L.L Bean Vest (the "Hers" edition)

Since Mr. Bargainista and I are going backpacking I decided I needed a fleece vest. It's been on my list but I marked it off when I received the brown down vest for Christmas (see sidebar). I really like Mr. Bargainista's L.L. Bean vest that is fleece lined with a wind resistant outside. I decided to look for one of my own and found this on ebay:

It's a reddish color with a cool orangish inside. It was only $18 with shipping which is fabulous compared to the L.L. Bean price of $69. However I will say that L.L. Bean has the best customer service ever and their products are top notch so paying full price comes with a great guarantee. Had I not been able to find what I wanted elsewhere, I'd have coughed up the dough and ordered from L.L. Bean. That's said I think my heart stopped that Mr. Bargainista paid full price for my down vest with the fur collar that he gave me for Christmas. I wear it all the time though, I love it! I think this vest will be fabulous as well. If I decide that I want a plain fleece vest later, L.L. Bean has a few great options for $30 and less.

We both own L.L. Bean luggage as well as an L.L. Bean backpack for pooch. We have a few of the boat and tote bags, too. I just love those! I have a medium open-top, and a large zip-top. We have a family open top that is great for roadtrips. They are super durable, machine washable, and always look pulled together.

Mr. Bargainista has a coat from there as well. When he needed the cuffs redone and we'd broken the zipper on a backpack, both were replaced free of charge. Our luggage (the adventure duffle collection, I also have the toiletry bag) are the most durable pieces we own and have survived perfect through many airports and plane rides where others have not. L.L. Bean was also ranked #2 in customer service by Business Week.