I am: kayaker, horsewoman, sometime sleddogger, and occasional guest crew on Chesapeake Bay tall ships. I wanted real foulies, but starving artists can't pay for the high end stuff. I've had excellent experiences with earlier LL Bean gear, and this stacked up nicely in price. I did check out the ladies version but am not a muted/pastel color person; I like brights, darks and earth tones, which I find in the guys' version (some new color schemes please, Ms. Bean?). The shape fits mine well enough.
Seems quite waterproof. Very light (rollable, packable, stuffable in your day bag), yet seems sturdy. The hood fell over my eyes, easily solved by adjusting it, and wearing a baseball type cap underneath (I totally recommend this: the cap adds a layer of "rain roof"). Velcro; nice. Pockets; good. Various adjusting bungees; good. Would fit over or under a PFD fine. Quite windproof.
The only thing I noticed was that on a muggy, rainy day, it got a bit damp inside (not as breathable as I'd like, but nobody's perfect)...still waaaaay better than cheaper, more plasticky versions.
Someone noted that it is a noisy fabric. It isn't a stealth jacket, if you're stalking that tiger with a camera, but I didn't find it annoyingly noisy either.
I would wear it with a layer or two of fleece or wicking fabrics beneath. Or get it large enough to wear with a good wool sweater on chilly days. With layers, this would be a great 3 season jacket.
Now; let's see if it holds up to sled dogs, goats, horses, sand, wind and river rocks, and the forepeak halyard...
I’m not sure about my feelings for this jacket. I seem to simultaneously love it and dislike it. It’s not what I expected but that might be a good thing. On the plus side, it looks good and I like the features such as how one can fit the hood tight on one’s face. It’s a lot lighter than I expected which at first concerned me but now I seem to like that. It seems to keep out the wind but not sure how it will hold out on colder days as a windbreaker. My main complaint is that when it rains, the jacket feels clammy inside as if moisture were getting through. I gave it a good test in some medium rain and it felt somewhat uncomfortable to me initially. This was especially noticeable when I leaned back on a park bench in the rain. It felt like someone was putting a wet shower cloth against my back. Interestingly, I did not get that feeling from sitting on the bench with rain pants that I bought from another company that appears to be made of similar material. After an hour in the rain, I had my wife feel my clothes when I took off my jacket and she said my shirt was not wet. So water did not get through despite my constant feeling of dampness while I was outside in the rain. Perhaps I’m just old and used to old rubber products that do not breathe. Despite this feeling it apparently kept me dry in the rain so I guess I’ll be happily keeping it.
I totally recomend this jacket, I used it for 2 rainy days and it is so comfortable you don"t even notice that is raining is so comfortable is the best rain jacket I ever had is a little spencive but is totally worth it.
I recently purchased the LL Bean Waterproof Storm Jacket and had a chance to use it this past weekend when I was up in Boston. On the day we decided to see the sights it rained all day. I was out in everything from a light drizzle to a downpour and stayed dry the entire time with this jacket. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good 3-season rain jacket.
