Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Baxter State Parka

Have had my green Baxter for Upstate NY winters. When frigid temperatures arrive, my Baxter is the go to jacket. When winds are ready to blow you over and the snow is coming horizontal, my Baxter with its hood keeps me warm and dry. Best winter jacket I have. Sometimes feel like the stay puff marshmellow man; however, my mobility is not inhibited. Five star coat. Have had this coat for 4 years and it is now ready for the next winter season. Wears exceptionally well.

This was an important purchase for me, and I spent a long time researching my options. Winters in Vermont are brutal, and on top of that, I spend a good deal of time outdoors, so I was looking for uncompromising warmth and comfort here. The Baxter State Parka has surpassed my expectations in ways I did not imagine. First of all, the fit was so perfect, and the pocket placement was just right. Once you put it on, you'll feel that the money was well spent. I should also mention that at this exact price point, the north face is offering an inferior equivalent. I know this because I bought the two coats side by side, and returned the one that I felt was not as good. If you're in New England, this is a must have. I tested the coat out today at a football game. 4 hours straight, sitting on concrete in 20 degree weather. I felt absolutely fine. Of course I had a sweater, scarf, gloves, and the hood up, but honestly, if this coat can't keep you warm, nothing will.

This is everything I could ever want in a winter jacket. Lots of pockets (some more discreet than others which is a plus), fleece lined and velcro-adjustable wrists, the hood is damned near perfect in terms of size and functionality - I love that both the blaze and hood itself are removeable, and it definitely helps that you can pull the blaze forward on those particularly snowy and windy days. However, as has been previously mentioned on here - the sizes are definitely quite large. I wear a medium in most items, occassionally a large (6'2-180lbs) and let me tell you - this medium fit exactly like a large should. I will be exchanging it for a small as soon as possible. Don't hesitate to buy this, but definitely beware of sizing! Happy trails!

I just received my Baxter in Charcoal Heather. I'm five foot nine and hundred forty pounds .After reading many reviews I decided to go for the Small Charcoal color( Green out of stock). I'm very happy with the fit and the craftsmanship. Love all the pockets and the sinch cords which allow for a real custom fit. Buy it!!!!! You will not be disappointed.

It has helped me survive 3 New England winters. The only tiny problem is that the cuffs at the Velcro closing have worn through the outer fabric. This in no way impacts my opinion of this great coat

My husband has this coat in the green color. It is perfect for deep Maine cold and impervious to the wind. The hood draws up snug and it juts out, to protect the face from harsh wind. Great purchase! Now, can you please go back to the normal LLB ads and get rid of the "Be-an Outsider" nonsense? ...it's frankly a rather juvenile play on words... Bring back the vintage style catalogue covers!

Jacket is very high quality and warm. Stylish as well

This is my third parka from LLBean - it is the warmest one yet - love the hood - I recommend it to everyone .

Never disappointed with Bean! This parka is everything you'd expect and more. Warm, comfy, and totally waterproof.

Very warm &toasty, fit is very comfortable & roomy lots of pocket's great quality Thanks

Purchased just in time for a blast of below-zero weather in upstate NY, and found this great parka impervious to polar winds. I replaced a favorite older model Warmup Parka that wasn't as warm as the Baxter, so I am quite happy with the transaction. Great pockets and zippers, hood with removable fur trim. And, the fabric of the shell seems very tough for survival over the long haul. Happy camper!Troy

I've worn this jacket in prolonged heavy rain and stayed warm and dry. At 30 while hiking I was too warm. I have another down jacket with more fill that has more loft and is warmer but this jacket is still quite warm. I like; all of the pockets, being able to adjust how far forward the hood sits on your head, hood draw cords, Velcro on the cuffs and other features that make it comfortable and functional.

I've had this coat through two cold Boston winters, and it has performed excellently. Even with a fairly lightweight layer underneath, it keeps you exceptionally warm. The coat is also very waterproof, easily standing up to heavy snow and rain. Features are well thought out, and nothing seems overlooked. I love the felt-lined cuffs, which cling lightly to your wrists, preventing wind and snow from getting into your sleeves. The outside of the cuffs are velcro adjustable, so you can create a nice tight seal around gloves if you are going to be dealing with a lot of snow. The hood is filled with the same strength down as the rest of the coat, making it nicely warm. It is also securely attached and held in place with a zipper, velcro, and buttons - this is a hood that will stay in place and keep you dry and warm. The coat has plenty of internal and external pockets for your gadgets and hands. There's plenty of space to fold up gloves and stick them in a pocket, and the pockets for your hands are felt-lined and warm. This coat doesn't require any special cleaning, so you can just zip it up, toss it in your washer, and dry it in your dryer with a tennis ball. No dry cleaning required, meaning that you can wash it a few times during the winter - and since you will want to wear this thing all the time, you will need to! There are a couple of very minor weaknesses to this coat: first, the material in the hood is kind of loud against your ears. With the hood up, it scratches against your ears and can make it hard to hear. Second, the zipper should be bulkier and easier to operate with gloved hands. The sizing really is large. I typically wear a large in lighter Bean coats, and in almost everything, but even the medium in this coat is generous. I could probably wear a small, but for a winter coat, I think that generous size is acceptable. In Bean shirts, I wear a 16/34 slim fit, and I typically wear a 42R blazer. Anyway, I love this coat! I highly recommend it, and I hope I never have to replace it. It is incredibly warm and designed in a thoughtful way that "just works."

My husband reports that this is very warm. All good except the coat is huge on him... granted, he's 5'5" and 135 lbs, but the boys sizes are, evidently, not available (and run small?) Wish men had "petite" sizes :-)

I already have a nice L.L.Bean winter coat that I purchased approximately 20 years ago but have unfortunately misplaced the hood. Now when on my daily walks with my dog the wind, during exceptionally cold days, is intolerable. I wanted a second winter coat, with a nice fur lined hood, for those 8-10 coldest days of the year. This is the coat. Very warm and you don't have to pay several hundred dollars like some of the competition. I'm 5'11", 185, 42" chest and most always wear size large. This large fit perfectly. Would highly recommend.

Live in Minnesota and this is the perfect coat for cold days and nights

Very warm coat!

Have had a few of these coats over the years. Very warm and light for the amount of insulation provided. Last one had a weak zipper, but Bean seems to have upgraded it this year.

If you're like me and find that your body temperature drops when you go outside without a jacket and temps dip below freezing, then this parka is for you. It's warm, like sitting on Caribbean beach warm. Perfect for seating four hours in MetLife Stadium in December. Did I mention how durable this parka is? It's outer shell is design to shed water, wind and snow. Not only does it exceed these parameters, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that it can repel gun fire and sharks attacks. Only issue and I hope L.L.Bean is reading, the faux fur seemed to get singe after an tumble in the dryer even though instructions were followed. I'll be returning the damaged detachable fur trim to my local L.L.Bean for replacement.

Very high quality and very warm. Completely satisfied. Read positive and negative reviews before buying and seems as if many of the negative reviews were folks who could not figure out the built in ties to adjust the fit. Maybe a little more on how to do this would be useful. All in all, I'd buy it again.

I bought this coat as part of my winter gear for Greenland. We are building a 12m telescope at the Thule Air Base (that's 750 miles inside the arctic circle) and will eventually bring it to the summit of the ice sheet. Storm season starts mid September and ends mid May. Winter months are commonly between -20F to -40F and lower. It also gets windy. The second highest wind velocity was recorded just several miles off base. Interesting, the highest was recorded on Mt. Washington, just a couple hours drive from the Freeport LL Bean. So, back to the coat....it works, it keeps me warm and it's tough enough to use and not worry about tearing apart. In winter months I wear merino wool base layer, wool shirt (Bean Maine guide) plus insulated pants or bibs. When the wind kicks up, I add a balaclava to cover my face. With this coat on, and the rest of my gear, I have no fear of the winter extremes at Thule Air Base. As far as features and size go, I'm 6'1", and wear the XXL tall. It goes past my hips. The draw string at the bottom and draw string at the hood allow me to really close it up. The many pockets are well thought out and useful. So, it's got faux fur.....oh well. The price is a third to a quarter of some of the other big name winter coats that have become status symbols lately.

I bought this coat for a trip to Ukraine. Temps down in the single digits to below zero F. Kept me warm and dry. Yes, the coat is heavy, especially when you put in on in your living room in your house. When I put it on to go outside in Ukraine, didn't notice how heavy it was. I used it with thermals, the Baxter State Down Hat, and the Sneaker Boots. Never was cold or even felt cold. The double zipper is not a problem. Just make sure the bottom one is all the way down. Join them, and then zip up. Not one issue.

I live in Boston, Massachusetts, so I was looking for a coat that would be super warm and shield against harsh winter. This coat fits the bill perfectly and is extremely comfortable! The material feels really good and despite being a pretty heavy duty coat doesn't feel heavy. There are a million pockets which are pretty well integrated into the coat so you can place items in them without your coat having awkward bulkiness. Love the hood and that it's adjustable and removable. Everything holds together very well. Best of all you can walk outside and feel comfortable in harsh weather. The coat has a nice length so it covers a bit past your torso to keep your whole body warm. If there was only one thing I would change about it, it would be the placement of the pockets doesn't exactly line up with my normal hand placement, so it feels slightly unnatural. However that's just nitpicking at this point.

My only, small issue, is that given the size chart, the coat is too big in the chest while just right for arm length. it's been a recurring issue with LL Bean. I usually buy a Med. because I'm 5'8" and 160# average build. The issue with the Med. size is the sleeves are short. So I went with a Lrg. this time, and it's awfully loose in the middle. If I were 200+ Lbs (i.e. "portly"), it would be appropriate. Yes, there are draw-strings hiding in the vest-pockets that help. Otherwise: Build quality is awesome. This is a VERY WARM coat; but when I ski at -20...I need something like this. Even layers just don't do it for me on the lift, in the wind, at ZERO or below. This does the trick.

Great fit, very warm and not too heavy. With the two way zipper it's easy to adjust the coat for driving.