Just an (interesting?) aaside. While driving thru California; Bakersfield in particular, I learned that Kern County produces the largest amount of cottom in the US, , then when nearing the corner where Yuma, Az is, we saw acres and acres of bailed cotton ready to be shipped to somewhere for the next phase of production. I asked myself...What cotton shortage?? All along Californias' highways are cotton fields that were other crops in the past. Even my old 'home town, had cotton fields where soy beans used to grow. Interesting, huh? I noticed mostly because they spray periquat(??) before harvesting, and I hated the smell and was surprised that it was growing so close to my former town and another nearby one. Just thinking.

I think it's more style than shortage..and I also hate today's fashions. If I "do" buy a t-shirt that I like, I usually wear a tank top under it.

It seems to be the style now.

I see gals wearing those thin Ts over a tank top or other shirt.

Because people (mostly women) will buy them convinced it's "fashion". I only wear mens/unisex tees for that reason.

It's not just t-shirts, it is other shirts and tops as well. I was just at Talbots looking for a top, found a beautiful one but I would need another to wear under it! And at $139 I didn't think that made sense!

Well I prefer thin materials since I feel it's less bulk added to my already bulky frame. BUT, I do prefer my clothing not to be see-through. I can't tell you how many tops I've turned away event though I loved the style and the cut but you could see right through the material.

Men's t-shirts are thinner as well, I ordered some Hanes pocket T's for hubby when I ordered mine, and they are not much thicker than the lady's shirts.
I just want some nice, comfy T's I can wear without a tank or camisole.
Re. the cotton shortage, due to the massive drought here in TX most of the cotton fields yielded a fraction of the normal harvest.

I look to see where they are made. Cotton may be like oil here--over 400,000 gallons per day--being sent south, out or US to be refined then sent back!

Petra -- Hanes everything seems to hav gone downhill. DH orders all his pocket tees from Duluth now. They are super thick and very well made. They are also extra long.

I think they are usually softer and just so happen to be "in style" right now. I love my thin t-shirts but you go through them a lot faster.

wildchild, thanks for the tip. I'd never heard of Duluth Trading Company before, they seem to have nice quality clothing.

Not only are they thin but once they are washed once or twice they are good for the trash.

I love them, they are definitely in style right now, I just like the lighter material.

Have you tried ordering Hanes Beefy-Tees if they still have them? I know those are a heavyweight tee. Another source for heavier weight cotton is Land's End and LL Bean. Although I haven't ordered tees from either in a long time, they always have a heavier material content than most department stores.

Michelle, the Land's End I ordered were thinnish as well. The Hanes Beefy did not come in V-Neck at the time I ordered, but I will check again.

I would think the leaders of the garment industry are ecstatic--they hardly have to use any fabric for each garment but charge the same, thereby ensuring another shirt to be worn underneath. Fashion? Or clever marketing? Yes, it's all women's tops now. I hope enough of us won't be buying, in order to force a change.

I just bought 2 cowel neck knit shirts from Lands End at Sears, which are thinner than I would like, but everywhere else I looked was the same. I'm hanging on to my Hanes Beefy long sleeve t-shirts. Don't know how many more years I'll get out of them!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Last summer's KT discussion of thin clothing, etc.

Many of the fridges built 50 years ago lasted for 40 years ... now they last for about 10.

Same game: sell replacement stuff ... sooner!

ole joyful

Army and Navy surplus stores may still have some decent thick ones, along with uniform supply stores.

Gosh I hate to give Wally's a plug....but, just yesterday (in Arizona) I bought a white 3/4 sleeve T...that fits (20) that is just perfect (weight-wise as well). Also found some Hanes light weight (like indoorsweight) Sweat shirts (size XXL) that I haven't seen in years. They don't have length or bulk in the arms/sleeves that large sizes usually have....tad shorter as well. Last time I found them was Wallyworld 7 years ago. (BTW $5 and $5.97 each and 100% cotton) And, yes, that is why we have joblessness in America and I usually don't shop there for that reason. Made in San Salvador.

michelle and nanny98,

Nice to see a couple of gals from Arizona. What city do you both live in if I may ask?

I'm new and trying to get my feet wet here...lol!

Do y'all send e-mails to each other?

used to get all my tees at wm, but now i've switched to the men's dept...

you know we used to buy men's wilson brand tees all the time... i guess it was case of a good thing gone bad...they never wore out...(well after 10-15 years they have)...dh refuses to give up one that is almost in shreds...

Lovemymimi...I am doing a "snowbird" thing in Yuma for most of the winter. I live in Southern Oregon....temps there are already 17 and 31 overnight, only slightly warmer days. We are loving the sunshine and the three (I think) nights that the rain was pitter-pattering on our MH roof. I hope you find your way around your new place. Nanny

Nanny,

Glad to know that you enjoy the winters here. I can't even imagine temps as low as you're saying they are now in Oregon! And yeah...the rain was very welcomed for sure!

I'm finding my way around...but still curious to know if we can e-mail each other. Im thinking it looks like it's an optional choice for each member...right?

Right now, my outgoing email is not working...gotta find a MAC person to see what I have done....would love to hear from you.Yes, folks can email each other.
eleanorschlapfer@mac.com

I live in tee's in the summer. I stopped buying women's tee shirts a long time ago and buy men's. It's because they're much thicker and hang better on the body, no matter what shape you are.

For a "fancier" tee, I can look online and tell if the material is thin or not.

Another nitpick I have about women's tees are how darn short the sleeves are! Another reason I buy men's tee shirts.

Yeah oakleyok...I hear ya!
I dislike that the sleeves are so short too. I need to re-think wearing men's tee's again...used to years ago.
Think I'll try L.L. Bean or Lands'End sometime...might be worth a try.

Oakleyok.... one of the major reasons I went to men's tees also. Hate the short sleeves. I inherited awful upper arms. It's the one area I would actually consider surgery if the scarring weren't so bad.

I hate the way all womens stuff is so tapered and fitted. My body is no longed tapered. I can make it smaller or I can make it bigger through diet and exercise but short of plastic surgery or a tightly lace corset that would cause me fainting spells my tapered days are over. LOL

Our local paper had an article on winter coats the other day. Advised women to look for tapered styles to show off their figures. HUH? It's a coat. Not swimwear. I want warmth and comfort.

Too many fat women walking around already showing too much of their figures. Rolls of tummy,plumber's butts,thin stretchy clothing highlighting cellulite. What happened to hide the defects and highlight the assets school of thought?

I've asked this very same question before. I hate the new t-shirts and they look awful on. No sleeves and so clingy to the body, yuck.

I agree in general about the thinness of T-shirts as well as the cheap production of clothing these days. But last summer I found a T-shirt at Target that I just love: stylish, long-wearing, comfortable. Just checked and it is still available online: Mossimo V-neck, single pocket. Yes, it is thin but it is long length, comes in lots of colors, and is only $8.00. I bought a bunch of them and they've now lasted through a lot of washes (although the color fades). It has a ton of rave reviews online.

Marita, are the Mossimo so thin that you need another shirt underneath?

petra, I've never worn them with something under them. They are form fitting (which I like) and long (which I love). I wore them all summer with jeans or shorts.

Yeah I cannot stand these tees. I'm fairly thin due to the fact that I recently lost 100+ pounds and anyone with any flab at all will attest to the fact that these thin t-shirts cling onto every last roll, crease and curve. I actually get anxious just wearing them lol.

It's sad that all those awesome nerdy shirts at Target are of this material. If there's any Rayon in the mix it's a definite no for me but often the 100% cotton shirts are equally as bad. I don't care that these shirts are being sold, if you wanna buy them, go for it. My only gripes are that A) these are the only shirts available at stores like Target and Walmart (Walmart is admittedly better though) and B) the fact that the 100% cotton tees are just as bad makes it impossible to shop online because you never know what you're going to get. Okay, I'm done

Thin shirts ...

... = sooner holes ...

... =sooner holes in wallets ...

... (can't think of a "funny" related to "cards": mental slippage, I fear).

ole joyfuelled

Congratulations, Zack!

I still wear tee shirts I bought 20 years ago. Granted, many of those are now relegated to "painting tee's" or "yardwork tee's" but not all. Some of them remain as sturdy as the day I got them - and whatever image or whatever was on them for whatever reason still remains relevant to me today. (Or brings back a really good memory!)

I cannot believe that someone actually thinks it's because it's "in style". It's in style only because one has no other choice. It's just cheap you know what coming in from out of the country. As long as we buy it, it will keep coming. I say don't buy it. All clothing, not just Tee-s is getting chintzier. Talbots. Chico's whatever is simply not the same quality it was 5 or 10 years ago.

Old Thread, revived.

I buy DH's undershirts at Costco. The Kirkland brand is as heavy as a man could possibly want; wish they made men's undershorts in 42-44 waist sizes. (Yes, my 'old man' still wears tighty-whities -- and pajamas, when I can find them. Old habits.)

I too have started going to the men's department for tee shirts including Walmart or ordering from there. Duluth trading is a good reputable company that still makes quality products. Also the stores that cater to outdoors activities and hunting have better quality shirts like Academy, cabela's, Bass pro, gander mountain etc.

I never buy women's t's...always mens as I think they are better quality...

DH and I both prefer soft thin shirts. Years ago, we had to hunt to find them, now they are everywhere.

I wouldn't be too quick to discount it being style.

Discounted weight of product: not discounted price.

o j

Hubby wears the Kirkland t-shirts and underwear. They only come in black or white though. The quality can't be beat, nice and thick and wear like iron.

I should buy myself a package of white ones!

They're awful for women with flabby arms, the material clings to my big, flabby arms. Went on a couple small vacations and stocked up on gift shop t-shirts from the places I went to. They're normal, old-fashioned t-shirts with actual normal length sleeves. Most tops I noticed also have spandex or some other clingy-@ss material in them. I might like the styles but when I put them on, they're meant for stick women with stick arms.

I was just putting on one of my favorite tees and thought wonder what brand it is because it's a good heavy weight 100% cotton, it is screen printed. I have had it for several years and wear it regularly. It is a Gildan heavy weight athletic ultra cotton. I would like to buy a few more of these so a search brought me to this site with good prices and tons of positive reviews for this shirt. They come in lots of colors but be sure to notice that some of the colors are not 100 %cotton but a blend, has to do with color.

Gildan

I'm with you, Kathsgardn. When we were at the Grand Canyon this spring we bought tee shirts that I had put away and forgotten--I have to wear sleeveless, cooler shirts in the summer because I feel the heat more intensely than most. As it cooled down yesterday I pulled it out and was pleased to notice it was a nice weight. And I remember being quite pleased with the price too--quite a bit less than I expected to pay! Yes, these thin, ridiculous shirts have been foisted upon us by greedy manufacturers who call it "style." I would be willing to pay more for a heavier shirt, but they don't seem to exist.

Many companies that have screen printing businesses use those Gildan shirts I linked to, in fact the majority of the reviews were from those people. Thin shirts don't do well with screen printing.

Whooo, blast from the past! :) I second Duluth and Gildan. Have ordered several from Duluth since Wildchild recommended them and am very pleased with the thickness and durability and sleeve length. They do run a little large, but one size down takes care of that. Also bought Gildan with pockets for hubby and he likes them a lot. They are nice and sturdy and last a long time.