LL Bean Casco Bay Windbreaker for Kids: Quality at a Reasonable Price

Shopping for kid's clothes ranks right up there with unpleasant chores. In our town, quality kids clothing choices are pretty limited and usually involve a trip to the mall; something that is as painful as pulling teeth. Several years ago, I discovered a much easier way to shop for my daughter's clothing; ordering online from LL Bean.

LL Bean is one of those names you can trust. They've been around since 1912 and for adult clothes, are hard to beat for quality and price. Several years ago, I began shopping online at LL Bean for my children's clothing and now, their line represents over 75% of my daughter's wardrobe. She needed a new lightweight jacket for spring and not surprisingly, we ordered one from "Bean's."

My daughter chose the Casco Bay jacket, a high performance nylon fabric which was described as being water, wind, and stain resistant. The body and hood were lined with a soft cotton fabric, there was also an internal storm flap to keep out the wind and the rain. She liked the choice of six different colors and the striped inner lining. I liked that the jacket was machine washable and could be folded down to fit in a book bag. The reasonable price of $29.50 was impressive as well.

The LL Bean web site is laid out very intuitively, with helpful links that allow you examine everything from the various color and pattern options, the sizes, and availability. There's even another dandy link that helps you choose the right fit for your child. Once we made our selection, the check out process was amazingly simple. We received a confirmation e-mail from LL Bean within minutes of our order. The following day, I received a second notice that the jacket had been shipped. It was delivered to our home 2 days later.

The jacket turned out to be everything we hoped for. The fit was absolutely perfect, and the feel of the fabric was sturdy and durable. I could tell this is not the sort of jacket that would snag easily. The zipper glided easily which is an important feature for a child's small fingers, the pockets were deep, and there was a 3M Scotchlite reflective triangle sewn on the back of the jacket for added visibility.

My daughter has been wearing the jacket ever since it arrived two weeks ago. Even with 40 degree mornings, she tells me that she is plenty warm walking to school. The jacket turned out to be a real winner, and I'm not surprised. LL Bean kid's clothes are fun and fashionable, as well as being kid tough.

One of the nice aspects of shopping online through LL Bean is the easy return policy. The order arrives in a shipping bag, that can be recycled as a return bag. LL Bean thoughtfully includes a pre-stamped parcel post label which makes it very simple. You are charged a small return fee of $5. I have an LL Bean Visa credit card which offers some additional perks, such as free monogramming and shipping. There is also a rewards program of sorts in which you earn $10 LL Bean coupons which can be applied to your next order. And LL Bean is a participating UPromise partner, offering a 2% rebate on your purchases.

Shopping online at LL Bean is so simple, and takes less time than fighting traffic down to the mall. But best of all, shopping LL Bean means that daughter will outgrow her clothes long before wearing them out. Now that's quality service.