Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Rugged Ridge Parka

Sorry to say, love the jacket, despise the zipper! Our second one around..dealt with the first Rugged Ridge althiugh the zipper was always sticky and finally just opened while bending. Thought 6/7 years later (meaning now), the zipper might improve. It has not. Returning our second one soon.

From the shoulders down to the waist it's a good fit. But it flares out from the waist down. Looks baggy and is baggy. Cold draft comes in. Not "warmer". More like half way between warm and warmer. Too pricey for the warmth. I returned it. I tried a Polartec about ten years ago and found it not very warm. Thought I'd try it again, may it was improved. Seemed about the same.

I ordered this parka for a homeless relative who lives in a cold climate. It looked so great in the photo and description, that I chose to ignore some of the reviews that I read which said the zipper was of poor quality. I figured by 2022, perhaps LL Bean upgraded the zipper and that now the parka would be an item I could order and have shipped directly to the recipient without me first looking at the item in person. I was wrong. My relative received the parka and immediately discovered that the zipper comes undone from the bottom and works its way up, making the parka useless in the cold. Now I have to help my homeless relative figure out how to return the coat. Very disappointing.

I had planned to replace an older LL Bean winter coat with this one. However, it is not that warm and definitely not appropriate for the dead of winter. So, I would up returning it. I also preferred my old coat's lighter hood that rolled up into the collar. This jacket's hood is more substantial and has to be removed if one does not want it hanging down the back.

I got this several years ago as a replacement for another one where the zipper failed. Two years in and the zipper is again failing it's difficult to start it. I'm a 68 year old so no abuse here and plenty capable of zipping up a coat. The zippers on these coats are too flimsy.

Warm coat. Bad zipper. I'm not overweight and the jacket has plenty of room inside. But EVERY time I have to lean over, clean up after dog, pick up something from ground, etc, the darn zipper pops open. It's a double zipper. I know how they lock. But when it gets to be -20 and I'm doing snow removal. I don't need the zipper popping with every shovel scoop. I don't wanna go thru the hassle of returning it. I like the pockets and stuff. But the zipper is infuriating. My last Columbia from Kohls lasted 10+ years. This one is a few weeks old. Very dismayed considering it cost like 100 more than that Columbia. Not an upgrade.

The Ridge Parka I ordered came today and I was very disappointed with the fit. Sleeves were 2 " too long (I ordered a tall being 6'2") and the parka seemed oversized through the chest. The description stated "relaxed fit" but it was a lot bigger than I expected. It was also longer than I wanted. It is going back to Bean in the mail tomorrow.

Overall I am very satisfied with this garment however I am very disappointed with the zipper mechanism. You have to be extremely precise when joining the two ends of the zipper. This is extremely frustrating. I recommend that in the future that a more rugged zipper is installed. Several of my past winter coats by L L Bean have also had the same flaws.......especially with the zipper spreading apart which restricts the zipper to become unzipped. I would have to take the coat off over my head and then force the zipper to be disengaged.........grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I would love to have someone from LL Bean to contact me.......especially someone involved with quality control!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!! I also fear that the the zipper will also fail istaying zipped in the future

Gift from the wife Xmas of 17 or 18. Zipper worked well enough for a few months. By last fall it took a serious effort and several tries to not end up with a stranded pull, with separation both below and above. Became completely useless last week, read some reviews here and submitted my story to customer service. No response. Meanwhile I'm down to wearing my 2-3 year older $50 Asian sourced jacket, with the zipper that has always, and continues to work perfectly. "Sure, they're more expensive, but the quality is so much better". Yeah, right..

I'll start by saying that this is a great coat and I would have kept it if it weren't for the zippers. The coat fit great, looked great, and seemed like it would last through many winters...but the zippers are awful. Specifically, the main zipper on the front of the coat is the most frustrating zipper I have ever encountered. I know this sounds silly, but in the few short days I had this coat this zipper drove me nuts. It gets stuck at the bottom and I would find myself pulling on it to the point I was concerned it would break. I have more than 4 decades of zipper experience, lol, and this is the worst zipper I have ever used. I returned the coat just because I had no desire spending a few winters being frustrated by a zipper. Note to LL Bean, your customers pay for all around quality. I was let down by this small detail that should have not been overlooked by LL Bean. I, and I suspect most of your customers, would gladly pay another $5-$10 for a high quality zipper.

After a month of infrequent use, the little rectangle that slips into the zipper at the bottom, shredded to pieces. Zipper is non functional now. Not a rugged jacket.

Got this jacket for my husband in October. It's winter in Maine and he needs it now, but day one, he couldn't get the zipper to work. Must return it.

So disappointed in this parka. Bought it for my husband to replace his old Rugged Ridge Parka from years ago. This one does not have the same fit at all! It was so wide in the body that it looked ridiculous, and to go a size down the arms would be too tight. LL bean was always our go-to for parkas, sadly, no more. Sent back.

Bought this jacket relying on typical sizing for LLBEAN XXL Tall clothing. This coat is much slimmer fitting than the clothing is.

I live in cold Wisconsin. I have been buying this parka every three years for as long as I can remember because it provided excellent value and utility. Not this year. I am an exact size 43. Large is too big. Medium is too small. VERY disappointed. Maybe next year, or maybe not.

I love Bean, have been a customer for decades and will continue to be. My 8 year old Rugged Ridge was getting a little old, so took advantage of the recent sale to buy a new one. What a disappointment. I'm sure it's a nice enough product in its own right, but it is much inferior to prior versions. The older ones had 4 external zipped handwarmer pockets instead of just two. The older ones had a warming fleece inside cuff at your wrists, and a more secure velcro fastening. Importantly, the older ones had very noticeably more loft, hence more warming power. The older ones had two chest level zipper pockets- one exterior and one just inside the zipper placket. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is just a lined and insulated shell, but it just does not compare in loft and hence warming ability of the prior one. The new one is much lighter, however. But then the sizing is a little different now- seems noticeably fuller in the midriff, even with drawstring at full stretch, this years size M seems fuller than my old size M. At one time it was automatic for me to just order the follow-on product from Bean once my prior one wore out; henceforth I'll also do due diligence checking other retailer offerings as well.

This parka is not nearly warm enough to keep me comfortable, with "light activity", at 10 degrees F. However, the fit is generous, and there's room inside for a fleece or sweater to add to warmth. My biggest issue is that there are only two small outside slash pockets, which have zippers but no fleece lining so they aren't suitable for keeping hands warm. There is an inside goggle pocket, another inside pocket big enough for gloves or mittens, and a small zippered inside pocket suitable for a wallet or keys. I think this parka is really designed for strenuous activities like skiing, not for general wear or travel when one might like to have extra pockets.

Material is, used cheap velcro closures instead of snaps. Very disappointing, no better than the $40 Costco special I bought last year and had come apart.

The Rugged Ridge Parka Men's Regular Large ran extremely big for its size. When I went to exchange it for a smaller size, the rugged ridge parka was completely out of stock. Seems like the supply chain team was unprepared for holiday season.

Bought a few years ago. Bean has no record. Zipper has never worked right. Useless having an insulated jacket that doesn't zip in New England. Called about getting it replaced or repaired and what used to be warrantied for a lifetime has no warranty because they can't find the purchase. I'd say buy something else but lately LLBean has not been worth buying.

It start to tear from the seams Going back to store

Bought two of these jackets, like them but the zippers broke on both of them and had to get them replaced. Couldn't last the winter season last year.

I ordered this jacket online and llbean said it would be here Fen 19 so I called to see if I could get it here sooner and the then they said it was out of stock so I canceled the order

This is a fairly long coat and the hand pockets are all the way at the bottom, illogically. Your hands are positioned in front of the moving parts of your thighs while walking, impeding leg movement. Your arms have to be almost straight to reach the pockets, when more of a bend for the elbow is more comfortable. Hand pockets should be the same distance down from the shoulders regardless of the length of the coat. With an ankle-length coat, the hand pockets would not be down at your ankles, for example. I've had countless jackets and coats so far this life, and the pockets have always been at the same distance down from the shoulders regardless of the length of the coat. Your arms don't get longer just because you are wearing a longer coat. Without this awful flaw, it would be a great coat. But walking is a pain when your hands are in your pockets because your hands block normal thigh movement.

Coat not warm in the northeast even though it was rated as warmest. Pockets are not big enough to put your hands in with gloves on. Hood does not fit well.