Green Wool Jackets

[TAHAWK]

 They also make an OD one. Nice thing about these is that they have hand pockets.

Please, supply us to a link at Scout Stuff.

[Eagle94-A1]

@@TAHAWK,

 

I'm referring to Bemidji Woolen Mills. Their jac shirts have hand pockets.

[TAHAWK]

Looked them up.  Look nice.  Good reviews.  But the price is not for the faint-of-heart. 

[JasonG172]

Well there was one on Ebay the other day but the price was more than I was willing to pay.  I am still in the Market for a Med Green Jac Shirt.

 

thanks

[Eagle101]

Another option I would recommend is one used by scouters going back many years. The US Army used to issue a wool jac shirt that was considered a cold weather shirt, usually for wear in Korea or Germany. The color is OD green, the pockets are identical to a scout jac shirt but only have one button instead of two. These have been used my scouters on or near military bases for years. You can find them on ebay regularly. Sometimes they are overpriced, but sometimes you'll find a good deal. I got one for 9.99 a few years. I put an NESA pach on the back, and the red universal BSA patch on the front and it works great. GI quality, and looks old school. Also you might check a local Army Navy surplus. Hope this helps those of you still looking for a green jac shirt. I was lucky to get one when they were going out so I have the retired official one and my old military one. Here's a picture. This one is a medium and going for 15.99. 

[Stosh]

I have 2 wool Pendleton red jac-shirts.  I also have 1 BSA red jac-shirt.  I always have to look closely to make sure I grab the right one.  If I grab the wrong one, no one has ever noticed. 

[JasonG172]

Ha guys finally after calling stores (with rather rude responses from some) I finally acquired this yesterday on Ebay with a price I could stomach. 

 

There is also this option I stumbled across the other day.  Huge Marmot fan.

 

https://www.marmot.com/stilson-ls/44930.html

[ItsBrian]

One of my ASMs has a red jacket from when he was a scout. He was in scouting around 25+ years ago, so you guys do the math. 

I have never seen one before him, and still haven’t seen one.

Edited January 24, 2018 by ItsBrian

[The Latin Scot]

Our Scout Store has tons of them. But none in my size (I wear an adult small/slim). 

:-(

[TAHAWK]

24 minutes ago, The Latin Scot said:

Our Scout Store has tons of them. But none in my size (I wear an adult small/slim). 

:-(

http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/apparel/mens/outerwear/washable-wool-jac-shirt.html#.WmjpMK6nHX4

[The Latin Scot]

Thanks for the link @TAHAWK! I just wish I could try one on in my size before buying it ... Scouting apparel always run appallingly large on me, so who knows if even the small would be too large. I love shopping for clothes, but NEVER online if I can help it - you gotta' try things on before you buy them! For example, I finally got a new Scout shirt last month - and ended up having to get a youth-sized shirt since they were the only ones that fit me. 

[ItsBrian]

32 minutes ago, The Latin Scot said:

Thanks for the link @TAHAWK! I just wish I could try one on in my size before buying it ... Scouting apparel always run appallingly large on me, so who knows if even the small would be too large.

I think that’s a problem for everyone! 

[TAHAWK]

Store manager should be willing to order a S for you so you can see,

[TAHAWK]

"Randy Woo (Randy Worchester) provided some information about the history of this special garment:

According to several of the Philmont histories, the jac-shirt began with Dr. E. K. Fretwell, the Chief Scout Executive in Philmont's early days. In 1944, he brought up the idea of an outdoorsman shirt. He later sent a red shirt to Minor Huffman, Philmont's first General Manager. Fretwell had Huffman trace the bull in the tile at one of the entrances to Philmont for a patch for the red shirt. The first few shirts were made by J.A. Brewster of Camden, Maine. In August, 1946, Fretwell gave each of the regional executives a red shirt with the bull on it.

The BSA partnered with Woolrich to develop several jackets, starting in 1949. The first jackets were green wool jackets designed primarily for the professional cadre to wear. It was called the "Scout Executive's Jacket" for several years. In 1952, Woolrich designed a jacket for Boy Scout professionals and volunteers to wear in green. Fearing complaints from the people behind The Masters® golf tournament, and because the BSA was moving toward a new "color scheme" to identify itself through, the BSA asked Woolrich to develop a unique jacket for it's Scouts and Scouters attending Philmont Scout Ranch and Explorer Base in the middle 50s. The red jac-shirt ("not quite a jacket, more than a shirt!") was developed, fielded, and everyone loved it from day one.

The older versions -- and you can tell by feel -- are 100 percent wool. The new ones (developed in the late 60s) are wool and polyester blended (I think a 70-30 split...it is NOT 100 percent wool!!) and still there were one version made in the middle 70s which was 100 percent wool and Scotchgarded (tm), which gave it a different feel too.

In 1972 (pay attention fellow collectors of Scouting items!! I'm looking for ONE OF THESE IN A LARGE OR EXTRA LARGE SIZE PLEASE!!), the BSA created a blue version of the jac-shirt originally for Exploring leaders. It was spun out at the 1973National Explorer Presidents' Congress (NEPC) along with a eight-inch NEPC back patch. The BSA was hoping that with the success of the red jac-shirt by the Order of the Arrow members (and now by National Eagle Scout Association members, both organizations "made" the red jac-shirt "theirs" for wear by their memberships), the blue one would do the same for the Exploring's youth.

t failed. Explorers were not interested in wearing anything which "looked like Scouting" and this jacket was just dipped in blue dyes and the buttons were changed from red to blue. They didn't even bother changing the tag to add the Exploring "Big E".

In 1975 and 76, the BSA tried to sell the jac-shirt to Cub Scouters, because it was the same color as the Cub Scout Blue uniforms. No dice. By this time, ALL Scouters wanted to wear the same "red jackets" made famous by those participating in Jamborees, in the OA or as NESA members.

So, in 1976, the BSA said "no more blue jac-shirts!" and people like Mike Walton (who had the $40 back then to buy one but they ran out!) was out of luck (unless he or she runs across one in their size on eBay)!

The jac-shirt is a durable thing....not very practical in the field -- I would have liked the BSA to develop one with reflective cuffs or a bottom edge so that Scouts and Scouters can be better seen in the dark in the woods....but hey, I don't develop the stuff..I just pester my wife enough to have her to break down and allow me to get it! *laughter*

. . .

In 2010, the BSA introduced an olive green jac-shirt which I am sure was not made by Woolrich™ -- this is a different design than the previous jac-shirts and little thicker. Some of the people associated with the military may recognize this version, as it looks very similar to a jac-shirt which was manufactured (under government contract by Woolrich™ ) for Soldiers in cold weather climates like Korea in the winter.

Also unlike the current jac-shirts, a large version of the BSA's copyrighted logo appears on the left pocket in black.

Several Scouters asked me "why olive and not red?" The BSA says that the olive jac-shirt better matches the "Centennial" (current) field uniform and pants better than the older red; and that eventually most outdoor items associated with the BSA will be using the olive color instead of the red.

(It did not last long, as most Scouts and Scouters prefer the red color; so the BSA discontinued the olive green jac-shirts (they may be still be worn!) and contracted for a red version of this overseas-made jacshirt [sic].)"

http://www.scoutinsignia.com/jacshirt.htm

 

I want to add that the red jac-shirts just before the green ones were incredibly cheap - more like red burlap - shapeless.  They were NOT selling.  The quality of the green one was far superior.  (Not that I dumped my red one. )

 

[The Latin Scot]

Wait ... they made a BLUE ONE?!?!?!? As a Cub Scout leader, I would ABSOLUTELY have bought one! Augh, now I am going to live out my days ruing the fact that there were blue ones produced a decade before I was born ... oh cruel twists of fate!