Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Baxter State Parka

To early for a 100% fair review. Warm weather has caused me to use lighter coat. However both my wife and I bought Baxter State Parkas and we noticed the same issue. A coat of this caliber should have a much heavier zipper. Imagine trying to work the zipper in the middle of a blizzard. So if you adopt this improvement I am willing to serve as a product tester.

5'7" male, 43" chest. 33" waist. Big shoulders. Small beer belly. I can wear most 40S suit jackets straight off the rack without alterations. Dress shirt size is 15.5" - 32/33, slim fit. I ordered based on the size chart and sadly discovered the medium was too big! I looked like a 7 year old playing around in his father's coat. Exchanged it for a small and the fit was much better. After pulling in the drawcords at the waist and on the bottom, I was ready for the next polar vortex. I can still tack on another 2 inches of clothing underneath if I need it. Sleeves were still a little long so I had to tighten the velcro. Overall length is perfect -- it ends right at the start of the inseam of my pants, so I know my most important parts will be protected.

I have owned this coat now for 4 years and have found it to be a very good coat with the exception of the zipper which takes a great deal of finesse to operate. While I will send it in for repair this spring, it seems undersized compared to other coats I have owned. It is also so small as to be hard to use with gloves on. The money spent to put the silly little pocket on the sleeve would probably cover the cost of an upgraded zipper. Other than the zipper, and some other minor quibbles, I like it and find it a good value for the money. No signs of wear to date either.

...I wish it was an inch or two longer in the Regular Medium size. Or at least I wish it was offered in the Medium Tall size. A little bit more length past the waist would have made this review 5 Stars. I was in need of a winter coat for our Chicago winters and I am glad I bought this parka. It kept me warm during -3 degrees Fahrenheit temps in December 2016 and it made me sweat when I was shoveling snow (I had a t-shirt and a flannel shirt underneath this parka). Aside from these 2 points, I can see the zipper giving out sooner rather than later; it's not of the best quality. I bought a Regular Medium parka; I am 6'0" and weigh 170 pounds.

We haven't had the weather here in South Jersey to put this parka through its paces except for the recent one. This parka was very warm but a little difficult to work in. That's why only four stars.

I bought this just in time for the only snow of the season (so far) and I was very happy. I wasn't toasty or sweating bullets, it was like the title says more of a neutral feeling which is remarkable since it was snowing in the teens. Wind finds its way to my face even with the fur folded down but I prefer how this hood works to how a snorkel coat would because that fur ends up in my mouth, a problem I don't have here. I'd like a sherpa/shearling lining in the hood but my head isn't cold without it. The hood fits well even without adjusting. My only real gripe here is the hand pockets. Perhaps I'm in the wrong size (everything else fits, if not a bit loosely) but they're too low and with how I have to angle my arm I can feel wind/cold air get in even if I tuck the whole sleeve in with my hand which is difficult with the stiff cuff. I'd also have liked them to be fleece lined on both sides and the one side that is lined isn't very substantial. Speaking of pockets, if you run out of places to store things you're probably carrying too much. There are waist flap pockets (speaking of, if you keep something in here and then put your hands in the hand pocket your hand presses the pocket's contents outward which is kind of uncomfortable) with two buttons, two zip chest pockets, a hidden zip pocket inside the placket on the left, a zip pocket on each side at chest level on the inside, and two waist level pouch pockets inside for gloves. I don't really like the material covering the zipper on the outer chest pockets, necessitating a second hand or a lot of practice. Paired with gloves, a scarf, and some long johns this will make you forget how winter feels.

Overall great coat Pros Fits well with 2 areas to tighten around body. Good placement of pockets inside and out. Great length I'm 6'4" sleeves and body length perfect. Very warm in 20 below weather Cons Zipper already sticking 1/2 way up. Wished they would have had in a dark green. Still well satisfied!

As a professional Maine Guide and landscape/wildlife photographer I spend a great deal of time out of doors year round. Here in Maine spending time out of doors in the winter means dealing with a crazy mixture of weather conditions! With temps sometimes plummeting into the -15F range it's safe to say your parka needs to be warm. It's often also windy and wet so parka fabric should be capable of shedding both. The helpful salesman I spoke with at L.L. Beans assured me that this parka would allow me to remain warm and comfortable no matter what the winter threw at me. Based upon my experience thus far I'd say he was correct. Two days ago, for instance, I spent 5 hours photographing sea smoke along the coastline of Mount Desert Island. Temps went as low as -8F and winds were gusting to 35 mph! And yet I was never cold for a moment. This parka is incredibly warm and wind resistant! In fact, at times I felt as if I were walking around in a suit of armor so impenetrable is this parka to wind! The 2-way zipper stayed zipped with no tendency to jam or catch on the fabric. Pockets are both plentiful and roomy. The hood is comfortable, allows good peripheral vision, and stays put as long as you zip the front of the jacket all the way up. Overall the fit is good and the 2-way zipper allows you to easily open the bottom section of the parka to allow access into your pant's pockets, etc. Velcro closures on the cuffs allow you close off the sleeves to wind intrusion. All in all an excellent parka at a good price! That said, there are a few things I'd change. First off the 2 chest pockets feature zips on the outside edges rather than the traditional inside. For me anyway this makes gaining access to the contents very awkward, especially when wearing gloves. The snaps on the lower front section of the hood are also extremely difficult to fasten while wearing gloves or mitts and should be replaced with velcro tabs. The round elastic cord for adjusting the hood closure is also very difficult to adjust while wearing mitts or gloves. No big deal for the urban commuter, but potentially deadly for those trekking in the winter wilderness where taking off ones gloves or mittens can easily lead to frostbit. I haven't had a chance to judge the parka's water resistance but here in Maine it won't be long before I do. I'll let you know the results soon as I do.

This is absolutely the warmest coat you will own. It is not some skinny designer fashion garment, just a superbly practical coat loaded with pockets, snaps (not Velcro tabs, ugh!) plus a detachable hood and sturdy double pull zipper. On the downside, it is bulky, the side pockets could be a little bigger and the fabric colors are somewhat limited...my husband now has one too based on my raves. Enjoy!

Sizes may be a tad on the large size. I'm right between a large and extra large. Large fit me well, ex-large was way too big. Gray color is more of a plaid that doesn't show in the photo, but it is definitely visible in real life. I returned in favor of black. Pockets are a little too low to comfortably reach with your hands. Hood does not zip up and out to neck down the face opening as is typical for most parkas. I probably would not have purchased this coat had I known these things, but now that I have it; I'll keep it. It is warm and well made. Learned a lesson: next year I will shop at a "brick and mortar" store.

Every once in a while I buy a new coat which looks good, but when temps in Pittsburgh drop into the single digits, I'm cursing myself for not, at least, doubling my budget. So this year, I decided to bite the bullet and order the Baxter State Parka. Struggling with the size option, I ordered a medium regular (thanks to another reviewer) and I feel that it's the best for me. By the way, I am 6'3, thin build. I usually wear a size large in shirts but according to a couple other helpful reviewers, this parka runs very large. I do miss the length, a medium tall would have been ideal, although the sleeves are perfect and the length ends just past my bum so I'm definitely covered. The things I like are the many pockets (more than I need really), the cinch cords (bottom and waist, tightening helps with fit and appearance!) the feel/weight, the double zip, and the overall arctic appearance of more expensive brands. the things I don't like are the huge hood, the slightly lower than normal and non angular front hand pockets, and, as already mentioned, the fact this coat doesn't come in medium tall. As the parka fits fine, my most concerning issue is warmth; if the coat gets even near the temp ratings of what it claims it may just be my favorite coat ever. Black is a good color, here's to winter!

*Just* got this, to be fair, so I haven't had a chance to test this in cold weather yet. As soon as I ordered it we got an unseasonable warm front. So you're welcome Southern Ontario! Overall, quality seems good, very warm. Sizing runs quite large except through the stomach (though that may be on me) and the large seems a bit big on my 5'6ish frame, but it has room for layering still, which is nice. The main reason I wanted to share this is that the colouring seems a bit off on the one I got. I had ordered the charcoaled heather colour cause I thought it looked GREAT, and when I unpacked the coat I thought they'd sent me the blue colour. The coat is MUCH more grey then the kind of grey-black in the picture. Charcoal isn't even really the term I'd use for it. The faux fur around the hood is also quite closer to grey then beige. Now to be fair this isn't a deal breaker for me. It's a more interesting colour and I'm deciding to run with it for something a bit more unique than the other coats I'll run into this winter. But I wanted to let people know that the picture on the website, at least compared to the one I got, isn't representative. Otherwise great coat!

I loved this coat for 2 years, especially the double zipper. This feature was great for driving in the car, the coat didn't bunch up. After 2 years the double zipper did not work and got stuck so bad I had to lift the coat over my head to get it off. I just returned it to an LL Bean store and will be ordering a different coat from the catalog. Great coat except for that one problem. Super warm!!

Very stiff and bulky...not very comfortable. Hard to move around and bend over.

They only had red left - I would rather have black

The jacket seemed warm, but it was huge. I ordered a small, and I still felt like I could fit an entire jacket inside of this jacket if they would've had an XS, I might've given it a go. However, the smallest jacket was way too big. I'm guessing you might want to order a size down if you choose this jacket.

I've owned this for 12 years. So it is indeed durable. Had it out in -20 weather and it's not all that warm by itself. But it does lend itself well to layering since the coat is large and bulky. It's also kinda ugly..you won't make a fashion statement in it. The faux fur is the worst I ever saw, but the hood itself is pretty warm. Everyone complains about the zipper being finicky (I did too at first), but it's not bad when you get used to it. The coat has a gazillion pockets and I personally find the handwarmer pockets well located..but then again, I have long arms. Recently, I bought a competitor's parka which frankly is much warmer and better looking. But the Baxter is not without it's charms..it makes a great beater coat. The ability to layer heavily under it and it's tough material that means I don't have to worry about it definitely are points in it's favor. Moneywise, I think it's a bit overpriced for what you're getting. The whole purpose of a parka is to provide warmth and without sufficient layers it's not to be found here.

Jacket is comfortable and warm, but it is cut too big around the middle, and the elastic draw string waist cord only cinches down so much. Also the waist draw string does compensate for the jacket's too-large cut around the waist. I am not at all skinny. I am 5'8" tall, and I weigh 190 pounds, but a size medium is still considerably too big around the middle for me, despite the arms and jacket overall length being perfect. The sad result is that cold air still gets in a bit around the botton of this otherwise great parka. The parka should be made with multiple waist cuts, including a leaner cut to make it more effective at keeping out the cold.

This jacket has all the features and quality I want, except the one I bought it for - heavyweight warmth. I ended up returning it and buying a competitor's product because it had more thickness of down and weight.

I bought this a few weeks ago and it has come in handy as NYC has gotten cold and windy. See below for pros and cons Pros: Comfortable and warm Seems to have good wind resistance Style is sleek and nice for NYC Roomy enough to layer and feel comfortable. Cons: Sizing is tough- definitely size down Hand pockets are set too low- makes for a weird/uncomfortable angle to keep your hands in your pockets. Hand pockets are only half lined- this part is ridiculous No LL Bean logo or on the jacket. I would've like this. Every other big company has their tag on the front breast of the coat. When zippered it's tight and difficult to bend down.

Mediium size Returned to big, small, not avaliable in tall

Not well sized for a tall skinny guy. Not long enough and too much bulk in the middle. Need an extra small extra tall option!

Not sure where you get your zippers for this coat but mine is just about unworkable. The jacket it self is fine.

Zipper failed within a month, but the coat is warm.

The zipper failed. If not for the zipper failure I would have given this coat a 5 Star review. It appears I am not the only purchaser who has had a problem with this coat's zipper. Why has this design defect not been addressed by this company? This is an expensive coat and it is a very warm coat...............but it's only warm if the coat can be zipped closed.