Red Wool Jacket

[Eagle92]

http://www.bemidjiwoolenmills.com/details.php?id=voyscout

 

Voyageurs Scout Jacket $162

A hurly burly classic with slanted slash pockets and tailored styling. This jacket's generous fit, substantial fabric, quality sewing and broad color choice feels good and looks right on the roughest of trails and the most stylish of streets.

100% Pure Virgin Wool 28 oz.

This jacket has 2 buttons on the chest pockets and comes with the Boys Scout patch as shown in the pic.

 

 

Northern Tier sells it as well at $115! They just don't tell you it's not THE official red wool jac-shirt.

 

 

Me personally I went the ebay route to finally get mine. Did need place a few stitches in one of the pockets, but I paid about $70 I'm THRIFTY.

 

http://www.northerntiertradingpost.org/boy-scout-jacket.html

[Buffalo Skipper]

I can say that I have wanted a Jac-shirt since I was a scout. My wife has promised me one for Christmas this year. Two days after that the troop is going to Winter Camp, and I am looking forward to sporting it then.

 

Any tips on care for wool garmets? We don't have many around here.

[Frank17]

I got mine for Christmas last year! Really a nice surprise.

1. Be prepared to wear long sleeves under it, as the wool is very itchy and scratchy.

2. It is VERY warm, so I only wear mine when it is well below freezing.

3. Only had to wash it once since I got it, but washed in in cold gentle, by itself, and let it line dry. It definately lost some of the red on the 1st wash, so don't put it in with any whites (or they'll be pinks!).

 

Enjoy!

[Eagle92]

1) Handwash with Woolite

2) "press dry" i.e. place it on 2 towels doubled over, then place 2 more towels over and "press" or walk on towels until mots of the qater is dry

 

3) get new towels, lay on top of them flat, and let dry overnite. Don't want to hand as that stretches the material.

[Big Sky]

Washed mine last night. I ordered a little big then washed in the washer on normal cylce warm water and then ran it through the dryer. It didn't shrink all that much but sure tightened up the fibers and made it warmer. Wash it by itself because it does bleed. I like it more after I washed it. Wish I'd know about the other ones mentioned above I would have bought on of those instead.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Thanks much for the tips. We will keep it in mind.

 

 

[BrentAllen]

I finally got one on ebay back in early summer, for $35. 100% wool, never had a patch sewn on it, as far as I can tell. If you want a real deal on one, wait until summer and keep a close eye on ebay (not many people thinking about a wool jacket when it's 90 outside). Size 42's show up a lot. I need a size 44, so it took a little longer, but it was worth the wait. This jac looks brand new.

 

As for care, the tag in this one says dry cleaning recommended.

[emb021]

Well, I've long wanted a red wool jacket, but as it doesn't get as cold as it used to here in Florida, and I didn't want to pay for a new jacket I'd only wear a few times, I kept an eye on eBay. Finally got one my size. there were several patches on it, plus an oil stain on it (I think from whetstone oil). Did some dry cleaning on it to get most of the oil out, and removed the patches and put what I wanted on it (OA jacket patch on the back, philmont bull on the front, sea base with 2 segments on the right pocket. Generic jacket patch was already on the left pocket).

 

 

[Buffalo Skipper]

I finally got mine. We have a bit of a cold snap (lows in the 30s, highs below 60) this week, so I am looking forward to wearing it to our next meeting and our PLC (Green Bar) hike. BSA patch is sewn on, but I have not chosen a large patch for the back yet. I am considering the 100th anniversery patch.

[BrentAllen]

I'm holding out for the HA Triple Crown for the patch on the back. NT in 2009, Sea Base in 2010. We didn't make the cut for Philmont for 2011, but we still have a shot at a council contingent trip. The NT loon is going above the left pocket. My real dilema is which one to wear - the Jac-Shirt or our Troop jacket. Decisions, decisions...

[eaglescout1996]

My wife and I were at our Volunteer Service Center yesterday for the Council's District Committee Training Workshop, and while on break we went in to the Scout Shop to look at a few things.

 

I've been scouring eBay looking for a Jac-shirt, since the one I had as a youth is a little small now, although a still wear it. It's a size 44, and I'm a 48 right now, which would put me at an XL since BSA stopped making them in real sizes and now makes them in the generic S,M,L,XL,ect. I always check in the back where the uniforms are, hoping to find an XL.

 

To my surprise, there it was! Scoutstuff has been out of M-XXL for a long time saying they won't be in stock until March, so I was surprised. Tried it on, and I was confused since it was kind of big on me, but I was prepared to spend the $100 on a new shirt since I probably wear it 6-8 times a month.

 

First off, I noticed (of course) that the new one wasn't as well made as the one I received 20 years ago, as the new ones seem a lot thinner....but there was something else, there were shirts there with two different manufactures. I checked the tag to see if was 100% wool or a wool blend....to my surprised, it had the same tag in the back as the new shirts..."Made in China".

 

I can stomach paying a $100 for a wool Jac-shirt made by Woolwich or Bemidji Mills...but not for a one made in China. There was already a pretty decent profit margin for BSA on Jac-shirts, but now it's even more or they wouldn't have moved production off shore.

 

I just don't understand it, there are still companies selling men's shirts (from well known names like Brooks Brothers) that are made in the USA and are the same price or cheaper than what BSA is selling us from China.

 

I guess I'll keep looking on eBay or a larger Jac-shirt....or just suck it up and loose those 30 lbs I need to!

[desertrat77]

Eaglescout1996, I can identify...my scout-era jacket was too small by the time I got involved in scouting again. And I certainly wasn't going to buy the expensive BSA coat made overseas.

 

I kept an eye on ebay and found 2 of the size I was looking for, within the space of a couple weeks...it was money well spent. The quality is superb, even after the years and miles put on those jackets by their previous owners.

 

One has the official pocket patch (not sewn on), one doesn't. I'll wear one around town on errands and such with civvies (when I'm home)...amazing how many people say "Hey, love that old scout coat!"

 

If the ebay jackets weren't available, I'd certainly consider buying a civilian equivilent, made in USA, before I'd buy the BSA version.

 

I thought about sewing my old Philmont Bull and OA backpatch on...but I kinda like the clean look of just the red wool.

 

Best wishes!

 

 

[ScoutBox]

I have one of the newer Jack Shirts.. I like it, but find it a bit too light on the material.. I would prefer a thinker wool.. In fact i would prefer a 100% wool version..

 

I do tend to wear it mostly to Scout Meetings.. It's a bit too cold here to rally wear it in the Winter outdoors.. but i plan to wear it more when the season gets warmer..

 

I did see a version that is made thinker, and has lower hand pockets.. I liked it but it cost almost 170 bucks???

[wneubauer@sbcglobal.net]

I last year I received a new "official" BSA red wool jacket for Christmas. After reading these posts, I checked the tag. It said the jacket was made in Guatemala of US made fabric. Not in China as someone stated earlier. At least they are using American material.

 

I do like the coat, and with the winter we have had down here, it was put to very good use. When I was a scout in the late 70's early 80's, all our leaders wore these. My father, a scouter until he passed, had one that has disappeared. I wish I knew where that jacket was!

 

As far as patches are concerned, the uniforming guidelines from the BSA for the jackets are just that, guidelines. The jacket is not an "official" part of the uniform.

[Eagle92]

WN,

Welcome to the forums.

 

Actually the red jac shirt IS a part of the official uniform and does have uniform guidelines to follow. After all we are setting the example for our youth.

 

What is interesting is that at one time, up to early 1970s I beleive, there were no regulations on the jacshirts, so patches could eb worn indescimentently (sp) on it. However that did change. And they did limit it. HOWEVER I knwo a few folks who have had their jacshirts since the 1960s, and keep them as they did back inthe day.

 

One thing I don't like about the IG is that it doesn't keep older uniform info. I have a patch ont he right pocket of my jac shirt that I am authorized to wear from back inthe day, but there is no mention of it in the IG. I usualy have to pull out the book to show UPs, of which i've beent old I am one, that yes it is an authorized patch for the right pocket.