Rated 5 out of 5 by carharsch lasts forever and buying a new one!
My husband has had the original Baxter State parka for 35 years. He wore it all the time. When the pockets ripped after 30 years, we sent it back to LL Bean to be repaired. Free of charge. Although this jacket outer shell has faded, the wool plaid lining, cuffs, etc. are in perfect shape. He was so excited to see the Northwoods parka in the winter 2012 catalog. I am purchasing it in the same navy color with the red plaid lining. He can use the older one for yard work and save the new one for dress-up. ;~))
April 28, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by wbcc very functional
I am very pleased with this parka. It is suitable for Spring or Fall in Toronto (or when temperature is above freezing). Not warm enough for winter unless wearing layers underneath. The small just fits me (5'9", 160lbs#. It would have been nice to have a bit more room under the arm pits and shoulders #for layering#. The medium would have been too baggy and too long. I really like the large and deep pockets - 6 in all. I can carry hat, gloves, wallet, cell phone, keys and dog supplies etc. when I walk my dog. The slash hand warming pockets are a nice addition and it would have been better if they were lined #with microfleece, for example). My hands are always cold and this would have been welcomed. The 2-way zipper works fine once it is lined up properly. However, it does take a bit of patience. Overall, it is one of the best LLBean jacket/coats that I own. Nice job and thank you LLBean.
April 5, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by sdmca Can't Wait
Purchased this after seeing a friends. Great jacket!
February 15, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by Confrere Nemo
Just returned from a walk in NYC on Feb. 8, 2013. Today Nemo hit our area (Queens/Manhattan): AM snow; midday: sleet; PM snow again...inches of snow to be determined at a later date; it's still snowing...this coat/parka...held up great...I added an additional liner for the wetness...it was inexpensive and a necessary accessory. Love the outside pockets and the hood came in quite handy this afternoon. We dismissed our students (university); the walk through campus was a real test of this moderately priced coat: good length for snow...reasonable warmth...great added features (outside pockets) A+
February 8, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by cramden 1 complaint re design=deal breaker for me
I bought it, but returned it after a few outings. A coat needs an adjustable cuff(velcro) AND elastic for comfort and ease of on/off. I can't be messing with velcro all the time-c'mon! I liked everything else but that, so I'll wait until I find something that meets all my criteria.
January 28, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by TJS7 Good (but Not Great)
First off, I am a huge fan of LL Bean and their spectacular customer service. I am not knocking the product, just giving it an honest review based on my experiences with it. Your mileage may vary.
Fit: Runs true to size by US Standards. In one particular jacket from a competitor, I took an XXL, while with this jacket I only took a L.
Comfort: warm if you stay in the 40 degree weather range. I was recently in NC seeing my Marine son in law off to his new deployment and it was 25 degrees by the bay at 3am...it did not keep me adequately warm and I had a fleece vest on underneath it also! The hood is not adequately lined and is of little help against the cold wind. The hand pockets on the thigh are useless as they have no lining in them.
Material: appears thin by other competitor models but is warm to an extent (see above). Material appears very durable and water resistant.
Other: in my opinion, the outer pockets need warm lining AND Velcro closures rather than the snaps. Depending on what you place in your pockets the snaps are difficult to fasten at times. And especially so if you are wearing gloves. Velcro would cure that problem and make "stuff n go" much easier and more secure.
Secondly, there needs to be dedicated chest pockets for pens, pads, phones, etc inside the jacket Yes I know, there is a zippered one in the lining between the outer and inner layers. But it's not a traditional pocket.
Lastly, this coat needs more warmth in it. It's more of an overcoat than a winter jacket to brave the elements with.
Again, your mileage may vary
January 28, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by MooseyDwyer Good For lite outing.
This jacket is good for a lite outing. Runs true. Nice Jacket. For the in between weather.
January 19, 2013
Rated 4 out of 5 by pneuma Just right.
Have been trying to locate an "old fashioned" parka. Not one for skiing, nor one filled with down or some synthetic fiber, but simply a parka: shell, wool lining, hood, pockets, two-way zipper, draw string at waste, able to fit over sweater or other layer. Wear for a variety of uses. This is just right.
The one concession to a more modern coat would be adding slash pockets rather than the "shirt-style" upper pockets. But...then it wouldn't be an old fashioned parka.
December 19, 2012
Rated 2 out of 5 by m20814 Disappointment
I have an ~30 year old (original) Baxter State Parka (BSP) that is in great need of replacement. A few critical areas having worn through in the last few years and are beyond repair, so I was quite excited to find that a new LLBean jacket modeled on the original BSP (the Northwoods Parks) was now available and really looked forward to replacing my worn-out one.
Unfortunately, the new version differs in too many ways that make it a poor comparison to the original BSP.
The Men's medium has added a number of inches in circumference in the chest and waist, and it is much too large for me. I ordered a Men's small is that while it fits well in the chest, the waist circumference combined with the now much longer zipper made it impossible for me to easily zip the jacket up. [I also tried on a Woman's large, which appeared to fit better, but I was unable to deal with the reverse side zipper].
Another problem is the construction of the side pocket (the one that is sort of built into the front patch pockets) is significantly smaller than in the origin BSP. In the original BSP that pocket was completely behind the front patch pocket and was much roomier than in the current version.
So, having had problems with size and zipper and pocket, I can only say that I am disappointed that LLBean did not copy the old BSP more closely, or reproduce it exactly!.
The jacket does appear to be well constructed, the changes just don't work for me.
December 19, 2012
Rated 4 out of 5 by clmess comes in 'tall', great for warm winter days
Bought this one's ancestor 35 years ago, so we needed to finally replace it. Good looking, good for those non-freezing days. BUT, it has a plastic zipper which is sometimes not easy to use. The previous one worked fine, but this one is a hassle. Still, we would recommend this jacket.
December 5, 2012
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