We live in Florida and my 15-year-old son is going to school in Burlington next year. We're lucky to find cotton sweaters in stores here, so I'm going to take him up a couple days early next fall to shop. Any suggestons as to the best places to go? I'll need places with good cutomer service because I have no idea what he will need for a Vermont weather.

Hi there-Wow! What a change for your son! Hopefully he'll enjoy it up here.
As for general shopping, Church Street in downtown Burlington is good. Got your typical mall stores with some independents thrown in. By fall, the winter clothing lines will be out.
What he'll need for winter clothes are the following: good waterproof boots. Try Lenny's in Williston on 2A just north of Taft Corner (intersection of Route 2 & 2a). He'll also need a winter coat-ski coats are good. Again, Lenny's will have them, or try any ski shop, or Dick's Sports in Taft Corner. He'll also want a fleece jacket for layering. You'll find these in most outdoor related stores as it is standard for wardrobes up here.
Another option would be to try LLBean. www.llbean.com Give them a call and I bet they'll be able to give you advice on what to get. I buy a lot of my clothing from them.

PS...forgot to mention. He'll need a nice, warm hat and gloves/mittens. You lose most of your heat through your head.

I agree with bm's basic recommendations -- waterproof footgear, storm/ski coat with at least water resistance, and fleece for layering, plus warm hat and at least 2 matching pairs of gloves.

But I also agree that it might make more sense to do a lot of this shopping online rather than take the time and energy (plus hotel bills) to arrive early to shop near Burlington. LL Bean, Lands End, any number of stores have excellent online selection and service, where you'll be able to discuss and compare choices much more easily.

Finally: He'll end up wearing what the other kids are wearing, so don't overinvest in sweaters and such. Once he has the basics, leave the rest of the shopping for later, when he can choose stuff that he feels comfortable in.

Here's a huge recommendation for L. L. Bean. Classic, high quality, apparel, especially for winter. Everything is guaranteed forever. Also recommend applying for an MBNA LLBean Visa. Free shipping and you earn coupons. I wasn't paying any attention to the coupons until I received a postcard indicating that I had some about to expire - $50 worth!

You son will not necessarily want/need other than cotton sweaters, maybe sweatshirts, though. But, a nice warm, waterproof, jacket, preferably down, and warm waterproof footwear are must-haves.

It may be worth a side trip to the home store in Freeport, ME. They have sales there not available in the catalogs that are well worth the trip. There are outlets all about, but the merchandise is typically leftovers (odd sizes, less popular colors) and I hardly ever find anything at them.

Though, you can do all your shopping online. Winter apparel may not all be available just yet, but a phone rep can help you with that.

Thanks for the help. I outfitted our older son (who went to Connecticut this year and now declares that when he gets out of school the first thing he will do is move back to Florida!) through LL Bean and Lands' End, but Brent is in-between kids and adult sizes so I thought being able to try things on would help. Will jeans be ok? Long underwear?

Jeans are fine. The only time I wear long underwear is when I ski or snowshoe. It's a good idea to have a couple pair onhand though.

Based on my own limited experience, a 15-year-old boy who is between boys' and men's sizes in May won't be in September! I would certainly not buy footwear far in advance, especially.

One more specific tip: My teenage son and my 85-year-old dad both love the cozy lined jeans that LLB and some other companies sell. Less trouble (and possible social stigma) than wearing long underwear.

A polartec-type fleece would work in place of sweaters in Vermont and you'd probably see more kids in them than in sweaters. LLBean has them on sale at:

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...feat=ssdpa6723

Thanks - so manay good suggestions that I printed them out. I wondered if long underwear (unless for skiing - which he is very excited about trying) would be geeky - those lined pants sound great as does fleece instead of sweaters. I've already warned him that I am NOT visiting him during the winter!

The problem in cold climates is that long underwear or fleece-lined anything gets really hot and uncomfortable when inside - we do heat our buildings in the north! Most 15-year olds, even those from Florida, get overheated quickly inside. So I would go with layers and outerwear rather than single thick items.

Both Lands End and LL Bean list measurements that correspond to a size - and both are true-to-size, meaning that a size M generally is a size M once you find the right size.

Lands End is now owned by Sears and many larger Sears stores have Lands End clothing in stock - good for judging size if not buying specific item.

FYI -- If you buy something online through Land's End and want/need to return it, Sears accepts the merchandise for return. (This way, there's no postage to pay if the size isn't right.)

Susan

Another suggestion would be Eddie Bauer. All 3 (LLB, LE, EB) have very good good web sites that you might want to look through. These are especially helpful if your sons are tall.

Thanks some more - there are lots of helpful Fodorites out there! I didn't know about returning things at Sears - I will check Lands' End first.