Perfect weight, keeps me dry, super comfortable, and will fit over a fleece on colder days. However a few major drawbacks keep it at two stars. First, as another reviewer said, the zipper is impossible to get started and then later detached without a great deal of patience and concentration. Next, the combination of the unlined material along with the lack of armpit zippers makes it *very* uncomfortable inside the jacket in high humidity. I live in Arkansas, and in the summer humidity I sweat instantly without the jacket. So with the jacket, my arms - I'm talking shoulders to wrists here - sweat so that the sleeves literally stick to my arms and I have to peel them off when I remove the jacket. Oh, what I'd give for a couple of vent zippers!! Should be standard with this kind of fabric. I still love the jacket on cooler, low humidity days; I just can't wear it much of the time, which means I now need to buy another one for humid days. If you're buying your one-and-only rain jacket, spring for a more expensive one with vents.
I ordered this to replace an older model jacket that became defective and I returned. It was not at all what I was expecting. The Soft Teal color was really a pale bright blue that was not very attractive. There is no lining and the rubbery texture seems that it would stick to bare skin. I have returned for the Stowaway. More my misunderstanding of what this jacket would look like and feel - although I can't figure out when it would be usable without any lining.
The jacket itself is comfortable and lightweight & protects against the rain. The zipper, however, is practically impossible. It is very difficult and frustrating to zip up. I exchanged it for another, which was equally difficult to zip up, too!
My L.L.Bean rain jacket was the envy of everyone as our travel group stood outside in a drenching rain near Dubrovnik, Croatia, waiting for our transportation to arrive. I was the only one staying anywhere near dry. I probably could have sold several jackets for the company right then! I bought my jacket for a trip to Alaska, and it has been traveling with me ever since. It's the perfect weight to pack and to wear.
