letterman jacket -- any advice? ways to save? how much does it cost?

[Grumpy's Gal]

this is all new to me. Have any of you bought a letterman jacket for a high school student? did you have to buy it locally from your school? or from a local sports store? or online?

any way to save? About how much did it cost?

TIA.

 

[Mas17]

First off, the student has to earn it. (at least where my kids go). After it is earned, they are given a form from the athletic office to buy one. I think they are ordered a couple times a year. I have bought 3 and they cost about $125.00 each. Initially if you give them any letters, numbers, patches they sew them on free. After that, you're on your own.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

In our high school, once it's earned you can only order it from the athletic dept. No other choices.

I don't know the cost, it was my neighbor who complained to me about it because she said the cost was ridiculous. I don't know what she considers ridiculous though.

 

[dimimi]

Ours was over $200. Our son was very proud of it and earned his letter as a sophomore. We bought the jacket and figured he'd get 3 years out of it. That is his winter jacket. Yes, it's expensive, but he didn't want a class ring and he really isn't into clothes.

Some people bought the jacket as a birthday or Christmas present. The best advice we got was to buy it as soon as you can so they can wear it for several years. Also, although you don't want them to ruin it, let them wear it! Once they graduate from high school, they aren't going to wear it much.

 

[jsmith]

ours ran about 225 a piece-including the large indian head on the back-and we got them from a local vendor that did them for a number of area highschools. purchased at the end of sophomore year when we had multiple letters, bars,pins ect to put on them. The got worn thru the two years of high school but now only to homecoming.

 

[shirleyb]

Our oldest son's was $170 and the younger son's was $190 because he's very large!

 

[findmewdw]

It sounds like I am very lucky! My DD received her jacket at the end of last year and it was free; we didn't have to pay a dime. She received hers from playing varsity sports as a sophomore. She missed earning one academically her freshman year by one lousy B in Spanish! I just thought all schools gave this free service. She is our first child in high school and it was all new to me, too. I teach in the same county. Guess I should thank the school! Now if only they could have splurged for the class high school ring, too!

 

[allison443]

At my kids' high school the jackets are ordered through the school and cost around $200. My dd worked very hard to earn that jacket and it was money well-spent, she wore the heck out of that thing!! It is the kind with the leather sleeves and heavy wool (I think) body.

Here the jackets are only for sports/band; I see someone mentioned an academic one but I've never seen that or even heard of it till the dis. Are they similar to the sports ones? What do they say on them?

 

[clh2]

Here the jackets are only for sports/band; I see someone mentioned an academic one but I've never seen that or even heard of it till the dis. Are they similar to the sports ones? What do they say on them?

In addition to sports, my DD has earned a letter for a creative problem solving team that she's been on and has advanced to the national level tournament, as well as academics. She wasn't in band long enough to get a letter for that, but our school has those as well.

DD wasn't interested in a jacket - so saved my tons!

 

[peanut12392]

We paid $305! He earned it as a sophmore, so I had to look at it as his winter coat for 3 years. Our school doesnt provide them. When they earn them they get the letter and patches, and we have to go to a local sporting goods store to get them. It gets expensive. Every season when he gets new patches we have to pay a seamstress to add the patches (usually 15 to 20 dollars). I am able to sew and have a machine, but the coat is too bulky for me to do.

 

[tomthebarncat]

Are there any alumni who are selling thiers after they move on?? just an economical thought and suggestion???

 

[JaymeC]

I just wanted to mention that at our school you *could* go outside the system and get a jacket that was considerably cheaper... but honestly they looked it. And I never saw the kids that had the less expensive ones wear them more than a handful of times. So if there *is* a way to go outside the system, I'd encourage you to check up and see what the quality is like first to ensure it's going to be a jacket that will get worn.

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I had wanted to get m y son a letterman jacket he has the letters and the pins but I never ever see any one around here wearing one, not once. Kids will wear t heir sports warm up jackets but that is about it so we have t he letters and no jacket!

 

[3mickeymom]

six years ago. My son is tall and I paid extra for X-long body and for X-long sleeves and it was so worth it. Some of the basketball players didn't and their sleeves were SO short. They are usually good quality and like other posters have said, that became his Winter coat for three winters. It was also his main Christmas gift that year and he was fine with that.

 

[3mickeymom]

instead of your first. I haven't done this with Varsity jackets but with sports jackets for youth sports, we get our last name embroidered so the jacket can be passed down, if needed. My youngest wears his BIg brothers Pop warner jackets. I guess if you wanted too, you could remove specific patches from Varsity jackets and add the ones the younger kids earn. I have three bulky letterman jackets(including my husband's) in my upstairs closet that will never be worn again. One looks brand new since my son didn't earn it until late in his Junior year, so I probably could reuse it if it fit my youngest.

 

[marius97]

Mine was $300 about 17 years ago. We too had to earn letters and then go to one particular local store to get the jacket. I loved mine and wished I still had it. Alas, I lost it in a break up with a not so nice girlfriend.

 

[PlutoPony]

Very few kids at my son's school wear them - mostly football players it seems. After you earn a letter, you can go to a local store that does embroidery, etc. to order the jacket and they run $250 and up, There are a couple of cheaper places you can go (ala knock-offs ) but the color and script aren't quite the same. Aside from the fact that they just don't get worn much, my other issue is that so many kids (esp. boys) haven't finished growing yet so sizing can be a challenge. I'd hate to get one sophomore year that's too small a couple years later, which would probably be the case for us.

We went the route of putting each letter in a really nice shadow box and hanging them on the wall in his room. I did it for him for Christmas last year and he was really pleased. Very easy to add pins to them when needed and all that. They also get a really nice certificate with each letter/pin and we have the most recent one hanging in a certificate frame below each letter. It's a nice reminder of what he's accomplished given the amount of time and work he's put in.

 

[marthachick]

this is all new to me. Have any of you bought a letterman jacket for a high school student? did you have to buy it locally from your school? or from a local sports store? or online?

I checked online and saw many that were wayyy cheaper than DS's but it's kind of hard to know what the colors will be or the quality of the jacket. For instance, DS's school colors are gold & navy. At the store we went to the salesman happened to know if you ordered navy sleeves, they actually look black. So to get navy, you ordered royal blue!! And you can also check sizes.

In our high school, once it's earned you can only order it from the athletic dept. No other choices.

At our school, you earn the letter and then go to a local sporting goods store to order your customized jacket. The school's athletic department did not recommend a specific store. DS asked several athletes who had really nice jackets & most of them came from the same store. DS's was between $350 - $400. He got it for Christmas his sophomore year as he lettered in track his freshman year & football his sophomore year. It IS the nicest jacket I've seen & several students have copied his.

Are there any alumni who are selling thiers after they move on?? just an economical thought and suggestion???

Most jackets are highly personalized so they couldn't be bought from alumni. DS's has his first & last name on front, football helmet with his jersey number on it, and last name embroidered on the back.

I loved mine and wished I still had it. Alas, I lost it in a break up with a not so nice girlfriend.

I threatened DS with bodily harm if he EVER let a girlfriend wear it. Most girls have tons of clothes & I paid wayyyy too much for one to trash or steal his if they broke up. This is very important to stress. I worked at our local high school before he was born and heard of several incidents of this happening so I made sure it didn't happen to him. (Same with class ring after hearing of girls that lost or threw away a guy's ring when they broke up!)

It sounds like I am very lucky! My DD received her jacket at the end of last year and it was free; we didn't have to pay a dime.

Wow, that would have been awesome!!!

We went the route of putting each letter in a really nice shadow box and hanging them on the wall in his room.

That's a great idea if they're really not into the jacket. At our HS, it's a really big deal though. DS had started talking about a letter jacket before he even got to high school though. Guess every area's different.

 

[NYEmomma]

I'm 30 so my experience with letterman's jackets is about 15 years old now (man, I feel old!) but at my high school you didn't have to "earn" your jacket. They weren't purchased through the athletic department, instead everyone got theirs from the local sporting goods store. That's where ALL of our city's mascot stuff was purchased.

A lot of people in my school purchased their letterman's jackets in their freshman or sophomore years before getting their letters, just because they're not cheap items to only wear for 1 year. This way you got more use out of them. Letterman's jackets were REALLY popular back when I was in school. I got mine my sophomore year & got my letter at the end of my junior year. Some people who didn't participate in any activity that would earn them a letter still had letterman's jackets. Our school district was big on the "school pride" thing, it seems. Almost EVERYONE had some Stow-related apparel in their regular wardrobe.

Also, back when I was in school, it was fairly impossible to "hand down" a jacket with all the embroidery going on... first there was the letter(s) sewn on, then everyone had their last names on the back of the jacket, plus symbols or the names of their sports/activities. The cost to have all that removed or undone just wouldn't be worth it, IMO.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Very few kids at my son's school wear them - mostly football players it seems. After you earn a letter, you can go to a local store that does embroidery, etc. to order the jacket and they run $250 and up, There are a couple of cheaper places you can go (ala knock-offs ) but the color and script aren't quite the same. Aside from the fact that they just don't get worn much, my other issue is that so many kids (esp. boys) haven't finished growing yet so sizing can be a challenge. I'd hate to get one sophomore year that's too small a couple years later, which would probably be the case for us.

We went the route of putting each letter in a really nice shadow box and hanging them on the wall in his room. I did it for him for Christmas last year and he was really pleased. Very easy to add pins to them when needed and all that. They also get a really nice certificate with each letter/pin and we have the most recent one hanging in a certificate frame below each letter. It's a nice reminder of what he's accomplished given the amount of time and work he's put in.

THIS!! Before you spend any money, make sure you child really wants one. DD15 lettered in cross country her freshman year--I was over-the-moon proud of her, and dying to buy her a jacket. She didn't want one--"Only jocks wear those!" Um, Honey, you lettered your freshman year--I think you qualify! But, she was adamant. Instead, I put the letter, her team photo, and her medal from States in a shadow box that's up in her room. I don't know what happened to this year's letter--maybe she's afraid to let her crazy mom near it?