Customer Reviews L.L.Bean River Driver Shirt Long Sleeve Henley Regular

I am a big fan of LL Bean's products, including their Henley Cotton shirts, Wicked Good Flannels, Jeans and others. I thought I would try this product. I tried it on in one of your stores and although it was a bit more snug on me than the cotton Henleys, it seemed fine. I wore it on a very cold day and was very happy with its warmth. After wearing it another day, I thought I would wash it and make sure it held its shape before buying one or two more. That's where the trouble started. I agree with another reviewer who said that the instructions on the tag were in French or Chinese, but not English. The instructions imprinted on the back of the neck of the fabric and not terribly clearly. I did see "Machine Wash Cold" but missed the "Dry Flat." And so, after 30 minutes of the delicate cycle, the shirt is ruined, at least a size and maybe two smaller than where it started. Of course my experiment is invalid because I didn't see and therefore follow the instructions, but LL Bean could make them clearer.

First, I like LL Bean because their clothes are cut for the modern, often overweight American. This shirt I ordered in Tall, XL is actually very roomy on my 46" chest, 40" waist. I have a River Driver's Shirt that is over 20 years old, though, and the new shirt pales in comparison. The material is much thinner being about as thick as a heavyweight t-shirt. My older shirt falls somewhere between a heavy tee and a sweatshirt. The new version is not really worth the price. Like I said in the title, it's a sign of the times.

My husband really liked this shirt. We just received it last week, he wore it before I laundered it, and I guess that's a good thing. I put it in the laundry today. Before I did so, I looked for washing tags inside the shirt and at the neckline. They were there on a tag in many languages, lots of Chinese, no English. At the neck it said cotton, so I washed in cold water and put in the dryer. Oh what a mistake. It has shrunk. I hope he can still fit into it. Why all the foreign language but no English? It is America after-all! I'm concerned that I have ruined his new shirt. If you buy, make a note of fabric content. I always rely on the tags. Right now, I don't recommend.

Unbelievably, I have a River Driver shirt from LL Bean that is 35 years old. It's threadbare and an embarrassment to wear in public, but it is too comfy to toss. I bought two new River Driver shirts and was disappointed (albeit not surprised) to find that this shirt was not comfortable for me at all. To be fair, the only wool that I can tolerate is smart wool, and this is made from Merino wool and it does not seem like a particularly fine grade of Merino (although I am probably not the best judge of this). I had hoped that the inner cotton material would "protect" me from the outer layer of wool, but it does not. If you find wool very irritating, this is probably not the shirt for you. Otherwise, if it wears like their original, you may still be enjoying it 35 years from now. For me, this is a one star shirt; I gave it two stars because I know others do not mind wool against their skin and I don't want to discourage others from considering it if wool is their friend...

Found it to be a rather prickly wear, especially around the neck. Looking into whether I can return it after one wear

I have several warm winter shirts from LL Bean that are really nice. Thought I would try this one. Made a mistake and will be returning it soon. I should have ordered the Henley fleece. The sleeves run long for the proper sizes and the shirt is itchy when washed. The cotton liner is ineffective in preventing this. Even using an undershirt layer does not prevent that scratchy feeling.

My son washed this shirt once and it looks like something that could have been purchased from the local Dollar General. It is covered in piles and lost its shape. I'm shocked.

Always buy XXL, this shirt fits like an XL ...Disappointed

I knew I wasn't going to get the quality of the original river driver's shirt in this day and age, but didn't expect quite as bad. I ordered a medium, which usually fits my son, and it was the size of a barn, and with very little shape/style. Very disappointed. Was told they recommended to wash it first b/c it will shrink to appropriate size...Am giving 2 stars b/c LLB customer service is always very helpful. I just wish they would put more effort into making quality clothing like they used to, and not something off the rack at walmart. Have been disappointed with quality of their stuff for the last couple of years. Too bad.

My least favorite product ever from LLBean. The Henley collar resembles a ruffle once washed and dried. Doesn't lay down properly and hug the neck. The fabric for being mostly cotton is not very soft and kind of puckery. It doesn't look very nice on. It's just a very unusual product for the LLBean label. Very disappointed. We've ordered many, many things from LLBean and have never been disappointed until these shirts. Unfortuneately we purchased two.

The tag in the side seam of the shirt with the washing instructions are all in foreign languages. The English instructions are "stamped" inside the neck but are impossible to read. The shirt cannot be put in the dryer - it shrunk significantly the first time I washed it and put it in the dryer by mistake. I would not have bought it if I had known it had to dry flat. Very disappointed!

Odd size. Ordered a large. Its fairly small in the torso. An extra large might fit better but the last extra large I ordered here was enormous. This was one of 3 different shirts I ordered, they each fit slightly different. It's hit or miss with LL Bean sizing.

My wife bought this for me as a Christmas present. (Actually, I hinted that this henley was something I would like.) It's well made, although the sleeves are a bit too long. The shirt fit beautifully right out of the box (plastic bag). After just one (1) washing, however, the XL size shirt SHRUNK to at least one size smaller, making it uncomfortable and something I now need to return. If you order this shirt, just remember that it will shrink!

Nice shirt... well made. Sizing was off by one size. Also immediately knew there was wool in it... scratchy as heck!

started wearing these shirts they were twice the cost and double the quality

It is so disappointing to receive a shirt that is rough to the hand and scratchy to wear. I should have read all the user reviews thoroughly because some other users had mentioned the scratchy shirt. I am very familiar with merino wool. It is the only wool I would wear besides cashmere/baby alpaca. I cannot believe this shirt is so scratchy even with a layer of cotton. I am now questioning if the shirt really consists of merino wool? Very disappointed with the quality of this shirt.

These shirts arrived shortly after I ordered them. They are both too tight and the material is scratchy.

I was expecting something a lot more substantive and rugged. I am using it for a long sleeve T-shirt instead, which is fine. It is this kind of style vs. substance change in L.L.Bean gear that has "driven" me to Duluth Trading Company for work clothes. After 20-years of rugged use, I still have a whole set of L.L.Bean, flannel lined, canvas, snapped closure shirts that I refuse to part with (even though some are frayed) that I really miss with Bean. The same goes for your old fleece lined jeans, which are warmer than those from Duluth. However, the drop in quality of many items have caused me to be more cautious with Bean clothing. This shirt offers nothing special for me.

Yes this Henley is very comfortable and warm but the bottom seam/hem is unfinished which causes it to flair/taper out at the waist. Some may be ok with this but I wasn't expecting it. The sizing/fit is on the "LARGE" side so you may have to wash and dry to shrink it somewhat to fit. This is what I was told by customer support. I did that and it did fit better but I'll give it another washing and drying on higher heat to see if it improves. I was considering returning it due to the $50 price tag since the fit and finish was not what I expected but I've decide to keep it and maybe after another run through the wash and dryer it'll "grow" on me.

Ordered a Tall Large, which is what I wear with all of my many LLBean shirts but this shirt was way too long. I don't normally tuck in my shirts and even if I did with this it would have been a lot of material. Returned for a refund to the store with no problems.

This is the first item I have purchased from ll Bean that I would not re-buy. I cannot wear it without a long sleeve t underneath because it is extremely scratchy. In fairness, I have not laundered it as yet, and will do so many times before I attempt to wear it again.

I own another shirt like this one-that shirt was made in Thailand and is all cotton. This shirt was made in Canada and has some wool in it. It shrank quite a bit on the first washing and is a bit tight now. Also and the most important, it is unwearable. The first time I wore it right out of the bag the neckline was so itchy I was not able to wear it very long. So, I washed it. Even after that the neckline is very itchy. I am giving it away.

I didn't realize this shirt had special laundry requirements, and when I washed it and dried it with my husband's other L.L.Bean Henleys, I discovered to my horror that it had not only shrunk in the dryer, by the material was puckered and no longer comfortable to wear.

the stitching on the neck is waaaaaay to harsh, it is not wearable without wearing a shirt without a coler.

This shirt looks great but it feels horrible. My husband wouldn't even try it on it was such stiff, scratchy material. I know it's a wool blend, but it felt like it was made out of plastic. It feels scratch and sticky all at the same time. Returning this.