Last updated: June 22, 2026
Quick answerSwim team parkas are the most-worn item on a pool deck because competitive swimmers spend far more time waiting between events than actually swimming — often two hours or more in a 48-degree natatorium like the ones we see at February dual meets across the Treasure Valley. A water-resistant shell with heavy fleece lining does what a cotton hoodie simply can't: it sheds chlorinated water instead of absorbing it, and at $55–$140 per piece with team embroidery, it's the one piece of gear every swimmer reaches for the moment they climb out. Eagle Ridge in Meridian, ID outfits club and high school swim programs every fall, and parkas are always the first call we get.
Six AM in February at a Meridian high school pool meet, and the deck temperature is somewhere around 48 degrees. Swimmers hop out after a 30-second 50-free, soaking wet, and then stand around for the next two hours waiting on their event. That parka isn't optional — it's the only thing standing between a competitive swimmer and hypothermia by the 200 relay. We outfit a handful of Treasure Valley club and high school programs every fall, and parkas are always the first call we get.
Why parkas, not hoodies
Cotton hoodies absorb pool water. After a four-hour meet, a soaked hoodie is heavy, cold, and useless. A real swim parka has a water-resistant outer shell that beads off splash without soaking up chlorine, a heavy fleece interior for insulation between events, a long cut that covers a seated swimmer's waist on the bleachers, and a hood for cold deck mornings. (We tell coaches this every time: the parka earns its cost in the first dual meet.)
What parkas cost at team quantities
For high school programs ordering 15 or more, pricing typically breaks down like this:
- Entry-level parkas, $55–$75 per piece. Adequate for dual meets and practice days.
- Mid-tier parkas, $75–$95. The most common order we run for Idaho high school programs.
- Premium parkas, $95–$140. Club teams competing at state or nationals level.
Embroidery on the chest — school crest, typically — adds $8–$15 per piece. Swimmer last name on the back adds $8–$12. That's embroidery, not print, and the reason matters.
Need parkas spec'd for your program? Eagle Ridge is in Meridian, ID — no minimums, free digitizing on your first run. Get a free quote or reach out.
Embroidery holds up. Print doesn't.
Plastisol screen print peels after repeated chlorinated wash cycles. DTF isn't much better on a fleece-lined water-resistant shell. Embroidery is the right call for parkas, full stop. School crest on the chest, swimmer name on the back — it holds up to chlorinated washes indefinitely. We've been doing this seven years and haven't had a team come back complaining about thread pulling. Print, different story.
The rest of the swim team order
Parkas are the anchor piece, but a complete program order usually includes warm-up jackets and pants for pre-race routines ($35–$65 for the jacket, $25–$45 for the pants), travel hoodies for meet-day transport ($25–$45), practice tees and shorts for daily on-deck rotation ($9–$16 each), team backpacks embroidered for hauling chlorinated gear ($35–$55), and coach polos or jackets for sideline staff ($30–$50). We save every team file after the first run, so reorders on any of these pieces don't carry a setup fee.
Order timeline
Embroidered parkas run 14–18 business days due to thread-count requirements. Order at least six weeks before your first meet. For Idaho high school programs, that means placing your order by mid-October if you want parkas on deck before December. Miss that window and you're scrambling — we've seen it happen.
Mid-season replacements
A new swimmer joins in January and needs a parka that matches the team's. We can do it. Single-piece reorders run the same 14–18 business days, and because we saved your team file, you're not paying a setup fee or re-digitizing cost. It matches. Done.
Related
Spec'ing parkas, warm-ups, and travel hoodies in one order? That's exactly the kind of job we run every fall. Six-week lead time means October is your deadline for December meets. Reach out or request a quote online.
Frequently asked
How much do swim team parkas cost for a high school program?
For programs ordering 15 or more, parkas run $55–$75 at the entry level, $75–$95 for the mid-tier most Idaho high schools order, and $95–$140 for club programs competing at state or nationals. Add $8–$15 for a chest embroidery and $8–$12 for swimmer names on the back.
Why does every swim coach recommend parkas instead of hoodies?
Cotton hoodies absorb pool water and stay cold and heavy for the rest of a four-hour meet, while a real swim parka has a water-resistant outer shell that beads off splash and a fleece interior that holds heat between events. Embroidery — not screen print — is the right decoration method because it survives repeated chlorinated washes without peeling.
Can Eagle Ridge embroider parkas for our Treasure Valley swim team?
Eagle Ridge is in Meridian, ID and outfits club and high school swim programs across the Treasure Valley every fall with no minimums and free digitizing on the first run. Reach out or request a quote online to get pricing spec'd for your program.
How We Make This Stuff
Everything covered in this post is produced in our Meridian, Idaho shop at 2700 E Lanark St. Eagle Ridge Apparel is a family-run print shop serving the Treasure Valley since 2019 — we embroider, screen print, DTF, sublimate, laser-cut leather patches, laser-engrave drinkware, and UV-print promotional goods on equipment we operate ourselves. No outsourced decoration, no overseas fulfillment, no third-party middlemen.
Most custom apparel orders ship in 7–10 business days from approved mockup. Rush production in 3–5 business days is available on most decoration methods; embroidered hats are the tightest constraint. We hold no minimums on any decoration type — order one piece or one thousand — though pricing scales aggressively over 50, 100, and 250-piece tiers. Free digital mockups before production starts. We don't begin a run until you sign off on what it'll look like.
Two ways to order: design it yourself online in our designer tool (any quantity, any decoration method), or request a custom quote and we'll send back pricing within one business day. Talk to a real person — email info@eagleridgeapparel.com or send us a message, and most inquiries get a response within two hours during the business day.
