L.L.Bean Wading Jacket Named Field & Stream's "Best of the Best"

REEPORT, ME, August 22, 2006 - Each year the editors of Field & Stream test hundreds of outdoor products, awarding the top performing items the coveted title of "Best of the Best." The winning products are selected by an 11-person panel of gear fanatics and Outdoor enthusiasts. Products are featured in the September issue of Field & Stream, on newsstands August 22, 2006.

Test team members devoted three months to rigorously testing each product during a process dubbed the "Field & Stream Torture Test." Products were shot, fished, bent, driven, dropped and generally abused. Anything that failed to withstand was immediately eliminated. Beyond just surviving the torture test, winning items were ultimately selected based on significance of the innovation, the quality of the design, and the value they bring to hunters and anglers. Criteria varied, depending upon the category, but each of the winning products shares one quality: excellence in its field.

This year, the L.L. Bean Rapid River Wading Jacket won the Fishing Outerwear category for its outstanding performance, durability and innovative, highly functional features. This award comes right on the heels of two other prestigious awards: Grey's Sporting Journal "Gray's Best" award, for the L.L.Bean Large Arbor Orion Reel, and the Malden Mills "APEX Award" for the Bean's Ultimate Multifleece Jacket.