New Green Wool Jacket

[ScoutBox]

drmbear, I got myself one of my Council Fleece Jackets from my Council Scout SHop. Works great, and I can add patches to it like my Totem Patch which I had made up through a friend with an embroidery shop. Now my Red, and Green Jac Shirts, i keep to the standard of the Uniform Guide, and that way no problems. But I see several people in council wearing special patches they earned on their Red Jacs. SO it becomes very personal.

I do agree with the development of better outdoor kit from National. I guess the new Soft Shells is a good direction, but I'm not a fan. But they do look good. I wish they'd bring back the Boy's Life WOol Jackets for the Boys..

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

I've had one since Nov, I love it. The fit is odd, as posted above, I had to go down a size. I've put it through the rigors. The jacket has been showered in campfire embers, soaked with snow and freezing rain, baptized in of hot chocolate, and has been used for a pillow on a few occasions.

 

Sewing all the goodies from my retired red wool was a snap, the material is supple, and a bit of a tighter weave. Its comfy, and shows no indication of shrinkage.

 

So far so good

 

Edit

 

The regs say the same rules apply to the green, as the red. I have my bull on the left shoulder (tail over the seam), TC patch on right pocket, 6 in from NOAC on back. I also have a vintage 1950 ADC patch on the left shoulder, this is against policy, but youll only get call on it at WB.

(This message has been edited by Old_OX_Eagle83)

[SSScout]

I wish Filson made Scout coats. Seems like the right green to me.

http://www.filson.com/products/double-mackinaw-cruiser.10041.html?fromCat=true&fvalsProduct=mens/coats-jackets&fmetaProduct=1011

[ScoutBox]

@ SSScout, I have a nice Filson Wool MACKINAW CRUISER in Dark Grey. Talk about a great jacket.. works in the rain, and the snow perfect..

 

@old ox eagle, could you post a picture of your ID jacket with all of those patches sewn up. I'd like to see that.. the red one looks great with the colorful patches on it, but I can't picture the OD one with them sewn up..

 

BTW, We've (Staff Members) have been asked to bring our red Jacs to Woodbadge to wear for the course picture.

 

[drhink]

There's a separate thread about the red jackets, so you might want to read it. They are not being discontinued, but the sizing has been "simplified" to replace the old even numbered chest sizing to make inventory simpler to maintain. Only a couple of the old sizes are still available at a closeout price online.

 

Our scout shop sells a flannel-lined red nylon windbreaker for $10 (like an athletic coach type jacket), so even with the cost for a universal emblem patch to add to it, it's an economical alternative if the course director says "you must have a red jacket". Perhaps not as warm as the red wool, but good enough for group picture time. Keep in mind, there are no "official uniform" jackets per se, since a jacket isn't part of the official uniform.

 

As for the relatively new debate about red versus green, I'm more a fan of the red, not because I like the color better, but because we seem to do a lot of outings near popular hunting areas more than I'd like. For the same reason, I encourage our scouts to get the brightest, loudest colored ponchos and backpacks they can. Sometimes being safe is more important than looking cool. But of course with boys, once a bunch of older guys start wearing blaze orange knit beanies on fall and winter camp outs, it suddenly becomes the "cool hat" to have.

[Old_OX_Eagle83]

No official unifor jackets? The information below is directly from the insignia guide.

 

Jackets and Their Insignia

Multicolored jackets in nylon, wool, and poplin are available for optional wear by youth members and adult leaders. The universal emblem should be worn on the left pocket or, in case of a jacket without chest pockets, in the same area. The Philmont bull emblem is especially designed for the red wool jac-shirt to be sewn on the left side above the pocket. On all jackets the Philmont Scout Ranch, Philmont Training Center, or high-adventure base emblems may be worn centered on the right pocket or in the same relative position if there is no pocket. The Order of the Arrow has adopted the jac-shirt as its official jacket, and members may wear the �6-inch national Order of the Arrow patch centered on the back. The large Philmont, NESA, jamboree, National Camping School, Scout�master Award of Merit, and international par�ticipant emblems are approved to be worn on the back of the jacket. Only one such emblem may be worn at a time. The Venture/Varsity �letter may be worn on the center of the right side of the red or blaze nylon or poplin jacket. In all cases, the lightweight jacket is an alternate for the jac-shirt, and this insignia may be worn on it in the same way.

 

 

[drhink]

Old_OX_Eagle83 - let me clarify what I meant.

 

As the text you quoted from the Special Regulations says, the red jac-shirt is designated "official jacket" only by the OA. There's a reason the jac-shirt is under the "Apparel" category on the scout shop and not under the "Uniform" category. Our scout shop sells a variety of jackets, and any that don't already have a scout emblem on the left chest pocket area can have one sewn on to make it acceptable for wear with the uniform under the Special Regulations. At one point years ago (but nobody I've asked seems to know exactly when), the red wool jac-shirt was the only jacket you were allowed to wear over ("with") your uniform, but that is no longer the case. I suppose back then it was consider "the official jacket". But there have been many different jackets sold by national in the past decades and all with a scout emblem may be worn with the uniform. Some of them were /are not marked as officially BSA licensed apparel and they do not have the BSA emblem. But like I mentioned, you are free to add a universal emblem patch to them (for your personal use - not for resale). So what I meant was, although the jac-shirt is "officially licensed" apparel, that doesn't mean it's "THE official jacket" (except as noted for the OA). One reason for the Special Regulations (at some point in the 70's) for jackets was to stop people from covering the back of their jac-shirts with patches. And it is trying to say in a round about way that if you wear a jacket with your uniform, it should have a BSA universal emblem on the left chest. As for color, there are no "offical" specs. Recently, I have seen officially licensed jackets in red, green, navy, tan, gray, yellow and black. There is a red nylon Commissioner Jacket, obviously meant to be worn only by Unit Commissioners, yet I can't find anything that designates it as "the official Commissioner jacket". So I'll concede at some level the red jac-shirt is "official", but I meant by no means is it the only red jacket permitted to wear with the uniform.

[LeCastor]

All in all, I like the new green wool jacket. However, my only complaints would be that the sleeves are a little too short and it doesn't quite match my pants. In fact, I've noticed that the greens are all over the place--socks, loops, pants, caps. They are just a shade different than uniform...But, heck, they'll all fade sooner or later anyway, right?

 

I'd like to get a red jac-shirt, too, because I've always wanted one. Too me it's the iconic look of the Scouter--green pants and a red wood shirt/jacket.

[UCEagle72]

As a person who worked at the Michigan State University Bookstore (Go Spartans!) let me tell you -- green is the single hardest color to match from fabric to fabric or even dye lot to dye lot in the same fabric.

 

So slight variations will always exist.