Help please - Y7 coats and bags for boys

[ladydepp]

DS is starting Y7 in September and I am trying to be organised and get his uniform sorted before the summer holidays. He is going to an indie that doesn't specify a coat or bag or sports bag but I know he has to wear his blazer every day.

Any advice please?

Shall I just buy a waterproof to go over his blazer for wet days? I guess he will need something warmer for a cold winter but he has a very short walk at both ends of his coach journey. And for a bag, he has a good size black rucksack but I guess he will also need a sports bag - any recommendations?

He isn't bothered about brands or trends (yet!) so hopefully that isn't an issue, and he does tend to lose things ALL the time so I am not planning on buying anything pricey.

any and all help appreciated

I suggest you get a cheap cagoule in black or navy for wet weather (he might wear it, and it'll squash up small in his bag). Ask him about a coat later on when it starts getting cold. He'll have his eye in by then about what's actually worn (or not).

If you can, spy on existing pupils and see what sorts of sports bags they carry. If you can't do that, get a not-too-expensive one from somewhere like Sports Direct to start with. Or ask at the school's uniform shop when doing the main kitting out if they have any recommendations.

You should check sports direct or JD
My DS has an Adidas bag and it is quite popuar
or a nike bag
You can check the websites below:

www.sportsdirect.com/nike-classic-turf-backpack-711070?colcode=71107048

www.sportsdirect.com/adidas-enamel-messenger-bag-700515?colcode=70051591

And if you want a coat here are another two websites:

www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-urban-weathertite-waterproof-jacket-junior-448040?colcode=44804003

www.sportsdirect.com/regatta-luca-3-in-1-jacket-junior-448183?colcode=44818390

I hope this helps ;)

I have sons in Y9 and Y7.

Bags: they have tried several types of black rucksacks, but they either fell apart or caused shoulder/back pain (the perils of carrying 5-10kg for three miles every day). We eventually invested in North Face rucksacks after a recommendation on here; no more back pain. They put their sports stuff in a drawstring bag in their rucksack.

Coats: not really the done thing unless there is torrential rain, in which case a cheap kagoule seems acceptable. If it's cold, they will wear a jumper under their blazer.

He won't need a coat to start with. I would let him look at what all the other kids are starting to wear.

DS (yr9) went from Superdry to a really nice smart Barbour quilted jacket.

He has used messenger bags and rucksacks. The MiPac is popular. He is currently using a messenger bag (cannot remember the make).

DS1 (17) stuck to Superdry bags and coats all the way through secondary school.

I'd leave coats for a while - most don't wear them and the brand/style will be dictated 'unofficially' by the other students so it's better to wait till he's started.

Unless it's a very unusual secondary, there won't be anywhere to store coats, so they have a choice of going without or lumping them round all day. Madness, but there you go.

(DS sometimes keeps his in his tuba case...)

Thanks so much all, really helpful. I will hold off on the warm coat and buy a light waterproof.

Now off to google North face, Mipac and Superdry bags.

I need to get him kitted out in sports kit in a couple of weeks so I will ask them about sports bags then.

I guess I can't do school shoes quite yet !!

Kitties - DS plays the flute unfortunately

Ah -- you'd need some kind of super-lightweight micro-coat to fit in there, then!

Bag recommendation thread

The North Face Recon is shockingly expensive (I spent £60 on each one) but worth it to save DS1 and DS2's backs.

Does he have a locker? DS1 (Yr 10) has a locker and it makes a difference re bags/coats etc.

DS1 starts Year 8 in September at a different school and won't have a locker. They took them out apparently to save space.

My advice? Don't buy anything expensive in the bag/coat department until he has been there a white and knows what his mates have. Tribalism is very important at this age! Or ask existing parents. Or hang around the school gate and have a look.....

Definitely not the coat department. DS1 has never worn a coat to High School.

I bought DS, Y7, the North Face Recon bag (on a Mumsnet recommendation) and it is fantastic. Even when really loaded it is comfortable to carry, so DS says. I paid around £52 online for it. They're eye-wateringly expensive from the North Face shops.

I also bought the Gap blue superlight down coat (on a 30% off week) which packs down to a large handful size and he can shove it in the bag when at school, and amazingly hasn't lost it yet. He also has a light cagoule which, again, during the milder weather, just gets left in a pocket and is light enough to carry around. Not sure where the no wearing a coat to secondary school comes from as all DS's friends wear them - whether wet or cold!!

Also, the NF Recon bag has a section at the back which is good to tuck schoolbooks into which stops them getting tatty and on the front is a lunchbox sized compartment, which is brilliant. I really can't recommend it enough and am about to buy DD one as she starts Y7 in Sept.

DS hasn't worn a coat all year, he has an M&S blazer which he reckons shrugs off the rain better then the official supplier ones. Long-sleeve shirt and jumper in winter, short-sleeve shirt in summer.

He started with a Converse messenger bag, but soon changed to a rucksack (nothing special, think it's adidas) and cut down on the amount of stuff he lugs around.

Although he has a locker, it's miles from the form room and he would miss the early bus he if had to faff around collecting a coat.