Parents of the HS Class of 2019 (Part 1)

S19 keeps insisting he only needs fall type things to start. No heavy winter coats or shoes yet. Said we can bring the heavy stuff when we come for family weekend in late October. I guess that’s true. Honestly I have not given it much thought yet. He won’t have a roommate until mid July and then we will get the layout of the room etc. he is going to get his laptop with my mother in law next week and I know he needs boots, hiking shoes or trail running shoes or both. I want to wait on the boots so we know what the “cool” boot is. They are expensive and don’t want to pick the wrong one. I figure those kids up there have figured out what’s best with the weather and he can just ask around and we will send him a pair or bring them.

I feel like it will take me all of one weekend to get most of the stuff. The only thing he will care about are decorations and his bedding. We will plan ahead for that but maybe look around in July.

@homerdog I think the “cool” boot would be LL Bean boots. They aren’t the very best for traction, but they certainly are time-tested. If he wants those, you should order now. If you wait until October, they will be back-ordered. (They actually might be already now)

@Trixy34 so those would be the every day, go to class boot even if it’s snowy and icy?

@Trixy34 and other NE friends - The 8" LL Bean boot? The regular one or the Thinsulate one or the Gore-Thinsulate one? Thoughts?

Thinsulate. And they run big.

Definitely Thinsulate.

I don’t know about the Gore–tex - if that’s necessary to make the Bean boots more water-proof or not. I wore Timberland hiking boots in college that were more or less waterproof and insulated. Personally, I think I would prefer hiking boots to Bean boots, but they don’t make Timberlands the way they used to, and apparently the Bean boots are super popular.
But yeah, they would be the every day boot. My Grandfather wore them almost every day of the year. Lol. Big isn’t necessarily a bad thing - you want it big enough to get a wool sock in there with enough room to move. If you can’t move your toes, then insulation is worthless - my uncle taught me that.
They don’t do Bean boots in Chicagoland?

At D19s orientation!

All I can really say so far—it’s not done yet, it’s a 2-day event—is dang, Mississippi State knows how to put something like this on. (They even have a separate recruitment-lite track for trailing high-school-age siblings. There are people in administrative offices at the university where I work who are kind of in awe of that move.)

And you might want 10 inch. Tough call. I don’t know how much snow Bowdoin gets.

@Trixy34 @wisteria100 thank you! I’ll figure out where he can try on the Thinsulate version around here. Weirdly enough, kids around here don’t really wear boots. They take the bus or get driven to school and these dingbats just wear sneakers. (Well girls sometimes have boots but not the boys.) Boys might have some sort of trail runner or maybe some Timberlands. Kids aren’t really outdoorsy here in the suburbs so they aren’t really out in the snow. No snowmobiling or hiking and they would only need something to wear if they go sledding which is maybe once or twice a winter. S19 has just been wearing my husband’s boots for the few times he needs them because his feet were still growing and I didn’t want to drop $150 on boots he’d wear three times before growing out of them! Anyway, time to get a pair since he’ll be waking to class every day.

@homerdog - Oh good. I think I had Bean boots back in high school, but they were the clogs/short ones. And we had a few pairs of imitation clogs always kicking around the house - they were horrible on ice. Don’t recall if mine were insulated or not - they might have had the shearling because thinsulate probably hadn’t been invented yet.

Anyway, the unlined ones might be more versatile - they would break in and he could easily wear the 10-inch boots with just a few inches laced and the rest left to flap in the breeze all year round. But then he would probably want to have wool socks on all winter, because the unlined boots will be cold. I went to college in the snow belt, so even when it wasn’t snowing, we were getting lake effect rain. Having something waterproof and tall enough for snow banks was pretty important. (I forget that you guys usually don’t get as much snow in the Midwest - just brutal wind and cold!) Lined hikers were fine most of the school year, but the insulated Bean boots might get pretty warm in the Spring. Just depends on how he sees himself using them. They’re a good investment, though. They will last him a long time.

Graduation is this Friday for us. We are so ready for this final step. This month is dragging. My D19’s last day of school was 6/5. Tick tock tick tock - this is taking forever!

Some more items for “the mountain”: Bed risers (they are just sturdy fitted blocks they sell at BBB - we got the higher of the two sizes. Several large clear Rubbermaids for clothes (because many times the bureau & closet are small). We got our S16’s Rubbermaids at Home Depot. We made sure they were large and would fit under his (now) higher bed. Shower cady. Shower shoes. Robe. Command strips - many. Clothes hangers. Laundry basket & detergent. I’m sure I will think of more. Start your list.

@SJ2727 My D17 attends school in DC. Her roommate flew to college. She did all her shopping at BBB and took an Uber XL to school from the hotel. The mattress topper and her suitcases took up a lot of space in the car.

@SJ2727 Does the kitchen come equipped with glasses, plates and silverware too?

We’re looking at international shipping rates and we’re going to be buying almost everything except clothes when we get there. I think I’m going to have to rent a car and figure out driving on the other side of the road, so that’s another adventure I have to look forward to. Kiddo is going to need an account at a local bank in the local currency, too.

I thought I was done with spreadsheets for college, but now I have a new one with five columns - stuff we pack and take on the plane, stuff we ship, stuff we buy when we get there, stuff we order online to be delivered, and stuff I don’t know how to categorize yet.

I’ve done a google map search of the surrounding area and identified places to shop for various items, I think. We have 5 days in country before move-in day. My husband thinks we’ll mostly be doing tourist stuff during that time. Hah.

Raising the bed is a good idea to accommodate storage under the bed, but risers are not always needed. A lot of schools have beds that can raise and lower without using risers.

There are all sorts of good winter shoes.
You probably couldn’t bribe my son’s to wear LL bean boots. I think they are fine, but don’t own any. They aren’t cheap and I didn’t think they were comfy at al. Functional, but not comfy. Around here the Bean boots are for prepsters and I actually don’t know one kid that owns them. They are kind of clunky and not particularly hip. Girls love them and they wear them, boys not so much.

So. I’ll repeat my suggestions for college aged males again. I would get a sneaker boot for everyday wear, something like the Vans lined winter Hi top ( or similar). You can actually walk around them, they are comfy, good grip, pretty light weight. You can wear them everywhere. In the snow, in the cool rain, Fall-Spring, great shoe. They look like an actual sneaker vs a big boot.
Then I’d get something for actually playing in the snow. You’ll have to know how much time your kid will play in the snow. Once in a while? Just get a cheap pair. If going out weekly for snow excursions, get something he’ll wear that keep him warm. Having a few pairs of shoes is not a bad thing.

So you could get a warm sneaker boot for everyday living and then maybe Bean boots if he’s actually going on excursions in snow and mud frequently. I doubt he’d pick the Bean boots over sneaker boot for every day wear given the choice.
Also, remember that the schools plow and shovel sidewalks so kids aren’t actually hiking thru 3 feet of snow to class.

Re:boots - we live in a Colorado mountain town. It is extremely rare to see boys walking around in boots of any sort for everyday living. I noticed one of S20’s friends occasionally wears Timberlands but again not the norm. Everyday wear is still Vans or another type of casual sneaker. If my boys are going sledding or shoveling snow they will usually wear their waterproof hiking boot style snow boots. In the summer we are on the east coast and despite a lot of rain at times no waterproof boots again. On the University of Delaware parents page I see a lot of recommendations for Bean boots but S19 will likely wait and see if he really needs anything once he gets to campus.

My kids have Timberlands and wear them once in a while if it’s gross out or if it’s like a fashion thing. Otherwise sneaker boots. Vans Sk8 HI. MTE. They are lined and have a weather resistant outer. It’s really all you need for everyday walking around in NE. I have a pair of Converse winter hi tops that I wear when it’s snowy and/or gross and I have a pair of Pajar winter boots which are warm comfy and a little bit more stylish than duck boots. I wear them out and about once in awhile, shoveling snow, etc. But I don’t wear them much truthfully. I wear the sneaker boot way more. I’m glad to have both, they each serve a purpose.

My son wears Timberlands when he needs to slog through the snow, but usually lives in just sneakers. He wouldn’t be caught dead in something like Bean boots.

edited to add: You know that you don’t need to buy this stuff now. Let him go to school and see what others are wearing and decide what he wants. He can always just order them and have them delivered to his school address.

D19 will also be attending Bowdoin, and will wait to buy winter boots. I doubt LL Bean will appeal to her, and most days Uggs and/or sneakers will work fine. My new and bigger concern is she just informed us she wants a Moncler winter coat, and assures me that is the brand that all the incoming freshman gals on her groupchat will be getting. I gagged when I saw the prices—like Canada Goose but on steroids ?..so doubt that will be happening!!