OP here - thank you all.

No, we aren't new to winter swim. Season 5 - but for the last 5 seasons, DS put on towel pants and ran to my warm car parked out front. Now, he is driving and needs to walk to his car in the parking lot - hence the request for a parka.

And no, I don't think it screams "new swimmer" DS has been on a club team for years and many of the really competitive swimmers have them.

My DS finally got a parka after 8 years of swimming when they had to have winter practices outdoors. Not new to swimming. Wishes he had gotten it sooner.

Anonymous wrote:nothing says i am new to winter swim than a swim parka. Save your money, they will lose it, it gets wet and ends up in the bottom of their swim bag and gets gross because like everything else that goes in there it just goes to the bottom

I would get them several pairs of sweats instead.

This is a dumb post.

We are not new to winter swim. The reason why I got a swim parka is because I noticed other kids wearing them when we were new to winter swim many years ago.

A swim parka is too large to end up in the bottom of their swim bag. So maybe you don't know what a swim parka is.

Putting on sweat pants is a dumb suggestion. The sweatpants will be wet and uncomfortable almost immediately. Soggy ass anyone?

My DD loves his parka. I purchased an adult S 3 years ago and he’s still wearing it. He’s now 5’6”, 15 years old, and while it was originally very long it currently hits mid calf and he’s still happy with it. We bought online from Swim Oulet.l, on sale, and it seems very high quality.

Anonymous wrote:nothing says i am new to winter swim than a swim parka. Save your money, they will lose it, it gets wet and ends up in the bottom of their swim bag and gets gross because like everything else that goes in there it just goes to the bottom

I would get them several pairs of sweats instead.

Troll.

Anonymous wrote:nothing says i am new to winter swim than a swim parka. Save your money, they will lose it, it gets wet and ends up in the bottom of their swim bag and gets gross because like everything else that goes in there it just goes to the bottom

I would get them several pairs of sweats instead.

This is so untrue. Mom of four competitive swimmers that live at the pool. Three of my four LOVE their swim parkas. The one who does not wear his is a 16 year old boy who never gets cold and wear shorts year round. Buy the parkas big. They can wear them for years. Some teams have them as part of their outfitting package which is nice.

Anonymous wrote:nothing says i am new to winter swim than a swim parka. Save your money, they will lose it, it gets wet and ends up in the bottom of their swim bag and gets gross because like everything else that goes in there it just goes to the bottom

I would get them several pairs of sweats instead.

What kind of parka does your oh so experienced kid have and how big is their swim bag that the parka just goes right to the bottom? And yes a swim parka will get wet when a swimmer puts it on after getting out of the pool, mind-blowing I know. To the PPs looking for parkas, my swimmer who is not new to swim loves her parka because it’s cold in the winter and it’s easier to throw the parka on than to put sweats on over her wet bathing suit after practice. In terms of sizing, bigger is fine becuase you can get a couple years of wear out of it that way.

nothing says i am new to winter swim than a swim parka. Save your money, they will lose it, it gets wet and ends up in the bottom of their swim bag and gets gross because like everything else that goes in there it just goes to the bottom

I would get them several pairs of sweats instead.

Anonymous wrote:Can somebody post links to options? I am looking for one for for my tall 12 year old girl.

A lot teams have one they "promote" for lack of a better term. Teams are connected with a particular brand, so it's that. Some of the swim shops will have them in stock or have the designated team parka and then send it out for patches/embroidery with team logo.

Otherwise, you can go to swimoutlet.com and find a variety of options at different price points.

https://www.swimoutlet.com/search?q=parka

We just used a big wool duffle coat
Wool still retains heat when wet

Anonymous wrote:Can someone help me with sizing? I want to get one for my son for his birthday (hence, not wanting to measure him) but unsure what size to get.

16y old
5'8
140 lbs

Thank you.

This is almost exactly my daughter's stats, she has a Large. My son who a bit bigger also has a large.

Can somebody post links to options? I am looking for one for for my tall 12 year old girl.

Big is fine. I'd probably go for a Large too. My 11 year old, now 13 wears a small.

My son is 6-2 and very thin (about 150lb) and I got him a L for length. It was unisex adult sizing. It's roomy on him but not ridiculous. For someone of your son's size, I would think a M would be fine?

Can someone help me with sizing? I want to get one for my son for his birthday (hence, not wanting to measure him) but unsure what size to get.

16y old
5'8
140 lbs

Thank you.