers
    Wonderful selection of items I like. Tops wear well and retain strong colors. I do appreciate occasionally the free shipping offered.

  4. I very much like the plus size woman’s clothes that Landsend offers. The clothes never wear out and they come out of the dryer wrinkle free. What more could you ask for, except for frequent sales and low prices. And yes they have that.

  5. IF I were a sports enthusiast I might go with LL Bean…but I’m not. So I prefer Lands End because it is one stop shopping – towels, bedding, dog beds and accessories, dresses, Jean’s, & casual wear for the whole family. Their quality is great, styling is timeless, and sizes consistent.

    • Actually L.L. Bean offers all that as well. I shop both companies online and love both. Just depends on what I’m looking for.

  6. I’m from Maine and used to be an LLBean girl, but no more! Turtle necks, bathing suits, plus size options are really not good. You can wear the turtleneck 1 time, wash it properly and the color fades, the torso shrinks. Lands End ones don’t do that. Lands End bathing suits are customizable, chlorine resistant and I’ve sworn by them for the last 10 years. Fabulous. Well thought out, rain coats and parkas are also great.

  7. Please offer free shipping and returns with a Land’s End credit card, as llbean does??
    I favor Land’s End and I am an excellent customer! I was very happy when I could return items at my local Sears store! No more!!
    I happen to be Norwegian from Wisconsin, living in Massachusetts- please give free returns!! You have limited my purchases!!

Leave a Reply to C james Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To learn how we use your data when you comment, read our Privacy Policy.