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

[angierae]

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.

This is what I was coming in to post. My daughter just earned hers in marching band, and we'll be ordering it this summer from the shop in town that is the "official" merchant. We attend every home football game (marching band, after all!) and it is SO easy to pick out the ones that aren't the "official" jacket.

I am currently budgeting $300 (she has to pay a third of it out of her summer job money) but I haven't called to get an idea of cost yet. But I'm super proud of her accomplishment and I figure this will be her winter jacket for the next two years (she's a rising junior) so it doesn't seem all that ridiculous to me. It'll be a better quality jacket than your average $100 parka, and I won't have to buy her another one until college.

 

[Sandi]

I just talked to the local store that handles the ordering for the MSU Spartan's Varsity Club because my dad wants to replace his -- which he earned in the 1950's for Cross Country. By the time the letter is sewn on, we get it personalized, and we cover shipping, it is going to be about $300. It will be a bit more if he needs something larger than a 2X. If he wants it, I'm getting it for him for Father's Day. The guy -- and my mom -- bought 4 varsity jackets for their 4 kids in high school many moon ago.

 

[AintGonaGrowUp]

In my hme town, we could get them from one of the local embrodary/ screan pint shops. we just had to have a letter from the athletic office saying we earned it. they cost $100-$250 ish depending on what lining/inslation or full leather, leather stripe, wool sleeves.... so on and so forth...

 

[lovewdwdvc]

I agree that it is a good idea to make sure that the child really wants the jacket. We had 3 sons and none of them wanter the jacket despite lettering in multiple sports starting their sophomore year.

I suggest that you buy one from an alumni who does not want the jacket any more. It used to be easy to remove the old letter, number, and other stuff and replace with the stuff that the new person has won.

Congrats on having a child with talent and drive.

 

[PirateFish989]

After I earned my letters for sports, music and academics, I bought my jacket. In my town, a local sporting goods store is the only place that carries them for all the high schools. I don't remember how much the actual jacket was ($150? $200?), but I added a bunch of extras - name embroidered (first on the front, last on the back), a personalized picture of my sport embroidered on the back, a patch of my school mascot, and then I had all my letters and other patches sewed on. It is definitely still one of my favorite pieces of clothing and I wore it a lot in high school, but have only worn it twice in the four years I've been in college. I personally love having it and value it more knowing that I earned everything on it.

 

[azdizzymom]

My son earned his as a freshman---he just finished his sophomore year. Our jackets are free---but if you want leather sleeves you have to pay. We did this and I believe it was a max of $45. They sew the first 'letter' on ....we had to pay to have the last name done and the other patches sewn on. It was a max of $20. At our school most of the kids who earn them wear them. He got his for varsity soccer, jv basketball and varsity golf.

Good luck!

 

[tinan]

Wow....I must say that I am jealous of those school districts that give the kids their jackets. I think it's great that they do! Ours on the other hand ran about $225-250. My daughter also earned hers as a freshman and I was very proud of her. Although our school doesn't have a set jacket the kids have to order, which allows for individuality also. My daughter liked this freedom and chose to go against the grain. Our school colors are royal blue, white, black and silver/gray. So she chose to go with royal blue on the wool, the leather sleeves are a gray and her cuffs are white, royal and gray. All of the kids in her school that earn a letter end up getting a jacket, but the majority of the jackets are in our school is a dark blue instead of royal with dark blue sleeves. It really is a drab/dreary looking jacket that the majority has.

For those of you with academic letters, when and how do the kids earn them? We are trying to get it implemented in our school and I am wondering how others handle it.

 

[spacemountainmom]

Wow....I must say that I am jealous of those school districts that give the kids their jackets. I think it's great that they do! Ours on the other hand ran about $225-250. My daughter also earned hers as a freshman and I was very proud of her. Although our school doesn't have a set jacket the kids have to order, which allows for individuality also. My daughter liked this freedom and chose to go against the grain. Our school colors are royal blue, white, black and silver/gray. So she chose to go with royal blue on the wool, the leather sleeves are a gray and her cuffs are white, royal and gray. All of the kids in her school that earn a letter end up getting a jacket, but the majority of the jackets are in our school is a dark blue instead of royal with dark blue sleeves. It really is a drab/dreary looking jacket that the majority has.

For those of you with academic letters, when and how do the kids earn them? We are trying to get it implemented in our school and I am wondering how others handle it.

DD's school does letter students for academics. The requirement is that they maintain at least a 3.333 gpa for the school year. She earned one as a freshman, but it was not given out until the end of the sophomore year. She received it at the same ceremony when she was inducted into the NHS. They first notified us that she would letter near the end of her freshmen year.

DD also lettered as a freshman in band. We still haven't gotten her a jacket. Most people go through the school, but they've had some issues with their vendor and weren't selling them this year so I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and get one through the local sporting goods store. I have heard that they cost about $75 more to go that route, but she wants one and I don't want to wait for the school to get their "stuff" together.

 

[magsmum]

At my kids' high school you can earn a jacket either through sports or fine arts. We have an awesome Boosters Club that subsidizes the cost of sports ones and an arts parent group that subsides the fine arts one. My daughter is getting a fine arts one this year and we paid $35. I don't remember what we paid for my son's sports one, but it was in the $25-35 range.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Please note this thread is FIVE years old and was bumped by a spammer.

 

[scrhsa]

I can't remember what my daughters cost but I think both were in the 200 dollar range. My regret is that I didn't get the leather sleeves. I let my girls pick whatever patches they wanted...as long as they fit with what they earned the jacket for and accomplished in their field (choir and drama). Especially the youngest, she has hardly ever been involved in school activities and has been somewhat picked on at school. I wanted her to really have a sense of accomplishment. But, man, shouldn't have skimped on the sleeves Oh, and the school provided the jacket but we had to buy all the extra stuff. In choir and drama they earned points but competing in uil and other commitments within your field. Not sure how sports does it here.

 

[mjkacmom]

And another bump from a spammer.