L.L.Bean no longer sells, canoes, kayaks, paddles, PFDs or canoe accessories

[Glenn MacGrady]

Oh my, how the world changes for the worse. How icons are shattered.

There are no longer any canoes, kayaks, SUPs, paddles, PFDs or paddling accessories in L.L.Bean's online catalog. What happened? One can only assume lack of demand to justify product cost. When did this happen?

In the 1980s, when I was regularly spending the summers in Maine with my wife and kids, a trek to Bean's in Freeport was mandatory for this canoeist. They had canoes stacked outside the front door. They had them displayed inside. There were canoes made by Old Town, Mad River, Wenonah, Stowe, Lincoln, and perhaps others—sometimes rebranded as L.L.Bean canoes, sometimes not. In the 1990s, they also had a lot of good quality sea touring kayaks. It seems they were selling Old Town Discovery canoes not that long ago.

But no longer.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

 

[Neophyte]

I was just up at the LL Bean flagship store in Freeport ME. They had a selection of kayaks and a few Old Town canoes sitting outside. Perhaps that’s the last of it?

Regardless, the selection was not nearly as impressive as what you’ve described. I was surprised there was no sea kayaks, we were pretty close to the ocean.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Seems like LL Bean is devolving into just another niche clothing store. Sierra Trading Post has been reduced to clothing and cookware. Not even a good selection of outdoor shoes anymore.

Idunno what makes two big names in outdoor supply like those founder when others like Bass Pro and Scheels thrive, but I have my suspicion it has a lot to do with the target audience.

 

[MrPoling]

I'm surprised, but they don't even have have paddleboards. No pfd either. No premium backpacks either. Oddly they still have snowshoes.

It makes me kinda sad because the Bean catalog was key propaganda for me during the 1980s. While never as cool as the Mad River catalog, it was glossy, slick, and had aspirational gear in it.

I saw a Bean catalog recently, and it seemed really boring. Now I understand why - all the cool gear was gone.

I wonder if they can retain their image without legitimate gear?

A search for "paddle" only returns this towel. Which is pretty cool.

 

[MrPoling]

Seems like LL Bean is devolving into just another niche clothing store. Sierra Trading Post has been reduced to clothing and cookware. Not even a good selection of outdoor shoes anymore.

Idunno what makes two big names in outdoor supply like those founder when others like Bass Pro and Scheels thrive, but I have my suspicion it has a lot to do with the target audience.

I suspect Amazon shipping is part of it. For a bulky item, like an internal frame pack or paddle, it is hard to compete. I noticed their backpacks are mostly LLBean brand. Probably because Amazon crushes them on name brand packs.

I'm not positive it is all good for outdoor retailers. The Dicks closest to us closed this year.