Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Rugged Ridge Parka

I purchased the very first Rugged Ridge Parka LL Bean made many many years ago in what I think they called Guide Yellow or Gold. Still have it. So a little over a year ago when I was looking for a parka that was not as bulky as the Baxter State I bought this one. Overall, I think it meets or exceeds my expectations of what I need in New York State about 50 miles north of NYC. If there is one issue it's the damage the Velcro closures for the storm flap cause to the right sleeve just above the cinched cuff from zipping and unzipping the coat. The fuzzy part of the Velcro is on the flap and the plastic grippers are on the body of the coat. As you zip and unzip the sleeve rubs against the plastic grippers. They have frayed the material and in a few spots worn through the material. The original version has the same design but the material is very different and most likely the reason this did not happen to it. Unfortunately, I think I am beyond the current return policy so much options are limited. I attached a photo, although it doesn't fully capture the damage. And yes, that's the original Rugged Ridge in the background.

This has been my long time favorite jacket. However...the past several I've had, the main zipper is becoming more and more defective and has about a one year life. Then for replacement at local repair shop will cost $150. So might as well get another jacket for $200. Zipper quality on these needs improvement for sure. I just got a new one of these last week and the zipper is defective out of packaging. Am returning for another.

I originally ordered the large size of this jacket and felt it was too baggy, so sent back for a medium, which still feels too large. So will send back for a refund.

I have a dog that loves to be outdoors no matter what the weather, so I wanted a coat that would keep me warm and that could keep me dry in rain or snow. This parka meets those needs perfectly. Pros: 1) It kept me nice and warm on a breezy 10 degree morning at the dog park. Zipped all the way up, it does a great job of sealing out the wind. 2) It fits me nicely and is not at all bulky. In fact, when it first arrived I was concerned that it wouldn't be warm enough because it was so thin and light. I was wrong. 3) Water just beads up and runs off. Kept me dry after 20 minutes in a light rain. 4) Plenty of well located pockets. 5) Mud just wipes off with a damp cloth. 6) Length is perfect for me. It is long enough to keep my midsection warm but does not interfere with getting in and out of the car. Con: 1) The Zipper works but can be temperamental. It's enough of an annoyance that I docked a star. It is the only thing that keeps this from being a perfect coat.

I live in Minnesota, where it gets COLD. This is my medium weight jacket, good from about 5-35 degrees above zero. It's windproof, very nicely waterproof (it's great in sleet!), and well insulated. The zipper -- an issue in some other Bean's coats -- works very smoothly in this coat. Now for the downside: First, the hood is almost completely useless because of the lousy velcro fasteners, which never work. I beg you: please replace the velcro with simple snaps. I would pay extra for that. Also, I sure wouldn't mind if it were just a couple of inches longer to cover a flannel shirt or sport coat. Finally, although the blue is fairly bright, I would love it if Bean's would make this coat (and others) available in red or yellow or orange, so that a pedestrian could be really visible at night.

The Rugged Ridge Parka is a lightweight, comfortable parka that actually keeps you warm in extremely cold conditions. The front (glove) pockets are generously sized and the hood works nicely. Very pleased with my purchase: Two suggestions for L.L.Bean: 1) enlarge the single, exterior breast pocket so it can better accommodate a small knit headband and 2) improve the zipper which is sometimes hard to zip up.

I bought my Rugged Ridge early in 2018. I'll start off with what I like. The hood and collar are fantastic. Wearing one of my other coats means having to put on a scarf in temperatures below 35 degrees F, but the Rugged Ridge keeps my head and neck warm without assistance down to below 20. The cuffs are really good, too - no uncomfortable bunching or folding of the fabric when they're tightened. To a thin guy with skinny wrists, that's quite an attractive feature. Insulation has been sufficient so far. The RR is a thoughtfully designed coat, and at two hundred dollars it really is a bargain. The stitching has held up nicely, too. Now for a few suggestions. First, get rid of that crummy velcro on the storm flap. Other customers have noted the velcro in their own reviews, so I'll leave it at that. Second, move the holes for the cinch cord to the front, right beside the zipper. I don't think anyone really wants to tighten the hem in one place and have it loose in another, so this feature is just a complicated annoyance. Last but not least, please slim this coat down a little bit. I know big guys need clothes that fit them, but so do slender men who are over 5'10. The small fits me well in the body, but the hood and collar would be too tight. I've noticed that a lot size L and XL Rugged Ridge parkas are still be on the rack when Spring rolls around. You might sell more of them if they were less spacious. As an alternative, how about a size medium-slim?

This is a very nice warm jacket. Lots of pockets and a place for cell phone and gloves just inside the jacket so you don't have to keep them in the pockets if you don't want too. Pockets have a nice smooth feel to them. If you can get it on sale it's a good buy. Only things that could use improvement are: 1. The hood blocks your vision since the front edge drops over your eyes without it being pulled tight. 2. The zipper is the type that lets you zip up from the bottom (good when your sitting down) or down from the top. The only problem with this is if you don't realize which zipper head your using it won't Zip well until you look down and use the right zip head for zipping up the front of the jacket.

Perfectly nice, but would be improved by more pockets and BETTER ZIPS. The zips are fairly weedy and will probably break while the rest of the item is still good.

This is a good coat for the US East Coast. It is comfortable, very waterproof, fits well and has a removable hood. It is not as warm as a down coat I own, but it sheds water much better than the down product and it's size allows layering. It has become the jacket I reach for in a closet full of other outdoor garments.

Fit is good (especially after adjusting hood, drawstrings at waist and hips and cuffs). Coat is not bulky - great for winter driving. Outer shell doesn't seem to completely block strong wind. Skeptical this coat would be good to -40F with moderate activity unless you added another insulation layer underneath. Zipper seems to work just fine.

Purchased a Rugged Ridge Parka recently, this is my third one. I went from a large to a medium and it fits nicely (have lost a little weight).It is definitely lighter than previous one due to the thinner insulation, but supposed to be just as warm, only mid November so too early to tell. One thing I noticed, there is no flap by the pocket zips to catch on. Very happy with purchase so far

I bought this to replace an 8-year-old bright red Rugged Ridge Parka that suffered failure of multiple zippers in the past year. That jacket was like a home-away-from home. Was hoping to find a replacement at any store that had all of the same features, but gave up after searching for one year. This light blue and black LL Bean replacement is pretty warm and comfortable but some great features have been deleted: the "pit zips" (great for warmer winter days or high activity) are gone; the snow skirt is gone; the collar is no longer adjustable; the built in balaclava in its own zippered pocket is gone; the wrist gaiters with thumb holes has been replaced with small nylon sleeves; the two giant outer "Napolean" pockets (each one large enough to hold a pair of gloves or a wool hat) have been replaced with one left-side Napolean pocket only large enough for a wallet. LL Bean: is worth deleting so much value? It certainly can't be that expensive to keep these features. For those customers who don't care about these features, they don't have to use them. For the rest of us, it can be a deal breaker.

The coat is surprising light which I really like. I've been out for quite a while clearing snow in 20 degree weather and stayed warm. I've also been out for shorter periods of time in 8-10 degree weather and the coat kept me warm as advertised. I like all the pockets & the zippers are sealed nicely and appear quality. The one thing I don't like and kept it from a 5 is the cheap Velcro used to seal the zipper cover down the front of the coat. With all the options available to seal it, velcro stinks and will undoubtedly be the first item to fail. That was a bit disappointing and hopefully LL. Bean changes it up a bit in future models of the coat. All said, I'm liking it out of the gate.

I bought this same coat 20 years ago and it lasted me this long. The newer version lacks the large chest pockets the old one had, which I came to enjoy a lot about the old coat. Pocket placement on the inside of the coat is a little weird. Would have liked a matching interior pocket on the left side for my gloves. It makes me look like I am trying to steal something when I go into stores because everything is on the one side.

This jacket is lightweight but amazingly warm too. The Permaloft insulation must be doing its job because I live along the Lake Erie. We have had a number of weeks of wind chill well into the minus ranges and i was still comfortable.

This is a very nice coat, but I can concur with other posts that the zipper design is rather cheap. It is very difficult to get it started and sometimes will not release without strain. Also a pet peeve is that the pocket zippers are upside down: to open you zip up, to close zip down, which is different than 99% of the world. The drawstrings are wimpy and fairly nonfunctional. Overall though it is a comfortable, warm coat.

A very good coat. With a sweater or fleece vest, I find it warm enough down to -5F. I would have given it five stars except for the zipper, which I find is a bit small. A larger zipper/slider would be easier/less fussy to hook up. Also, the bottom half of the slider (for unzipping from the bottom rather than top) has a tendency to move up when wearing the coat, sometimes necessitating pulling it down before unzipping. Otherwise, though, great item.

It's a great jacket. Very warm. Lots of pockets. Just a little pricey

I am on the short size and have a unique physique so the Large is best for me -- fit nicely But I was not impressed by the draw strings for the hood -- too difficult to deal with (maybe because I am a 74yo man............) Consequently I returned a week or so later and ordered a different hooded jacket/coat. Overall, I have ordered from LLBean for the past 7+ years and have been impressed and will stick with them!

Very warm and nice roomy fit. My only complaint is the zipper that tends to get stuck when engaging at the bottom. One temporary solution is to rub a bar of soap at the bottom of the track.

This coat is very light weight, yet is quite warm, and it looks good.

I recently received this coat as a gift and I really love it. It meets or exceeds the posted description. The only thing I don't like is the zipper. It is very difficult to connect when you first try to zip it up. If it doesn't get any better, I may have to return it. Otherwise, a very good winter coat.

I bought this coat about a year ago and it has been working out very well. There are many features that I like about the coat. For instance the draw cord on the back of the hood helps to keep the hood snug and improve viability, also I use the interior glove and phone pockets all the time. The coat is very well made, the zippers never snag, the draw cords hold their tension, and the Velcro is high quality. The coat also has a great fit and allows for a wide range of motion in the arms without feeling like there is extra material bunched up. There are two negatives. I live in Wisconsin and the coat is not as warm as I expected. Moving from my old coat to this coat I could really tell the difference. For just running errands it is not a big deal but if I am spending any amount of time outside I have to put an extra layer on when I wouldn't have with my old coat, like when I go for a mid day walk at work. The other negative is the collar becomes too snug around my neck and chin if I zip the main zipper all the way up. I am an average height and weight fella with a normal size head (I think). I have to leave the zipper down about an inch to provide a little extra room in the collar. All in all it is a really good coat. I wear it every day in the winter. Activities ranging from commuting to work to shoveling snow, to sledding with the kids.

The RR Parker Tall is a Very Good Winter Jacket. The rain bounces off it like you were a duck, it doesn't soak in over time. I take a 20 neck and 35-36 sleeve in a dress shirt. I find as in another review that the side pockets are a little lower than being perfect sized. I addition the arm length is a little long so that if I want I can withdraw my hands to keep them warmer if I don't have gloves. Finally they should have a heavier larger zipper on it like the LL Bean "Nor Easter" winter jacket that I bought about 5 years ago which is also very good, but also bulky and much longer down below the knees to just about a foot above your ankles compared to this -RR Parka. Furthermore, once you zipper the jacket they used Velcro vs Snap buttons which will wear better over time. Also they describe the jacket's color as Iron/Black but it is actually Gray/Black. Personally I would have loved a dark charcoal or lighter two tone black instead of gray. In a perfect world you can have 100% of what is perfect. Without a perfect world I definitely would recommend this very warm very good jacket that you can wear with just a T-Shirt on and be toasty Hope this helps, enjoy! Warm Regards, JerseyPhil