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Bob Warfield
10-22-2018, 10:43 AM
Due to a pretty bad health scare earlier this year I've lost quite a bit of weight. I need to buy basically a whole new wardrobe. My question concerns flannel shirts. I refuse to buy the cheap ones from the big box stores due to the collars and sleeves getting all wonky after washing. What have you had good luck with.

Thanks-- -Bob

John Goodin
10-22-2018, 11:14 AM
Hopefully, the health scare is in the past. I bought several long sleeve Woolrich shirts from Academy last year that cost less ($25 or $30) than ones from the website and they wash nicely. Orvis is my favorite place for shirts but they are quite expensive. They will send out a $25 off $50 purchase coupon about once a month or so.

Bob Warfield
10-22-2018, 1:02 PM
John, the health scare is over. Early July I went to the emergency room thinking I was having another heart attack. I've had 5 of them, turned out to be something they called gerd. What really scared me was my A1c numbers where sky high. Since that time I have cut out all the snacking and started eating right. As is so easy to do I was at the point where if my belly wasn't full I just didn't feel right. Well since that time I've gone from a 42" waist to a 38 and an extra large shirt down to a large. I tell my wife I need to stop this because it's costing me a small fortune in new cloths! I'm feeling pretty good.

Bob

Peter Kelly
10-22-2018, 1:08 PM
https://www.duluthtrading.com/men/shirts/flannels/

Brett Luna
10-22-2018, 1:18 PM
+1 for Duluth Trading Co. shirts.

I've also had good luck with Cabela's house brand...but I haven't purchased any since they were bought out by Bass Pro Shops...whose clothing I dislike greatly.

Wade Lippman
10-22-2018, 1:51 PM
My experience is that you will be back to 42 in no time; so buy cheap shirts.

I get insomnia every now and then, and lose 15 pounds in a couple weeks. Takes me a few months to gain it back; despite trying not to.

Bob Warfield
10-22-2018, 2:19 PM
Don't think so Wade. That trip scared me pretty bad.

Bob

James Tibbetts
10-22-2018, 2:25 PM
I have been very satisfied with both Lands End and LL Bean products.

dennis thompson
10-22-2018, 2:37 PM
I like LL Bean, if you use their credit card, you getting free shipping , and if you need to return the shirt ,the shipping back is also free.

Jerome Stanek
10-22-2018, 2:50 PM
I bought most of my last ones from Aldis when they have them usually this time of the year

Roger Feeley
10-22-2018, 3:24 PM
I love Duluth Trading products but they lose points for not being American made.

I'm a fan of Vermont Flannel. Made in the USA. The thing about USA made products is that they know they can't compete purely on price so they go for quality and service.

Jim Becker
10-22-2018, 3:48 PM
Duluth Trading. None better. But not inexpensive. While I like the idea of USA made, the industry has few options for that these days.

Frank Pratt
10-22-2018, 4:29 PM
Kirkland brand shirts at Costco are 100% cotton, no-iron & are less than $25 CDN each. And the collars or sleaves do not get wonky. I've not been able to find better shirts at twice the price or more.

Jim Koepke
10-22-2018, 4:32 PM
Due to a pretty bad health scare earlier this year I've lost quite a bit of weight. I need to buy basically a whole new wardrobe. My question concerns flannel shirts. I refuse to buy the cheap ones from the big box stores due to the collars and sleeves getting all wonky after washing. What have you had good luck with.

Thanks-- -Bob

Many of my favorite shirts have come from the Goodwill store. Let someone else test drive them for you.

Though recently my wife bought us some nice ones at Costco.

jtk

Peter Kelly
10-22-2018, 6:13 PM
Duluth Trading. None better. But not inexpensive. While I like the idea of USA made, the industry has few options for that these days.https://www.vermontflannel.com/men/shirts-hoodies-jackets/

Frederick Skelly
10-22-2018, 8:58 PM
I have been very satisfied with both Lands End and LL Bean products.

I have too!

Bill Dufour
10-22-2018, 11:48 PM
Columbia makes nice regular weight summer shirts. No idea about flannel. Watch Ebay for Duluth shirts. Some guys sell a handfull when they lose weight. I only buy ones that "look like new". no duds yet.

John K Jordan
10-22-2018, 11:50 PM
I've gotten the highest quality flannel shirts from the local farmer's co-op. I don't remember the brands but they launder well and seem to last forever. They are NOT cheap. This time of year they are well stocked.

JKJ

Wade Lippman
10-23-2018, 9:21 AM
Don't think so Wade. That trip scared me pretty bad.

Bob

I hope you are right. I mainly wear Tshirts, so can't give any advice on flannels.

Bob Warfield
10-23-2018, 10:52 AM
Thanks for all the responses guys. Going shopping today.

Bob

Scott Brader
10-23-2018, 11:17 AM
I, too, recently lost a lot of weight after a health scare. I dropped 65 pounds which made my wardrobe obsolete. I ran into a problem because I need tall shirts and LL Bean is the only place we have found that offers Medium Tall shirts. No one else that we found offers tall shirts in anything smaller than a large. We bought some very nice flannel shirts, among other things, at LL Bean last week and they are very nice.

Scott

Ted Calver
10-23-2018, 12:16 PM
Before she passed, my MIL always gave me an LL Bean flannel shirt for Christmas with a crisp new $50 bill fashioned into a bow tie on the collar. Those shirts wear like iron and I still have a closet full to remember her by. Bless her heart.

Ken Fitzgerald
10-23-2018, 1:00 PM
I have been impressed with both LL Bean shirts and those I bought from Cabelas.

John K Jordan
10-23-2018, 2:43 PM
I've gotten the highest quality flannel shirts from the local farmer's co-op. I don't remember the brands ....

I checked three of my favorite flannel shirts today. They are all Carhart brand. Sometimes our Co-0p has a "get the second one at 1/2 price" sale. Might ask.

JKJ

Jim Koepke
10-23-2018, 5:12 PM
Another source to check might be:

https://www.dickies.com

Free shipping on orders over $50 currently. They often seem to offer free shipping if you are on their email list.

jtk

William Adams
10-23-2018, 5:33 PM
The best shirt I've ever owned was my Five Brother flannel shirt (a gift, I could never have spent that much on clothing) --- still wearing it decades later.

Myk Rian
10-23-2018, 5:48 PM
I, too, recently lost a lot of weight after a health scare. I dropped 65 pounds which made my wardrobe obsolete. I ran into a problem because I need tall shirts and LL Bean is the only place we have found that offers Medium Tall shirts. No one else that we found offers tall shirts in anything smaller than a large. We bought some very nice flannel shirts, among other things, at LL Bean last week and they are very nice.

Scott

Duluth Trading has all sizes in regular and tall.

David Helm
10-23-2018, 5:50 PM
Before she passed, my MIL always gave me an LL Bean flannel shirt for Christmas with a crisp new $50 bill fashioned into a bow tie on the collar. Those shirts wear like iron and I still have a closet full to remember her by. Bless her heart.
But do you still have the bowties?

Bob Warfield
10-23-2018, 6:41 PM
I have a real problem ordering clothing over the internet. I'm a hands on kind of guy. I did find some nice shirts today at our local Rural King store. Carhartt brand. Never thought I'd spend that much on 1 shirt but I thought we'll give it a try. My wife washed and dried it and I'm wearing it right now. Seems to fit perfectly and is very comfortable. Now I'm thinking I will get a couple more.

Bob

Ted Calver
10-23-2018, 9:12 PM
But do you still have the bowties?

Those were the fastest spending bow ties you ever saw:D

Dan Hulbert
10-24-2018, 8:41 AM
Duluth, Bean, and Carhart. You can't go wrong with any of them.

jared herbert
10-24-2018, 10:17 AM
LL Bean flannel shirts are the best. They seem to last forever. Sizes always run true.

Perry Hilbert Jr
10-24-2018, 5:22 PM
I like the really heavy weight flannel shirts, but they are getting herder and harder to find. Ever since I was a teen in the 1960's, I wanted a heavy weight Pendleton shirt. Saw a few over the years that caught my eye, but I was buying groceries for a brood and spending that much was out of the question. A year ago, I went to the Pendleton store east of Lancaster PA and bought a heavy wool flannel shirt. It cost nearly $100.00 I wear a long sleeve cotton t shirt under it. My favorite shirt, although at that price, it will not be worn in the shop or out on the farm anytime soon. I attend several outdoor winter activities and that shirt is just the ticket as part of layering for being out doors. There is a heavy woven cotton shirt I like that is very rugged, but I have not been able to find them in a couple years, It is a wrangler brand called Rigg. Found some on clearance in a closeout store two years ago, but all men's small.

Jim Becker
10-24-2018, 5:29 PM
Perry, Duluth has real "hanger benders" when it comes to heavy flannel shirts...

roger wiegand
10-25-2018, 9:02 AM
LL Bean has been my go-to source. I have some of most of the others as well, as I live in flannel shirts 7 months of the year.

Woolrich-- nice to start, but shrink terribly after a few trips through the wash. The arms on mine shortened by 2" on washing.
Carhartt-- great if you have enormous shoulders and very short arms.
Lands End-- vary a lot from year to year, depending on their supplier. Went way downhill after Sears bought them. I find their fabric to generally be "mushy"-- no body to it and doesn't wear very well any more. In ancient times they made flannel shirts that came in dress shirt sizing (collar and sleeve length) rather than the "a couple of sizes that must fit someone, someplace" model that the world has gone over to.
Vermont flannel-- limited plaid choices, no button down collars. Heavy, high quality flannel. They make a nice henley collar model, but it has no pocket-- what the heck is up with that?
Duluth-- Like Carhartt, fine if you have short arms

Jim Becker
10-25-2018, 11:08 AM
Strangely, I have not found the arms on any of my Duluth Trading flannels to be "short" and I do have reasonably long arms. Their normal fit is very generous as you mention, but for slimmer folks, many of the shirts are available in Trim Fit which deals with the shoulder thing you mention. I personally prefer the more generous sizing and actually buy XL, even though I probably could be fine in an L for many products. Most of Duluth's shirts are also 2-3" longer, too, which means they stay tucked in a lot better. It's one reason that most of what I wear comes from them!

John K Jordan
10-25-2018, 1:37 PM
Carhartt-- great if you have enormous shoulders and very short arms.

Hmm, I asked a couple of friends. Like me, some others that have normal arms have never had Carhart shirts with the arms too short. The one I'm wearing now is even longer than I need. They don't short with repeated washing either. Maybe you got some from a bad batch or seconds.

JKJ

Ken Platt
10-25-2018, 9:57 PM
Great thread. I wear flannel shirts most of the year, whenever it's too cool for just a T-shirt. For the milder parts of the cold season, I'm fine with the ordinary, cheapish flannel shirts , but when it gets truly cold - like November to April around here - I like the heavyweight flannel shirts that Tractor Supply sells under the brand name of C E Schmidt. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/ce-schmidt-mens-long-sleeve-heavy-flannel-shirt-129909099-1

I've been wearing these for a few years and they seem to be holding up well, and the price is right at under $30 or so.

Ken

Rich Engelhardt
10-26-2018, 4:30 AM
Well - no real health scare here - - - I just flat out got sick and tired of being "Fat-Boy-Tubbygut" (my Rap name :D :D :D )...
Down 89 pounds & 14 inches around my waist - as of yesterday's weigh in.

A month ago, I managed to squeeze into a pair of jeans - for the first time in like 12 (?) years. I ran out and bought 4 or 5 pair of jeans & two or three pair of shorts.
The shorts were a mistake because by the time "short weather" returns, with any luck, I'll have lost another 30 - or more pounds - and another 6 inches around the middle.

Which brings me to my advice...

Bob, hold off for now on the number of fairly expensive shirts you buy.
If you're serious about continuing to lose, they won't fit for long.

Jim Becker
10-26-2018, 8:30 AM
Ken, I have bought a few of the Tractor Supply supplied :) Schmidt flannels and they were nice at first, but I've had shrinkage issues with them. (and I only wash in cool water) That said, the prices are certainly attractive, even more so when they are on sale.

Chuck Ellis
10-26-2018, 12:24 PM
I don't wear flannel often, with winter coming I will a little more though... being a close cousin to Scrooge I usually just get the ones from Wally-world and they work fine for me... I have one that's about 15 or 20 years old and while it's getting a little thin, still wears fine. My others are a little newer.

One the idea of Made in USA, and at the risk of getting flamed... we live in a global society now and manufacturers being the business men they are, will go to where labor is the least... American works have effectively priced themselves out of the labor market... Many products that tout Made in America are products that parts are cut or manufactured then sent overseas for assembly then shipped back as American good returned at little or no duties.... After 40 years in the international trade industry, I just look at the product, if it does what I need, no concern for where it was assembled.

Ted Calver
10-26-2018, 1:14 PM
At the risk of being a heretic, check out some of the micro fleece shirts offered these days. I have some from Kohl's that I actually prefer to flannel. They have worn like iron and are much softer and warmer than flannel. Some of the micro fleece is crappy, so you have to touch and feel to see the quality of the material. Just another option for staying warm.

Bob Warfield
10-27-2018, 12:35 AM
Rich, Wow! Good for you. I don't know your age but if you where that much overweight you certainly would have had a health scare sooner or later. I really don't need to loose much more weight. Maybe another 2" from my waist, that's about it. As far as shirts go there's no way I'll ever get into a medium, large is about as small a shirt as I've worn since high school. I'm 65 now.


Bob

Rich Engelhardt
10-27-2018, 5:01 AM
Bob - I'm 66. :)

Jim Becker
10-28-2018, 7:04 PM
Just as a program note, Duluth Trading has their flannels on sale for 30% off right now. :)