Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Baxter State Parka

So I guess your paying all this money for the name brands ll bean the zipper for some reason is made of plastic and after only one season the zipper would not work and the some of zipper has fallen off

I bought this XXX-L and it is too small, I tried it out tonight because it was 25 F outside. So I worse a fleece under it and could barely get it zipped and went out. Cold spots everywhere. It is going back. I shopped LL Bean for 50 years and got to say: things sure are not what they used to be.

Material very stiff & jacket very heavy & bulky. Returned.

It basically feels like there was no ergonomic thought put into this product from the torso to chest region. Good if you are really fat. Hand pocket angles unnatural and leave hands at wrist exposed to elements.

I bought the small - the smallest size they make, for my boyfriend, and even our 6' 5" big, fit friend was DROWNING in it. It's massive. The measurements LLBean lists are way off. If you look at the reviews with photos, even people who think it fits them are wrong. I love LLBean but have no idea what happened here.

Runs large in size, I am slim/small frame 135 lbs. , 5'8", chest 39". A medium in this coat is way to large. A size small is fine with plenty of room for layers.

The Parka is Like Wearing Starched Canvas. Bought this early 2019 upon returning to the Northeast. We had lived in New England for quite some time and wife and daughter both had earlier models of this coat. When returning to the area, now in Mid-Atlantic, I wanted something to throw on without having to layer up. Based on our experiences, the Baxter State Parka is the affordable go-to choice. Was not real thrilled with the "New Improved" fabric but took the plunge anyway. Parka got light use in '19 and '20, but even with light use, the fabric was annoying. Now, in '21, it got some real use. Just returned from 2 weeks in Iceland. For day to day use, it is near impossible to wear. Heavy, bulky and incredibly inflexible. The thing will basically stand up by itself. The fabric is so stiff and inflexible, the cuffs started wear patterns in my gloves. Right now I am so disappointed in the parka, it's questionable if I'll ever wear it again. Some details: Parka Fits ok...plenty roomy for layering. LLBean, like may other Parka manufacturers, continues to fail at "pockets". While the Parka has many roomy pockets, there is simply no where to put your hands while walking. The chest pockets are very high...you have to tuck your arms up like the wings of a bird to fit in. Add to that the stiff as a board fabric, it can be almost impossible to find your way into the chest pocket. The alternative are the lower side pockets, which is ok, but you best have really, really long arms. Not practical in serious conditions. "Waist level " pockets continue to be a challenge for LLBean. The warmth level was OK...but any thing below about 25F, will need careful layering. Their "Temp Rating" is optimistic. As the fabric makes the Parka so stiff and unforgiving, layering can become very uncomfortable. The Stiffness also makes management of closing and opening of the various portions of the Parka a chore and maybe a hazard. Basically, if you have to close up around your neck and face and maybe tighten up the hood opening ... good luck...If you haven't done in in advance, the odds are you will have significant difficulty. Overall, it's an ok choice. The one thing it has going for it is price. I would NOT choose this as a piece of gear to depend on.

I went early to the Freeport store to buy this coat this morning. The zipper kept sticking on the first one I tried. I then put on another from the rack and the zipper was ok until I got home. It is now stuck in the down position and is inoperable. This could be fatal in the Maine woods. So I looked at the reviews and see the issue has been raised in many reviews for a long time. So disappointing because it is otherwise a great coat. How much would it have cost for Beans to use a high quality metal zipper on this $300 coat? Not much. It is going back as soon as the crowds die down at the store.

I will be returning it. does not fit very good and the zipper is not good

The coat was way too big on me and did not fit snugly at all. It was like wearing a refrigerator. I would highly recommend getting a size smaller than you usually wear. It also had a strange smell when I took it out of the box and the zipper kept getting caught on the fabric. I will be returning this item.

Extremely disappointed. Very overpriced and entirely not happy at all. Hood engineering is worst thing I've ever seen. Don't buy this jacket!

first I ordered a medium because I followed the size chart.. It was way too big on me. Unfortunately I did not thoroughly examine the hood before I sent the first one back. If I had I would not have ordered the second one, this time in small. ....When it came the fit was better but I realized the hood design was really bad.. first the ruff is awful but I intended to remove it anyway.. second the material is too stiff, so adjusting the hood (and waist) is very difficult and awkward. This is really hard to describe but the hood sits too high on my head and it is too shallow. I had to decide if I would remove the hood and just use the jacket, but the neck was so tight when I zip it to the top that it puffs out my cheeks and besides being uncomfortable, it looks ridiculous! I have a LLBean long coat that I love.. the hood is perfect.. I do not know if this is a design change on all your jackets or just on this one.. I am hoping the third jacket I just ordered does not have this kind of hood.. If it does that will go back as well and I will look for another brand elsewhere..

Purchased this coat ten years ago and used it until the zipper broke. Bought another one and can't tell you how disappointed I am. The hood will not adjust to a tight fit. So I wear a hat. The coat seems to have less fill. Not as warm. And now, after one season, the zipper is malfunctioning. It splits apart at the bottom and is a struggle to get the coat off.

This was the third Baxter State parka that I ordered. I ordered it because my others wore out after years of use. This one was definately different. I have not changed much, but the jacket did. It was too big and simply did not fit.

Do not take me wrong, it is a good jacket for the value as long you are warm in it. I would say fit worst compared to Maine Mountain Parka. It fits quite awkward at the collar area that seems to choke me a bit around the neck. It tapered down like a pine tree. The material feel is more like nylon than canvas. The velcro around the sleeves was convenient. It is a nice looking but not for me since it was not warm enough for me.

Very disappointed with the warmth and features of the new offerings. The best winter coat I have ever owned is the Bean Arctic Expedition Parka. Warm to -50, dense down fill, Gore-Tex, zip down extended back for sitting at the football game or fishing/hunting. ABSOLUTELY the best parka ever. I never felt a draft in driving wind and snow. PLEASE BRING BACK THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION!!!

I had an old style Baxter and loved it but the zipper separated so I brought it back for a new one. HUGE disappointment. I only use this coat for when I walk because it's too bulky for driving. My old coat was warm! I've only used this coat twice and it's not even cold yet. The 1st time I only had a t-shirt on so I figured that was the reason I could feel the cold on my shoulders, arms and back coming through the coat (it was 35f.) Then yesterday I had a long sleeve cotton t-shirt and a wool sweater on and I could feel the cold coming through. I'm not sure if I got a defective coat or if it just sucks. I did notice the coat weighs about half as much as the old one AND it seems so thin that I wonder if there's any insulation in it at all. Anyone else having this problem? All I want is a warm winter coat so I can take a walk in upstate NY.

Am 6 ft. tall, looking for hardcore down parka for many Alaskan winter activities (replacement for Gortex down parka of many years). What was received was flat pancake with minimal loft and no down throughout parka. Upper chest pockets are difficult to access, lower pockets are "too low" for hands to rest in comfortably (ordered tall). The loft is what keeps you warm with down and this was lacking throughout! Extremely disappointed! Sleeves are flat, absolute minimum insulation there. Maybe ok for dash from house to car but NOT for all day outdoor winter activities below zero where your life depends on proper gear!

I have been wanting a Baxter State Parka for YEARS, because of their reputation for warmth and durability. I finally spent the money and bought myself one 7 days ago. Today it was cold enough to wear it on my walk (17 degrees F). The walk was for a mile, it was very light exercise, but according to the write up for this coat, that is well within it's "light exercise" ability to keep me warm. I was extremely cold in this coat on my walk, I couldn't believe it. I actually felt every breeze and I was not warm at all. I totally felt like I needed a second coat under it just to be a normal warmth. I don't understand how all these other reviewers can say how warm their coats are. This is a real disappointment for me. It's totally not worth the money.

If you are a smaller-framed person, you should definitely avoid this parka. I am 5'5'' guy, weight 140 lbs, ordered a size S (of course). The shoulders seems to be cut to the right width, but that's where it ends. The sleeves were 4 inches too long, the parka went down almost to my knees, and I could literally fit my girlfriend inside with me. The hood was 3x the size it should be, I have no idea how it could possibly keep wind and rain out since it can't be cinched down to a human-sized head. If you normally wear a size L, and you also have pretty narrow shoulders, the S size could be your parka. If you are looking for something that fits reasonably true to size, stay away or maybe order 2 sizes down and hope for the best? The materials seem to be pretty good, and it seems like it could be a good price for the quality, though I can't know for sure since I never tried it outdoors.

I am 5'8" and weigh 144 lbs. I decided to upgrade this year to a LLBean parka. I purchased a size small charcoal heather Baxter State Parka but will sadly be returning it. Overall, it looks fantastic. Love the way the charcoal looks and all the pockets it has. It is very warm, too. However, it's HUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. You can probably fit 2 of me inside this thing. I'm not sure what is up with the sizing, but I have read a few other complaints on here about it. Unfortunately, I am not a football player....so it is going back.