Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Baxter State Parka

This parka is by no doubt warm. I have worn it at temperatures of zero with an even lower wind chill, and I was warm with just a shirt underneath. The outside material is tough and will likely stand up to abrasion. Having said that, I have been a lifelong northeastern resident and LL Beam customer, but this has spoiled me. The zipper is just such cheap plastic. The bottom of the zipper does not stay in place and unless I button the bottom button, the jacket will pull apart so easily and I'll have to keep pulling the zipper down. My work jacket from a brand I won't mention has a metal zipper that has worked for over ten years. Cutting corners never used to be the LL Bean way, but this jacket does not feel like the premium product I expect from this brand.

very warm, but for $300 a very cheap zipper. Sometimes difficult to catch. Cheaper out

The collar is very stiff and at a height such that it digs into my jaw. The sleeves have so little insulation that my arms get cold. I expected better from LL Bean, especially at $300.

I purchased my first Baxter 6 years ago. It had regular 650 down. I loved that coat. I decided to get a new Baxter a few weeks ago with the Downtek. This coat is not as warm as my original one. I'm sending it back and staying with my original one.

Good quality build. To "boxy" for my build, there was a lot of room in the body area.

I chose this item because they said it was the warmest coat they sold. It is warm but not that warm.

This really is a nice jacket not worth the price I live in the north woods of wisconsin winters are harc and cold the PLASTIC zipper does NOT hold up!!! LL Bean does not stand behind their products anymore

Warm but feathers & fir from collar get all over your clothes

Bad zipper on this. Also on my tek thinner parka. CHEAP PLASTIC ZIPPERS

The zipper constantly jams. The side pockets are a little hard to get to.

I love this parka and it took me awhile to save up to buy it. After 3 winters in Connecticut the zipper broke. Now my parka is no good and LL Bean no longer has a warranty that I can use. I thought i knew why they changed their warranty program, but maybe it is because they cheapened their product manufacturing. This is too bad as I own MANY LL Bean products. C'est la vie. I will switch to maybe a Columbia winter parka.

While I love this coat, the color, the style, many pockets and of course the warmth, my two coats (the one I originally ordered and LL Bean's replacement for it) keep both shedding white and brown feathers that "leak" out from the cushioning in the fabric. The feathers stick to the shirt/sweather I am wearing and there is quite a lot that leaks out, for both jackets. Has anyone had this problem??

First off, this parka runs enormous. I initially got a medium that i had to exchange for the small. You want room in a winter coat for insulation and ability to layer under it, but it was ridiculous. The medium had at least a foot of extra space in the chest, could have easily fit 2 arms in each sleeve and it hung very low on my legs. I looked like a kid wearing his dad's coat. A friend of mine happened to be over the day it was delivered and it at 6'2 the medium fit him well. The other main issue i had with the jacket is the layout of the pockets. The front of the jacket has 6 pockets and none of them are suitable to put your hands in. The breast pockets and big flap pockets on the front are unlined so dont do much to keep your hands warm. In addition the breast pockets are difficult to get your hand into due to the flap covering the opening and zipper. The lined pockets behind the big ones are in an extremely awkward position to put your hands into. The opening is completely vertical and they are very low down on your body, below the waist. I guess if you're going to wear gloves or mittens 100% of the time this doesnt matter but for me was kind of a deal breaker. The last issue i had with the jacket is a pretty minor one, but the parka was actually too warm. It seems like a silly thing to complain about but it's just too warm for MA winters. It's a lot to spend on a jacket I'd only really want to use 10 days a year. If the temperature was over 15-20F just light activity like walking my dog would leave me sweating, even with the parka completely unzipped. For any kind of strenuous activity like snow shoeing or X-country skiing i cant imagine wearing this parka unless it was well below 0F.

It takes many attempts to start the zipper on this new coat -- while the wearer sweats indoors or catches a chill outside. No zipper lubricant helps. I bought the parka to replace a vintage Bean parka with a zipper that no longer started. The rest of the coat is excellent. Frustrating, vexing.

1. This is obviously an extremely warm, functional, ROOMY parka. If that is all you need, this is a good option for you. 2. The body is very roomy. I am a large guy. And technically should buy the XL according to LL Bean's fitting guide. But I was swimming in the large (except at the neck which was a little snug). 3. Even with the waist completely cinched, this parka is as shapeless as a garbage bag on me and added so much bulk. 2-3" on either side (see pics) 4. If I kept it, I would probably give it 5 stars for function. Zero stars for fit/form/fashion.

'I'm normally a true large size, 5'10" with a 44 in chest and 36-37 in waist, a little paunch, but I'm a reasonably fit ex-college wrestler and football player. Even wearing a bulky wool sweater, this coat was huge, with 6-7" overlap in the chest and 10" overlap at the waist. The hood was so large that it seemed made to go over a ski helmet. It was very well made, with good materials and warm. Really think someone mistakenly put a Large tag on an Extra-extra Large coat, I easily zipped up my 6 year old inside with me. Buy smaller than you normally would.

Love this coat: It's warm, fits me well, and looks gorgeous in the vivid red. However, the teeth on the zipper started breaking off after about 2 years of light use. At this point the zipper is inoperative. I had problems with a prior iteration of this coat as well: the stitching started to fail, and gobs feathers were pouring out of the coat . LL Bean is WONDERFUL to exchange this coat back due to "defective workmanship", thus I'm giving the coat a better rating than I would if they refused to exchange it. I am guardedly recommending this coat, based on LL's willingness to exchange it.

Ordered this and the Maine Parka for my son who has recently moved to Chicago. I'm not too impressed with the material on this compared to the Maine Parka. Also I don't think the jacket will be warm enough for the Chicago winters, so I'm returning this in favor of the Maine parka.

Ordered on line. Never would have bought it in a store. Pockets could be roomier. Not a fan of zip off hoods ( not mentioned in product description), don't like the fabric, would be nice if the hood had a even a thin fleece lining. Over the years this is the only LL Bean product I have disappointed in.

The coat looked great and I loved the many perfectly placed pockets. But at 35 degrees outside I was chilled to the bone in 10 minutes. It's just not a warm coat and I returned it.

first one had to go back with a defective zipper, but customer service did their normal superb job and replaced the jacket

Let me start by saying this is the warmest coat I've owned. I don't need to wear anything under the coat and am never cold, even in the back area. The coat is long and I like that to protect me against any wind. It's well made and the sleeve length is perfect for me. It runs very large in the chest and waist areas, my guess is so you can layer. Here's my only complaint about the coat. For me, having my neck protected against the wind is a must. When I zip this coat up to the top, the neck is so tight I can barely move my head from side to side, it really bothers me. There's no way I could wear a neck gaiter with this coat.

It smells. Not sure whether it is due to the chemicals used for the coating to protect from wind/rain. It would be great to mention the specific types of chemicals used. Some people may be sensitive it. I bought medium. It is too big. Need to size down. It definitely looks like a well-made heavy jacket and it appears to be sturdy and warm.

Really nice jacket but really big. I am 5'7 165 lbs and usually wear large size but this was long in sleeves , long in length and was big enough to put my six year old kid inside it with me when zipped up. This may of fit with a bulky layer underneath but would suggest sizing down.

I am from the North East and it gets cold here when the Polar freeze comes through, I have worn this coat in 0-35 degrees, its not bad but you have to layer a lot. One of the reasons I purchased this coat, was not to layer. This coat can only be worn above in temps above 35, Sorry to say, but the coat is not what it seems, the wind goes through it. And its not very warm.