Rated 3 out of 5 by NWDad Bulky and breakable
The 6x/7 size of this coat was too bulky for my large 6 year old. The zipper broke within 1 month. I sent this back and ordered the Galcier Summit jacket which has a btter fit, and moves better becasue of the gusseted elbows and sholders.
April 15, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by NovaScotiaLLBeanFan Our favourite jacket
I've been buying LL Bean Katadin parkas for my children, and were very happy with those.
My son picked the Snowfield parka (red# because he liked the colour.
Always liked the Katadin #met our needs perfectly in Nova Scotia, Canada# - but this seems to be a step up.
It seems heavier weight to us, and more substantial. I also like the cut better.
I will now buy the Snowfield parkas because I'm just that much more impressed. We haven't had any problems with zippers, and it's wearing beautifully - I've thrown it in the washer several times, stains come out easily, and looks good as new.
I always buy a size bigger and get 2-3 years out of LL Bean jackets #and I pass them down to younger sibblings) - and I'll definitely be able to with this coat.
February 9, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by SoMnMom Warm, but terrible zipper!
This has been a great jacket for my 6-yr-old son, except that we've had the same problems with fabric getting caught in the zipper. It started right away and has now ripped the fabric, making it nearly impossible to zip!
I ordered a replacement this morning (great customer service!) and will return the defective jacket. Each year I've gotten all of my son's winter gear from L.L. Bean, but this is not the quality of past purchases. I hope the replacement is better; if not, it will go back also. L.L. Bean - Please fix this issue for next year!
January 31, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by CollyKL Exremely warm but...
The coat seems warmer and much nicer than the the Katahdin, which my son has always worn previous to this winter. My big problem with this parka is the horrible zipper. Almost every time he zips the coat, the zipper gets caught either on the way up or the way down (or both) on the surrounding fabric. I'm actually contemplating returning it and going back to the Katahdin. So disappointed.
January 23, 2013
Rated 2 out of 5 by MSPMom Faulty zipper
I just sent this coat back since we were disappointed in the quality of the zipper. My 7-year-old son could not get it to work and neither could we. It got stuck all the time and it's a new coat! The rest of the coat looked great, but we didn't keep it long enough to review it. We bought the coat because we had to return another boys LL Bean coat when the zipper on that broke completely. There's something going on with the quality of LL Bean's zippers. We're really disappointed since we've always trusted the quality of the company and its products, but that is changing. Perhaps they should bring more of their manufacturing back to the US to better control quality.
January 16, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by 2SummerBabies Thank God!
I searched high and low for a GOOD winter jacket for my two sons. I wanted a warm water proof jacket that didn't have 3 layers. It was so hard to find. This jacket is great!
January 9, 2013
Rated 3 out of 5 by Winterparent Jacket is fine but quality control was problematic
Our son has used this jacket for about 1 1/2 years and it has worked well for him--though it's thin and would not be warm enough for the temperature guidelines without a very warm additional shirt, but he always feels warmer than average so the warmth hasn't been much of an issue for us. But about a month ago, the zipper came off in his hand. I called to ask for a replacement jacket which came promptly. But (a) it was without a hood, and more importantly, (b), the zipper on the brandnew jacket was faulty. The margin of cloth next to the zipper was too narrow along about 5 inches of zipper, forcing the cloth of the jacket itself to get caught in the zipper every single time we opened or closed the jacket, and requiring way more force than our son could apply. So, we are now waiting for a new jacket again! Customer service has been excellent but quality control on this jacket has not. Next year we will get a different jacket.
January 2, 2013
Rated 5 out of 5 by MotherOfToddler Great jacket; red color is not like shown
I ordered this jacket for my tall 5.5-year-old in size 7. It fits him perfectly, with some extra length in sleeves, so hopefully we'll be able to wear it next year too. The fleece lining is very nice. I've been buying Kathadin parkas for my son for years, but this fleece, I think, makes the jacket coisier. I also like the knit cuffs inside the outer cuffs. They keep the cold from coming up the sleeve.
We've had the jacket for 3 weeks and had no problems with the zipper, as some other reviewers have. I was mindful of the zipper and was prepared to wax it before wear, but it worked very smoothly and didn't seem to need any help.
I got the jacket in red. I was hesitating about the color, because the lighter red shows up on my computer as magenta, which would be a strange color for a boy. But in fact it's fire-engine red; both colors are very goodand work together nicely.
We love the parka, and I would recommend it to anyone.
December 28, 2012
Rated 5 out of 5 by R1M2 Love it.
Bought 3 of these jackets in the past 2 years... not this year's model yet.....for tall thin SON when he was 4 (red), and 5 (carbon), and for my average/ bit baby figure DAUGHTER she is 4 (teal blue) and they have been WONDERFUL- love the water proof, great fit, cinch waste, hood is fitted (not to large or small, nice peak), I buy the size of their age, both kids have different body-type and they both get a great fit from this jacket.... not a zipper problem btwn the 3 jackets (bought 2010/2011).... and my kids dress themselves everyday....several times- before/after school/recess etc.
December 27, 2012
Rated 5 out of 5 by Huntdaddy Boy's Parka
Excellent quality. Size runs big, so be aware of that. Go by the size number, not the Medium or Large. It does keep you warm.
December 19, 2012