Flannel/long sleeved button shirt guys--best inexpensive brands?

R

RedLynx

Joined
Aug 5, 2011
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Hi guys,

I like nicely functional clothes, but also like getting clothes as inexpensively as I can--a fact my girlfriend reminds me of, often, as she can well understand functional, quality clothing at a higher price point than she can a functional, quality knife at a higher price point. ;) Can't really fault her there. But I do like to find good deals and pick up a few good shirts when I can, and I'm partial to long-sleeved flannel or what could be described your typical long-sleeved "working shirt" with buttons.. doesn't always have to be flannel.

Anyone else like picking up clothes as inexpensive as possible? If so, where are some good deals for shirts like these?

I know I'm a terrible guy but even though I like blue jeans for example, when I spend over $30 on a pair, I feel bad. Wish I didn't.
 
Catch the sales and discount racks at Penney's and look for the St John's Bay brand.
Some of the stuff at WalMart isn't bad either, like the Faded Glory brand.
You can save money on some higher end brand-name stuff at Sam's Club from time to time. Takes little luck.

I have over 40 years' experience at wearing clothes, and it's my opinion that inexpensive brands like Faded Glory and St Johns Bay are made at the exact same factories using the exact same materials at Eddie Bauer and other more expensive brands. ;)

To get the best prices you have to catch the time of year just right. Long sleeves and flannel are heavily discounted in the late winter to make room for summer clothes, for example.
 
Back in my school days in NYC there was a place that sold "odd lots" When a big store buys stuff they buy many of one size, one color .When they're down to a few the want to make room for new stock so they get ride of the remainder of the old . Those are odd lots and places that handle them sell for very nice prices. Good brands at low prices. Today things are very different but there are still 'specials' .
Remember you should be buying value not price. I don't get flannel but a cotton/polyester long sleeve . But there are differences even in one brand . Standard weave or the tougher twill ? Pockets ,pockets with flap ? Fabric weight ? cotton or cotton/poly ? Read catalog carefully. Two big names in 'work clothing ' are Dickies and Red Kap.
 
Thanks guys.

Mete, I guess I usually just wear the standard weave and am partial to pockets with a flap, for some reason.
 
Do you find that flannel shrinks? I avoid it for that reason. Not that it gets too short, but it always seems to tighten up around the armpits. Which leads to poor ventilation, which leads to sweating, which leads to... yuck.
So for cooler temps I prefer a lined denim or canvas shirt. Cabela's cost extra, but it's a better material than other store brands, and not terribly expensive if you watch the discount racks at the stores. The St John's Bay stuff isn't quite as rugged, but it's much less expensive.
 
Thanks Bob.

Yeah, I do find that shrinkage/tightening happens for me as well. It usually takes awhile but it does happen (and I hate to sweat).

Canvas seems like an interesting option, I'm going to check it out. Thanks.
 
Carhartt irregulars can be purchased very cheaply. I still wonder why the ones I have were irregulars since the size, color, sewing, etc. are all first quality to me. In any case, after a few days on the farm they all have a similar well worn look to them that lasts a very long time. While Carhartt may be more expensive than St. John's Bay, they last a lot longer so to me they are a better value in the long run.
 
Sid Post said:
Carhartt irregulars can be purchased very cheaply. I still wonder why the ones I have were irregulars since the size, color, sewing, etc. are all first quality to me. In any case, after a few days on the farm they all have a similar well worn look to them that lasts a very long time. While Carhartt may be more expensive than St. John's Bay, they last a lot longer so to me they are a better value in the long run.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sid. Irregulars are sort of like the factory seconds of the clothes industry, or something?
 
RedLynx said:
Thanks Sid. Irregulars are sort of like the factory seconds of the clothes industry, or something?
Click to expand...

Yes. Try shopping at Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx as well. I have a few friends that have money, and they go clothes shopping at thrift stores. I guess they want to take it with them...
 
I like Carhartt shirts too but IMO the older Carhartt shirts are better constructed, have superior fabric and are less prone to shrinkage than my more recent purchases. Unfortunately this is becoming more common with many "better" brands. That being said my favorite work and flannel shirts come from Filson, Pendleton, Woolrich, Bill's Khakis, Schnee's, Royal Robbins/5.11, Patagonia and Orvis. Some of those can be pricey but look for manufacturer outlets (online or brick & mortar) and places like Sierra Trading Post for deals. Sign up to receive email coupon codes and sales alerts for the best values.
 
I've had very good luck at the Gap outlet stores. I head straight to the clearance racks and never spend more than $20 on clothing items (shoes and shades not included). I've been wearing one particular Gap shirt for over 10 years. Red and black plaid. I think the wife will be forcing me to retire it from wearing it in public soon, but many of their shirts have held up just as well, this particular one is my favorite though. Costco has decent shirts for low $$ too, but I find the clearance racks at the outlets to be my best bets. Tommy Hilfiger is another good one to Outlet shop for.
 
I generally avoid store brands of clothing & footwear but I have found a few exceptions in work type shirts that were a good combination of quality and value that I wanted to pass on. They are some various canvas and twill work shirts I have found before at REI, Cabela's and Tractor Supply. You may be scratching your head about the Tractor Supply thing, but they have their own line of work clothing named Schmidt, after the founder of TS, that are basically their lower cost alternative to Carhartt (which they also carry).
 
The flannel shirts by Field and Stream at Costco are about $20 bucks, and better quality than just about anything except maybe Cabela's heavyweight, imo.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I stick with the Carharrtt and LL Bean flannels, which I buy in the summer when they're dirt cheap; also, always buy a size larger then you need 'cause they will shrink if you machine wash and machine dry. I prefer to just machine wash and let them air dry to mitigate shrinkage.
 
I like 6pm.com and sierratradingpost.com. Not uncommon to get last year's colors or whatever at a 60%+ discount.

Costco carries some pretty decent quality dress shirts under their Kirkland brand.
 
RevDevil said:
Yes. Try shopping at Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx as well. I have a few friends that have money, and they go clothes shopping at thrift stores. I guess they want to take it with them...
Click to expand...

I guess I'm not really a second-hand thrift shopper, but I can't afford Ralph Lauren either, I'm afraid.
 
RedLynx said:
Thanks Sid. Irregulars are sort of like the factory seconds of the clothes industry, or something?
Click to expand...

Yes, maybe a sleeve is a little too long or, the shirt tail is a little too long. Maybe the color is a little too dark or too light for that batch of dye.

To me they are not seconds in terms of quality but, seconds in terms of superfluous details like maybe the corporate logo is not exactly in the right place.
 
RevDevil said:
Yes. Try shopping at Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx as well. I have a few friends that have money, and they go clothes shopping at thrift stores. I guess they want to take it with them...
Click to expand...

Or, they are saving for a rainy day. You never know when a big doctor bill is coming your way ... ;) 6 crowns without dental insurance will put a real hurt on the bank account.

Or, perhaps your friends are saving up for something special. Would I rather have some clothes that will be long gone in a year or two or something similar at a discount while saving for that special rifle/watch/trip/.... Or, they could be supporting a friend or sibling financially that lost their job, got sick, fell on hard times, .....

Life sure is easier when you live below your means instead of above them. :eek:
 
As a guy that usually wears 4xl shirts or larger, I have found that companies like Tractor Supply Company generally don't sell big and tall clothing as well as they do their "regular people" sizes. I bought Schmidt and Carhartt clothes at my local TSC for a huge discount, over the winter and early spring, including a Schmidt, their store brand, flannel shirt. I've also gotten deals on stuff at stores like Gabriel Brothers, Burlington Coat Factory and other national chains. If this fat guy could get great deals on clothes, imagine what the average joe could find. BTW, I think nothing of spending $$$ for a custom or high end production knife, but balk at walking into the big and tall clothier and laying down coin for clothes.

Which I need to do shortly...
 
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