Any thoughts on the LL Bean Maine Guide Shotgun Case?

I have examined the Bean Guide cases & luggage in the store in Freeport, ME.

Patterned very closely to (if not actually made by edit: I see they're not) Boyt Harness cases, and also very similar to the models
sold by both Cabela's & Bass Pro. (google Boyt Luggage) Other than colour, I believe the LL Bean cases are almost identical.
Browning also offered cases very similar (again, if not actually made by Boyt) they called "Southfork" for rifles and
"Midas" for shotgun slips. Don't recall a takedown model though.

I own 9 or 10 Boyt cases ... several for scoped rifles, a varmint rifle bag, a couple of shotgun takedown cases and a couple of regular shotgun cases.

Well made & good protection. I use the Takedown Model (34") most often as it will easily accommodate either a 32" bbl. O/U or SxS
as well as my 30" auto-loaders. The Boyt cases I have are all 20+ years old & still going strong ! I haven't seen anything comparable.
IMHO a "Best Buy" ... slightly pricey, but well worth it.
 
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Like a lot of stuff, anything with a well known retailer's brand name on it costs more. And you're paying them to advertise their stuff. Most retailers pay a real manufacturer to make their branded stuff anyway.
Don't believe testimonials on a retailer's site. Who would put one on their site that doesn't praise the thing?
 
ninepointer ... Thankyou, yes, Boyt Harness.

Also noted that in Bean's catalogue, the Maine Guide line of luggage & gun cases state: "Imported" ... leads me to
believe they have perhaps copied the Boyt line offshore. (Not surprising)

sunray: Very little of L.L. Bean's merchandise is actually manufactured by them. Only their trademark rubber
bottomed leather topped boots come to mind ... and then, from materials sourced elsewhere.
What they do have is one of the best merchandise guarantees in the business. " Our products are guaranteed
to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise.
We do not want you to have anything from LL Bean that is not completely satisfactory" I can tell you from first
hand experience they absolutely stand behind their product. Their customer service is so exemplary that it forms
a "case study" for Harvard's MBA business school.

Both LL Bean & Orvis as an example, both have customer "reviews" posted on their website ... both good & bad, not just
favourable testimonials. Are those from a web-site any better than those from a manufacturer ???
 
Like a lot of stuff... Most retailers pay a real manufacturer to make their branded stuff anyway.
Don't believe testimonials on a retailer's site. Who would put one on their site that doesn't praise the thing?
Click to expand...

''Not nearly the value I expect from LL Bean
January 22, 2014- rating 3 / 5
Purchased:Within 1 month
MrRich Upton MA
Shops at L.L.Bean:Frequently
Male
I was very disappointed by the quality or should I say lack of quality of the product. The workmanship and construction, the quality of the materials, and the fit of the shotgun case was much below what I expect of a LL Bean product especially at the price charged.''
Click to expand...

Just pointing this referral out...and it is not a favorable one.
While I have not bought from LLBean, I know of a few who do like the product for its uniqueness and function .
When I went to the web page and looked up the case in question thought that for the money what was there to loose.
Nice looking functional Case that will offer protection while traveling to the blind via the car/truck/boat.
Look forward to the owners review when it arrives.
Rob
 
beretta boy said:
I have examined the Bean Guide cases & luggage in the store in Freeport, ME.



I own 9 or 10 Boyt cases ... several for scoped rifles, a varmint rifle bag, a couple of shotgun takedown cases and a couple of regular shotgun cases.

Well made & good protection. I use the Takedown Model (34") most often as it will easily accommodate either a 32" bbl. O/U or SxS
as well as my 30" auto-loaders. The Boyt cases I have are all 20+ years old & still going strong ! I haven't seen anything comparable.
IMHO a "Best Buy" ... slightly pricey, but well worth it.
Click to expand...

I don't have that many maybe three but indeed Boyt are the top of the pile when it comes to quality and are still made in the US.
The others you describe are made in China which many items are today but some are fine
Bought a new pair of Sorel boots three months ago to replace a old 30 year pair and was shocked when they arrived with the made in china tag. Oh well I don;t have 30 years left to wear out a pair of the good old canadian made ones again
Cheers

Corey I have two of the Cabelas versions imported that I would say are are the same as the LLbean version and so far no problems and they are 6 or 7 years old now. Cheers
 
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beretta boy said:
.... well, 10 days later, has it shown up yet ???
Click to expand...

It shipped on the 10th and their estimated delivery date is the 28th. However, from past experiences with Bean I'm expecting it by the end of the week.

EDIT Do you work at my post office BB? It was waiting for me this morning when I got the mail ;) I'll post some pictures and initial thoughts later today.

Cory
 
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You know I saw the case and closely inspected it. I am not a fan of full length zippered cases but this is built of quality materials. CTC's observation of the carry handle opposite of the opening side is a concern but only if the zipper fails. I have had about a 50% success rate with zippers in gun cases so it seems it will be a wait and see. Decent case overall and you can't put a value on the magic " LL BEAN" labeling.

Darryl
 
I don't have the gun case, but have their wax rucksack for the past 3 years and have handled everything I've thrown at it, including sitting on the bottom of my boat all summer fishing, sitting on muddy banks while duck hunting and was covered head to toe in mud from the quad. Just a quick brush and it's clean. While the material is not as heavy as filson, it has worked well and price is right.
 
Cory :

Nope, don't work at any P.O. (nor would I !) ... but invariably, Bean's is a 10 day or less shot for me here in Central ON.

Glad your happy with the case. Although I don't own the Bean cases, the very similar Boyt's have been a mainstay for me for years.
The very first I owned I got in 1970 or 71. The rawhide hang-loop at the end gave up at one point (easily enough replaced), but in all
other respects it kept going strong until I gave it to a buddy who admired it for his custom mauser. Have never had a problem with
the zippesr, despite cold, mud & freezing rain/snow on occasion !

The colour is as I remember it from the store ... kind'a tan/brown, which matches their luggage & rod cases made out of the same material.

The Boyt's, Bass Pros and Cabela's nock-offs are typically a very dark green canvas, although I do have one of their light tan coloured scoped
rifle cases as well.

Because I have a couple of 30" auto-loaders and a 32" O/U, I opted for the 52" full length cases and a pair of the longer of the two takedown
cases. The two takedown cases absolutely get the most use, and even they I have rigged for a shoulder strap carry.

Trust you'll get a long & serviceable life out of it ! .... and if not, return it ... Bean's stand behind their stuff. Just had a buddy return a pair of
their "LL Bean boots" for re-soling, after about 10 years. They came back, all cleaned-up, new laces, re-soled ( tripple stitched) with a new
set of laces and innersoles. No charge. ... Try that with Rocky, Danner, Meindl ..whomever !
 
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