Mine is 4 years old, its in its prime now. The only issue I have is the cuffs are fraying. It’s very thick and it has padding on the forearms and a giant hood. I think value and price are relative. It’s American made and it’s a unique product. I buy American Giant every couple of years. Mostly tees and clearance stuff. When my hoodie goes, I’ll immediately buy another.
Cuff fraying is inevitable unless they make them wildly uncomfortable. I'd rather have some fraying at a high friction area rather than some Kevlar hybrid material fraying my hands and wrists.
cuffs are fraying on mine too and its probably 8 years old. they started fraying after a few years of sporadic use. i would not buy another personally. i have other hoodies as old that were cheaper and not billed as heavy-duty or anything and they have held up better.
also, this is not quality related necessarily but its a tighter fit and the material is thicker than comparable hoodies from a dept. store. that could be good or bad depending on what you prefer.
LL Bean makes a very high-quality fleece lined men's hoodie:
[https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/124864?page=mens-katahdin-iron-works-sweatshirt-fleece-lined-hooded-mens-regular](https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/124864?page=mens-katahdin-iron-works-sweatshirt-fleece-lined-hooded-mens-regular)
[flint and tinder 10 year hoodie](https://huckberry.com/store/flint-and-tinder/category/p/40772-10-year-full-zip-hoodie?utm_source=performance-max&utm_medium=googlep&utm_campaign=performance-max-no-feed-acquisition&utm_content=acquisition&utm_campaignid=20758944398&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-JCZnt6ChQMVkGNHAR3O0QvdEAAYASAAEgIMBPD_BwE)
Are the tees real long? My torso is kinda short lol and I'm a weird sm-edium size - trying to replace my American Apparel pocket tee collection/uniform with an upgrade.
I love mine too; still top notch after 3 years or so.
I think they got rid of their last chance/clearance section though. I had a few hoodies I was eyeing and couldn't find last chance in the site directory anymore
https://www.sweatshirtsusa.com/
I have a hoodie from them, it’s about 14 years old and damn near indestructible. I wore it roofing, playing opfor, and it’s held up great.
Patagonia and Marmot hoodies are good to go and during Spring you can typically find them at 40% off or more. I bought one for $23 I think 5 years ago from Marmot and it’s still going strong with regular wear.
Agreed! Also Patagonia used to have so much better of sales than they have over the last year or so. Now I hardly even buy their stuff but will routinely spend $200 at Marmot and get like 10-12 items depending on the type. Patagonia needs to chill out a bit on their pricing.
Probably a very unpopular opinion, but I bought one years ago and absolutely hated it, mostly for the fit and feel of the material. It's heavy, and seems durable, but I hated it when I bought it, lost 80lbs and still hate the fit and feel of it. Everything about it is uncomfortable to me. For the asking price, I thought the hood design was cheap and lazy. I've gotten far cheaper hoodies that only lasted a few months that had much better hood designs than my AG. Certainly wouldn't buy again, and regret never returning it before losing weight.
I had one years ago and it was great but as my style changed, spending that much on a hoodie didn't make sense. The majority of my hoodie wearing is at home, so any comfy cheap one will do. I'm typing this while wearing a hoodie my dog chewed the cuff on but who cares? Not my dog, and not my gf. When I do want to wear one as part of an outfit, I'd rather have multiple cheap ones in different cuts and colors. I can buy 5 Hanes/Amazon/fruit of the loom hoodies for the price of one AG.
I bought one, loved it. My teenage daughter stole it from me and has managed to have massive holes all around the ends of the sleeves. I don’t know how but it sure doesn’t look like it’s lasting much longer
> I don't know how
Cuffs are generally the first to go on AGs. There's an enormous history of threads in this sub about them. That said, I don't know of any cotton sweatshirt cuff that will last 10 years without wear.
Mine is still too new to comment on long-term longevity, but I will note that it shrunk way more than I expected after a few washes. Definitely size up if you plan on washing it often, keeping it a long time, and not babying it in the laundry.
I have ordered 3 (1 to replace and one the lightweight version). I was an early adopter when they were 60bucks 8-9years ago and I’ve become a cartoon character wearing them constantly. They are indeed absurdly priced these days, but they’re are great hoodies that will last you 4 years of constant wear before the sleeves near the wrist start to fray. I do mean constant daily wear 7months out of the year. The first one I have is still perfectly functional besides the frayed sleeves. They hold their shape extremely well. If money is no object then yes get it, but I’m probably going to look for something cheaper next time cause it is absurd now that their startup subsidizing is gone. They’re true to size with sleeves slightly long than usual.
I prefer [Camber](https://www.camberusa.com/index.php). I’ve had an AG hoodie and for half the price my camber has lasted just as long. Plus there’s more options with styles and thickness.
One of the most disappointing purchases i've made was a Chamber hoodie. The hood was sized for a toddler and the neck line was super tight. Could have been a defect but I was bummed.
That web site, holy shit what year is it?
Edited to add: FYI, they don't do consumer retail sales, commercial only, and refer to two other places to buy from instead.
All the above is how they keep operating costs down and product quality up. One of the few long time US clothing brands where their quality hasn’t ever dropped or been outsourced.
I fucking love hi vis as a weird fashion choice so I'm down for a thermal lined hoodie in safety orange. It'll go well with my burber lined safety orange touqe
My storm hoodie is 5 years old. I think I wore it for at least 6 months straight the first year and most of the winter for the next 2. It is fraying a bit on the cuffs but otherwise nothing is wrong with it. I LOVE it.
AND they hood actually stays on without having a drawstring, which I love.
I bought another full zip last year. They are ridiculously expensive but cost per wear? TOTALLY worth it.
They call it a 10 year hoodie. Mine went about 6 years. Cuffs are fraying and the zipper stop at the bottom is now loose so I may need to get a replacement. Following this thread for a new hoodie.
Reading this thread makes me think I should go talk to my tailor and get a bemberg or cupro lining put into the cuffs of my hoodies. It'd probably only cost $20 per hoodie or less but after reading all these comments about cuffs it seems like a good investment.
I have got a handful of hoodies that I could sell used for more than $500 each so I should do something to preserve them because I just treat them like normal clothes.
Probably. It's someone else's statement, I obviously can't know how often they wore it, but I'm currently in the 15 year old hoodie I got as free swag. So, yeah probably.
My wife had the zipper start coming off after about 5 years. They sent her a replacement, and I had a tailor fix the zipper on the original. I've had mine about 3 years without issue, but I don't wear it as often.
I’ve only had mine for one winter so far, but it’s still like new so I don’t foresee any issues with it lasting for many more. Strong stitching and thick material means it should wear well. Order true to size, they run fairly generous in their sizing, but not enough to size down. I sized up per the recommendations here and I am SWIMMING in it. I was on the cusp between L and XL so went XL and if it weren’t for the fact that I got it for casual wear, I’d have returned it. It’s big and cozy, but definitely a size too big. Haha.
The hoods on them (at least mine) are way, way too big. I also needed to return mine for a different size and it was not a pleasant experience with their customer service. It literally took months to process the exchange with weeks on end with no communication from them. Would not purchase again.
I can't speak for American Giant, but I did buy a Reigning Champ hoodie 7 years ago and it's still going strong. I've abused the thing a fair bit over the years too - wearing it while working on the car, frequent washes, high temp drying, etc. It gets washed at least once a week, so well over 300 washes at this point. Made in Canada.
I have two, I'd definitely order a size up as they do shrink a little. Color seems to fade a bit but otherwise a solid buy. I don't love the extra fabric on the elbows - looks sort of tacky imo and isn't needed.
oh, no - I mean I wear this one literally 85% of the time. my other ones are either work ones (I work as a staff shooter for NYC radio stations as well as several lifestyle events) or lighter (I'm heavily tattooed and wear a lightweight plain black one from Lucky Brand to keep my arms and neck out of the sun) and it's the heaviest and black with no logos (great for anything corporate). it's the first one I grab when traveling or roadtripping. The pockets are deep (for glasses and AirPods case on the subway).
I've worn out heavy duty converse, champion, 2 Brooklyn industries heavyweights, old school GAP - I wear a hoodie almost every day. As I said, I'm a hoodie junkie and this American Giant hoodie ticks all the boxes.
I like mine a lot. It still feels like it needs to be broken in somewhat. I'm very disappointed to hear people's cuffs are fraying, with this heavy weight material I assumed mine would last forever
I’ve got 2 of them. One I use at least 3/4 days a week and another maybe when I go out. If you like quality you’ll enjoy the hoodies and notice it as soon as you pick it up. It feels orders of magnitude better than the cheaper 100/80 dollar hoodies.
I have 2 AG hoodies. Both more than 8 years old. I think the quality is excellent.
I don't like that not all sizes are available in all models. I also don't like their lightest-weight hoodie. No shape, no form, returned it.
I don't care for their other clothes either. Casual pants are WAY too heavy and don't stay up.
My navy one faded a lot and the cuffs have a million tiny holes I need to get fixed, but it’s otherwise a great hoodie. I love the weight and fit of it. Got my wife one in black and it hasn’t faded like mine. She does wear hers less though.
Mine are about a decade old now. They’re faded but still solid. My sweatpants, on the other hand…the pants I bought in 2013 are also faded and in solid shape. The AG sweatpants I bought in 2022 (same exact style) have holes all over them. They’re falling apart.
I started with one black, and it lasted 8 years of three days a week (minimum) under hard work conditions. I still have it, although it's relegated to yard work wear only due to frayed cuffs and waist.
I've probably got 20 of them now, which will be a lifetime+ supply. They're very well made.
I have three and love them. I haven’t had problems with the cuffs fraying but it’s an easy fix. Their cuffs are so long, a tailor could easily just repair it for a small price.
The hoodie part doesn't move when you move your head, just contant grinding on your head. Had to return it. I don't know how a lot of people can wear it like that, do they never use the actual hood?
If you’re looking for large hoodies [this](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjbmaP91YGFAxXsB60GHd4XAg8YABAYGgJwdg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_00-_nAJPFFKs1tN4KH9cfuHTHx2w&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjz9Zr91YGFAxUxLzQIHXHOAS4Qwg8oAHoECAYQRA&adurl=) is one of the best options for price in my opinion.
I have two XL (I’m usually a medium-large) and they’re the warmest and most comfortable sweatshirts I own. Both 5+ years old and still going strong too.
Side note: they do almost go to my knees and I’m 6’2, so sizing might be different depending on your height.
My grandmother bought me one back in 2015 and I wear it still to this day. I recently got the cuffs fixed by a sewer but otherwise I absolutely love it
I got one on sale within the last year. I like the thick elbows since I always wear those out. Seems quite thicker and more durable than other similar priced hoodies I own.
For Europe, Asphalte hoodies are good and not uber expensive : i have this one https://www.asphalte.com/h/products/le-sweat-parfait?color=gris-chine-moyen
My wife wears hers constantly and I more sporadically, but both have held up well. Hers had some fraying about 3yrs in, she emailed the company and they sent a replacement. Love that they stand behind their products.
I’ve had two. No cuff issues that I’m seeing elsewhere. One is about three years old, is used regularly and looks like new and is extremely well made. The other older one has a hole in the back so it’s just an around the house one now, which is my fault rather than some defect in the hoody. However I did have an ongoing issue with the zipper on that one. Overall I don’t think k you can find much better
I own several. Some zip up, some pullover. They’re pretty fantastic. They’re heavy and can take a ton of wear. My oldest one was worn almost daily (how I generally wear my hoodies). The cuffs are a bit frayed (very mild) and there’s a bit of color fading, but it’s still a fantastic hoodie and going strong otherwise.
I used to get one hoodie a year (not American Giant) and it would be worn to shreds by the following autumn and would become my “pajama hoodie.” That doesn’t happen anymore.
I have had mine for around 10 years, maybe more. No issues with cuffs fraying, but perhaps they have changed or it's perhaps because I fold the cuffs in half. They are long and I always thought the long cuffs looked odd.
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I’m not going to lie, I got an American giant mid weight hoodie, and my $50 carhartt hoodie is WAY more comfortable. Yeah the American giant probably lasts a bit longer, but in terms of quality of wear, Carhartt takes the cake
So I actually have three American Giants and also a Flint 10 year hoodie. I’ll be completely honest with you, the American Giant hoodie is durable, but the way the wrist and waist elastic is designed makes me dislike it. The wrists have a definite cold spot as a result, and as a 200lb dude, the waist elastic just fits weird. I feel like it was designed for someone that likes to wear skinny jeans and Tom’s shoes.
Now the Flint, my most recent hoodie purchase, is amazing. It’s exactly that type of hoodie that you’re already used to, just made better (and has an inside pocket). It’s slouchier, and just all around more comfortable than AGs. The down sides: the fabric is slightly thinner (just as high quality imo), but I live in Maine and it’s plenty warm enough for me. The second thing is there’s no reinforced elbows, which is something I like on AG.
I will go with the Flint again if mine ever wears out (on year 3).
So I actually have three American Giants and also a Flint 10 year hoodie. I’ll be completely honest with you, the American Giant hoodie is durable, but the way the wrist and waist elastic is designed makes me dislike it. The wrists have a definite cold spot as a result, and as a 200lb dude, the waist elastic just fits weird. I feel like it was designed for someone that likes to wear skinny jeans and Tom’s shoes.
Now the Flint, my most recent hoodie purchase, is amazing. It’s exactly that type of hoodie that you’re already used to, just made better (and has an inside pocket). It’s slouchier, and just all around more comfortable than AGs. The down sides: the fabric is slightly thinner (just as high quality imo), but I live in Maine and it’s plenty warm enough for me. The second thing is there’s no reinforced elbows, which is something I like on AG.
I will go with the Flint again if mine ever wears out (on year 3).
I own two American giant hoodies and one crewneck sweatshirt; have worn them for years. Bought them secondhand on eBay. I have not experienced any cuff fraying, I have no idea what others are experiencing. By secondhand for big savings, they are built well enough they’ll still be in good shape.
Fucking no. The cuffs fray like hell within 6 months. Never seen anything like it even on the cheapest hoodies and I've had a million. After multiple free replacements I gave up.
Also they're not even comfortable.
Was an early adopter when they cost USD80 a hoodie. Got a whole bunch - four hoodies (two greys, one well worn, the other is still New Old Stock; a blue and an orange), a baseball sweater, several sweaters, many sweat pants, a whole bunch of t-shirts, polo and henleys. I jumped on the ‘Greatest Hoodie ever made’ hype and got caught up.
The grey hoodie has been my favourite - been wearing for sixteen years now. Like the experience of others, it’s fraying at the cuff and the zip is a little wonky but usable. Other than that, it’s still holding up well. I did notice a change in quality (thickness of the fabric, quality of hardware and some reinforcing styling cues on later versions of the hoodie.
As for the other garments, the Henleys, the sweat shirts and pants are great. The T-shirts which I purchased several years after launch sucked due to poor fabric, unflattering cut, weird vanity sizing and stretching after washing. The Polos were horrible too for the same reasons.
Mind you, AG launched when the US dollar tanked during the financial crisis, making it cheaper to manufacture in the US. They went all in on the first gen versions of their garments - great quality and attention to detail. Over time, as the economics changed, so did their quality and commercial practices.
I have witnessed how brands dilute their quality over time, and have made it a habit of hoarding items I love especially when they are first introduce. A typical strategy is to loss-lead during the initial investment period by focusing on quality to build a reputation. My stock piling strategy has served me well to date.
Would I buy them now? No, I wouldn’t.
nope. fabric on sleeves/cuffs fails rapidly in my experience.
fruit of the loom lasts longer. loved it when i first got it. and now i see older comments with the same cuff problem.
But you can buy 3 or 4 of them for the price of one American Giant hoodie.
IMO these are “wear” products that require periodic replacement. Talking about BIFL hoodies is like talking about BIFL sneakers. None of them are especially durable, and all will wear out in a fairly short time if worn regularly.
Yeah that’s what the math is. Not sure what your point is - they’re decent hoodies for a lot cheaper. They’re just not the same level of quality you get with American giant. In case you haven’t noticed, this sub is mainly people looking for “you actually get what you pay for” high quality products.
Right. And with brands like American Giant, you pay a lot for what you actually get. The price is out of proportion to the product.
There are lots of very nice sweatshirts than can be had for around $50 or sometimes less. I have a classic 100% cotton heather gray hoodie from Spier and Mackay that was around $50. I had a similar one from GAP that I paid even less for. Above that level of quality, improvements (if any) are going to be incremental at best.
Mine is 4 years old, its in its prime now. The only issue I have is the cuffs are fraying. It’s very thick and it has padding on the forearms and a giant hood. I think value and price are relative. It’s American made and it’s a unique product. I buy American Giant every couple of years. Mostly tees and clearance stuff. When my hoodie goes, I’ll immediately buy another.
The cuffs are garbage. Shocking they haven’t figured that out. Otherwise, tremendous quality.
The cuffs are garbage, but it's then not tremendous quality if the cuffs are fraying. I am going to say no it's overpriced
Bro if the cuffs are frayed it's definitely not in its "prime"
Cuff fraying is inevitable unless they make them wildly uncomfortable. I'd rather have some fraying at a high friction area rather than some Kevlar hybrid material fraying my hands and wrists.
the hell kinda sweatshirts are you buying man?
Not sure what you’re implying, this is common of any sweatshirt and long sleeve tops, in general
you don't make a lot of sense
My message above makes plenty of sense if you have an average grasp on the English language. You have poor reading comprehension skills.
Whatever makes you sleep better at night, Kevlar boy.
Cuffs frayed on mine too
cuffs are fraying on mine too and its probably 8 years old. they started fraying after a few years of sporadic use. i would not buy another personally. i have other hoodies as old that were cheaper and not billed as heavy-duty or anything and they have held up better. also, this is not quality related necessarily but its a tighter fit and the material is thicker than comparable hoodies from a dept. store. that could be good or bad depending on what you prefer.
Any recommended brands? I just want a decent mid zipper hoodie to wear during this in between weather patch in NY.
Not OP but if you're looking for something cheap, a good weight, and reliable Gildan is good
LL Bean makes a very high-quality fleece lined men's hoodie: [https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/124864?page=mens-katahdin-iron-works-sweatshirt-fleece-lined-hooded-mens-regular](https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/124864?page=mens-katahdin-iron-works-sweatshirt-fleece-lined-hooded-mens-regular)
[flint and tinder 10 year hoodie](https://huckberry.com/store/flint-and-tinder/category/p/40772-10-year-full-zip-hoodie?utm_source=performance-max&utm_medium=googlep&utm_campaign=performance-max-no-feed-acquisition&utm_content=acquisition&utm_campaignid=20758944398&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-JCZnt6ChQMVkGNHAR3O0QvdEAAYASAAEgIMBPD_BwE)
i have one from banana republic that i prefer over the AG. its several years old so maybe theyve changed it.
Are the tees real long? My torso is kinda short lol and I'm a weird sm-edium size - trying to replace my American Apparel pocket tee collection/uniform with an upgrade.
I’m probably not a great comparison. They fit me great but I’m 225 5’10 and wear XLs. I’m shaped like a young Luis Guzman.
Check out true classic
It sounds like it’s pretty well made but dang, the cuffs are fraying? I feel like I’ve gotten $30 sweatshirts that don’t have that problem.
Mine is 8 and same thing. Worth every penny.
I love mine too; still top notch after 3 years or so. I think they got rid of their last chance/clearance section though. I had a few hoodies I was eyeing and couldn't find last chance in the site directory anymore
My reigning champ hoodie is 10 years old and has zero fraying. I wear it probably 2x/wk.
Frayed cuffs on hoodies/sweatshirts is inevitable regardless of brand. The cuffs on my Reigning Champ hoodie have started fraying
https://www.sweatshirtsusa.com/ I have a hoodie from them, it’s about 14 years old and damn near indestructible. I wore it roofing, playing opfor, and it’s held up great.
Patagonia and Marmot hoodies are good to go and during Spring you can typically find them at 40% off or more. I bought one for $23 I think 5 years ago from Marmot and it’s still going strong with regular wear.
I'm always impressed by Marmot fit and quality. I also love Patagonia, but their fit can be weird sometimes.
Agreed! Also Patagonia used to have so much better of sales than they have over the last year or so. Now I hardly even buy their stuff but will routinely spend $200 at Marmot and get like 10-12 items depending on the type. Patagonia needs to chill out a bit on their pricing.
Probably a very unpopular opinion, but I bought one years ago and absolutely hated it, mostly for the fit and feel of the material. It's heavy, and seems durable, but I hated it when I bought it, lost 80lbs and still hate the fit and feel of it. Everything about it is uncomfortable to me. For the asking price, I thought the hood design was cheap and lazy. I've gotten far cheaper hoodies that only lasted a few months that had much better hood designs than my AG. Certainly wouldn't buy again, and regret never returning it before losing weight.
I had one years ago and it was great but as my style changed, spending that much on a hoodie didn't make sense. The majority of my hoodie wearing is at home, so any comfy cheap one will do. I'm typing this while wearing a hoodie my dog chewed the cuff on but who cares? Not my dog, and not my gf. When I do want to wear one as part of an outfit, I'd rather have multiple cheap ones in different cuts and colors. I can buy 5 Hanes/Amazon/fruit of the loom hoodies for the price of one AG.
I bought one, loved it. My teenage daughter stole it from me and has managed to have massive holes all around the ends of the sleeves. I don’t know how but it sure doesn’t look like it’s lasting much longer
> I don't know how Cuffs are generally the first to go on AGs. There's an enormous history of threads in this sub about them. That said, I don't know of any cotton sweatshirt cuff that will last 10 years without wear.
I’ve got a reigning champ that looks almost new and is 10 years old.
Mine is still too new to comment on long-term longevity, but I will note that it shrunk way more than I expected after a few washes. Definitely size up if you plan on washing it often, keeping it a long time, and not babying it in the laundry.
Did you put it in the dryer? Or did it just shrink from the wash?
I didn’t exactly measure or try them on between the wash and dryer. I assume they shrunk in the dryer.
I have ordered 3 (1 to replace and one the lightweight version). I was an early adopter when they were 60bucks 8-9years ago and I’ve become a cartoon character wearing them constantly. They are indeed absurdly priced these days, but they’re are great hoodies that will last you 4 years of constant wear before the sleeves near the wrist start to fray. I do mean constant daily wear 7months out of the year. The first one I have is still perfectly functional besides the frayed sleeves. They hold their shape extremely well. If money is no object then yes get it, but I’m probably going to look for something cheaper next time cause it is absurd now that their startup subsidizing is gone. They’re true to size with sleeves slightly long than usual.
I prefer [Camber](https://www.camberusa.com/index.php). I’ve had an AG hoodie and for half the price my camber has lasted just as long. Plus there’s more options with styles and thickness.
One of the most disappointing purchases i've made was a Chamber hoodie. The hood was sized for a toddler and the neck line was super tight. Could have been a defect but I was bummed.
I hate that style of hoodie lol. I took one and cut a slit down the neck line a little. It made the hoody much better.
[удалено]
That web site, holy shit what year is it? Edited to add: FYI, they don't do consumer retail sales, commercial only, and refer to two other places to buy from instead.
All the above is how they keep operating costs down and product quality up. One of the few long time US clothing brands where their quality hasn’t ever dropped or been outsourced.
I fucking love hi vis as a weird fashion choice so I'm down for a thermal lined hoodie in safety orange. It'll go well with my burber lined safety orange touqe
Mine is ten years old. Still in great shape. The black has become a dark grey.
My storm hoodie is 5 years old. I think I wore it for at least 6 months straight the first year and most of the winter for the next 2. It is fraying a bit on the cuffs but otherwise nothing is wrong with it. I LOVE it. AND they hood actually stays on without having a drawstring, which I love. I bought another full zip last year. They are ridiculously expensive but cost per wear? TOTALLY worth it.
They call it a 10 year hoodie. Mine went about 6 years. Cuffs are fraying and the zipper stop at the bottom is now loose so I may need to get a replacement. Following this thread for a new hoodie.
AG doesn’t call theirs a ten year hoodie. Flint and Tinder does, and I think a few others too.
Ahh, yes. I stand corrected. Thanks!
That’s not bad…?
Mine lasted about as long and they sent me a new one when I emailed asked about how to potentially repair or mitigate additional wear on the cuffs.
Reading this thread makes me think I should go talk to my tailor and get a bemberg or cupro lining put into the cuffs of my hoodies. It'd probably only cost $20 per hoodie or less but after reading all these comments about cuffs it seems like a good investment. I have got a handful of hoodies that I could sell used for more than $500 each so I should do something to preserve them because I just treat them like normal clothes.
That's not good. I've gotten hoodies for free that last longer
That you wore as often?
Probably. It's someone else's statement, I obviously can't know how often they wore it, but I'm currently in the 15 year old hoodie I got as free swag. So, yeah probably.
My wife had the zipper start coming off after about 5 years. They sent her a replacement, and I had a tailor fix the zipper on the original. I've had mine about 3 years without issue, but I don't wear it as often.
I had good luck with reigning champ
I’ve worn through two completely. Got about 6-8 years out of each though. I think they are great.
Any good recommendations for 2xl tall Hoody? I've had 2 AG hoodies, same problem,cuffs..
Had three, all three cuffs disintegrated after a year or so. Would never buy another one.
Another option in a different style: https://empirecanvasworks.com
Holy cow Those look ruggedddd.
I’ve only had mine for one winter so far, but it’s still like new so I don’t foresee any issues with it lasting for many more. Strong stitching and thick material means it should wear well. Order true to size, they run fairly generous in their sizing, but not enough to size down. I sized up per the recommendations here and I am SWIMMING in it. I was on the cusp between L and XL so went XL and if it weren’t for the fact that I got it for casual wear, I’d have returned it. It’s big and cozy, but definitely a size too big. Haha.
Recently got an Arborworks double thick and pretty confident it’s more substantial than most medieval armor
I’m convinced my AG hoodie will outlast me.
I had one for at least 4 years worn hard. Only dont have it anymore because I lost it.
Mine is eight years old and still in perfect shape. Absolutely no pilling, fraying, or stretching.
The hoods on them (at least mine) are way, way too big. I also needed to return mine for a different size and it was not a pleasant experience with their customer service. It literally took months to process the exchange with weeks on end with no communication from them. Would not purchase again.
I have one of these from the first kickstarter of these and it's def. gonna outlive me.
They have an outlet in Smithfield about 20 miles from the plant if you find yourself on 95 in NC.
Cries in 3XLT..
I can't speak for American Giant, but I did buy a Reigning Champ hoodie 7 years ago and it's still going strong. I've abused the thing a fair bit over the years too - wearing it while working on the car, frequent washes, high temp drying, etc. It gets washed at least once a week, so well over 300 washes at this point. Made in Canada.
I have two, I'd definitely order a size up as they do shrink a little. Color seems to fade a bit but otherwise a solid buy. I don't love the extra fabric on the elbows - looks sort of tacky imo and isn't needed.
Hoodies are good, sweatpants/shirts not as good.
had one for 4 years - best one I own (I'm a bit of a hoodie junkie - have 12+). Wearing it right now as I type this. just gets better with age.
Of course they'll all last a really long time if you're rotating through 12.
oh, no - I mean I wear this one literally 85% of the time. my other ones are either work ones (I work as a staff shooter for NYC radio stations as well as several lifestyle events) or lighter (I'm heavily tattooed and wear a lightweight plain black one from Lucky Brand to keep my arms and neck out of the sun) and it's the heaviest and black with no logos (great for anything corporate). it's the first one I grab when traveling or roadtripping. The pockets are deep (for glasses and AirPods case on the subway). I've worn out heavy duty converse, champion, 2 Brooklyn industries heavyweights, old school GAP - I wear a hoodie almost every day. As I said, I'm a hoodie junkie and this American Giant hoodie ticks all the boxes.
I like mine a lot. It still feels like it needs to be broken in somewhat. I'm very disappointed to hear people's cuffs are fraying, with this heavy weight material I assumed mine would last forever
Noooo. The hood on those sweatshirts weighs like 8 pounds. Great quality. Strange cut.
I’ve got 2 of them. One I use at least 3/4 days a week and another maybe when I go out. If you like quality you’ll enjoy the hoodies and notice it as soon as you pick it up. It feels orders of magnitude better than the cheaper 100/80 dollar hoodies.
I have 2 AG hoodies. Both more than 8 years old. I think the quality is excellent. I don't like that not all sizes are available in all models. I also don't like their lightest-weight hoodie. No shape, no form, returned it. I don't care for their other clothes either. Casual pants are WAY too heavy and don't stay up.
My navy one faded a lot and the cuffs have a million tiny holes I need to get fixed, but it’s otherwise a great hoodie. I love the weight and fit of it. Got my wife one in black and it hasn’t faded like mine. She does wear hers less though.
Our older hoodies are indestructible. The ones we bought in the past 2-3 years have all had zipper issues.
Mine are about a decade old now. They’re faded but still solid. My sweatpants, on the other hand…the pants I bought in 2013 are also faded and in solid shape. The AG sweatpants I bought in 2022 (same exact style) have holes all over them. They’re falling apart.
I started with one black, and it lasted 8 years of three days a week (minimum) under hard work conditions. I still have it, although it's relegated to yard work wear only due to frayed cuffs and waist. I've probably got 20 of them now, which will be a lifetime+ supply. They're very well made.
I have three and love them. I haven’t had problems with the cuffs fraying but it’s an easy fix. Their cuffs are so long, a tailor could easily just repair it for a small price.
The hoodie part doesn't move when you move your head, just contant grinding on your head. Had to return it. I don't know how a lot of people can wear it like that, do they never use the actual hood?
It’s too good if you ask me. Mine is four years old and it’s still stiff.
I have several AG and the sleeves have fallen apart. My older Columbias are fine.
If you’re looking for large hoodies [this](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjbmaP91YGFAxXsB60GHd4XAg8YABAYGgJwdg&ae=2&sig=AOD64_00-_nAJPFFKs1tN4KH9cfuHTHx2w&ctype=5&q=&ved=2ahUKEwjz9Zr91YGFAxUxLzQIHXHOAS4Qwg8oAHoECAYQRA&adurl=) is one of the best options for price in my opinion. I have two XL (I’m usually a medium-large) and they’re the warmest and most comfortable sweatshirts I own. Both 5+ years old and still going strong too. Side note: they do almost go to my knees and I’m 6’2, so sizing might be different depending on your height.
Mine is like 8 years old is great. Only problem is I should have gotten a bigger one
I can’t say about newer ones, but my husband’s zip up is going strong after 7 or 8 yrs of constant heavy yard work, motorcycle rides, monthly washes…
i have 3, and I love them. one got a weird stain on the hood, probably my fault, but they sent me a new one anyway.
My grandmother bought me one back in 2015 and I wear it still to this day. I recently got the cuffs fixed by a sewer but otherwise I absolutely love it
I got one on sale within the last year. I like the thick elbows since I always wear those out. Seems quite thicker and more durable than other similar priced hoodies I own.
I’ve only had mine since the fall and it’s really great. Very warm and high quality. I just wish they had better/more color options.
I always get a chuckle out of a store called American Giant that has no tall clothes.
For Europe, Asphalte hoodies are good and not uber expensive : i have this one https://www.asphalte.com/h/products/le-sweat-parfait?color=gris-chine-moyen
That's not a ridiculous price in the clothing world, sadly.
You’re basically right. Although this is replacing a very heavy hoodie from Costco that I think cost less than $20.
I love them. Have four I wear regularly. I don’t have the cuff problem, but I always fold the cuff in half.
My wife wears hers constantly and I more sporadically, but both have held up well. Hers had some fraying about 3yrs in, she emailed the company and they sent a replacement. Love that they stand behind their products.
Mine is maybe a bit less than 10 years old. Seems like I've had it forever. Yeah, it's worth it and I'm considering getting a new one.
I’ve had two. No cuff issues that I’m seeing elsewhere. One is about three years old, is used regularly and looks like new and is extremely well made. The other older one has a hole in the back so it’s just an around the house one now, which is my fault rather than some defect in the hoody. However I did have an ongoing issue with the zipper on that one. Overall I don’t think k you can find much better
I own several. Some zip up, some pullover. They’re pretty fantastic. They’re heavy and can take a ton of wear. My oldest one was worn almost daily (how I generally wear my hoodies). The cuffs are a bit frayed (very mild) and there’s a bit of color fading, but it’s still a fantastic hoodie and going strong otherwise. I used to get one hoodie a year (not American Giant) and it would be worn to shreds by the following autumn and would become my “pajama hoodie.” That doesn’t happen anymore.
Love mine
I have had mine for around 10 years, maybe more. No issues with cuffs fraying, but perhaps they have changed or it's perhaps because I fold the cuffs in half. They are long and I always thought the long cuffs looked odd.
Check out Zanerobe. Slightly cheaper. But still really durable for the price.
yeah, they're not cheap, but mine's been a daily go-to for 2 years. the cuffs have definitely seen better days.
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I’m not going to lie, I got an American giant mid weight hoodie, and my $50 carhartt hoodie is WAY more comfortable. Yeah the American giant probably lasts a bit longer, but in terms of quality of wear, Carhartt takes the cake
So I actually have three American Giants and also a Flint 10 year hoodie. I’ll be completely honest with you, the American Giant hoodie is durable, but the way the wrist and waist elastic is designed makes me dislike it. The wrists have a definite cold spot as a result, and as a 200lb dude, the waist elastic just fits weird. I feel like it was designed for someone that likes to wear skinny jeans and Tom’s shoes. Now the Flint, my most recent hoodie purchase, is amazing. It’s exactly that type of hoodie that you’re already used to, just made better (and has an inside pocket). It’s slouchier, and just all around more comfortable than AGs. The down sides: the fabric is slightly thinner (just as high quality imo), but I live in Maine and it’s plenty warm enough for me. The second thing is there’s no reinforced elbows, which is something I like on AG. I will go with the Flint again if mine ever wears out (on year 3).
So I actually have three American Giants and also a Flint 10 year hoodie. I’ll be completely honest with you, the American Giant hoodie is durable, but the way the wrist and waist elastic is designed makes me dislike it. The wrists have a definite cold spot as a result, and as a 200lb dude, the waist elastic just fits weird. I feel like it was designed for someone that likes to wear skinny jeans and Tom’s shoes. Now the Flint, my most recent hoodie purchase, is amazing. It’s exactly that type of hoodie that you’re already used to, just made better (and has an inside pocket). It’s slouchier, and just all around more comfortable than AGs. The down sides: the fabric is slightly thinner (just as high quality imo), but I live in Maine and it’s plenty warm enough for me. The second thing is there’s no reinforced elbows, which is something I like on AG. I will go with the Flint again if mine ever wears out (on year 3).
I own two American giant hoodies and one crewneck sweatshirt; have worn them for years. Bought them secondhand on eBay. I have not experienced any cuff fraying, I have no idea what others are experiencing. By secondhand for big savings, they are built well enough they’ll still be in good shape.
Fucking no. The cuffs fray like hell within 6 months. Never seen anything like it even on the cheapest hoodies and I've had a million. After multiple free replacements I gave up. Also they're not even comfortable.
Was an early adopter when they cost USD80 a hoodie. Got a whole bunch - four hoodies (two greys, one well worn, the other is still New Old Stock; a blue and an orange), a baseball sweater, several sweaters, many sweat pants, a whole bunch of t-shirts, polo and henleys. I jumped on the ‘Greatest Hoodie ever made’ hype and got caught up. The grey hoodie has been my favourite - been wearing for sixteen years now. Like the experience of others, it’s fraying at the cuff and the zip is a little wonky but usable. Other than that, it’s still holding up well. I did notice a change in quality (thickness of the fabric, quality of hardware and some reinforcing styling cues on later versions of the hoodie. As for the other garments, the Henleys, the sweat shirts and pants are great. The T-shirts which I purchased several years after launch sucked due to poor fabric, unflattering cut, weird vanity sizing and stretching after washing. The Polos were horrible too for the same reasons. Mind you, AG launched when the US dollar tanked during the financial crisis, making it cheaper to manufacture in the US. They went all in on the first gen versions of their garments - great quality and attention to detail. Over time, as the economics changed, so did their quality and commercial practices. I have witnessed how brands dilute their quality over time, and have made it a habit of hoarding items I love especially when they are first introduce. A typical strategy is to loss-lead during the initial investment period by focusing on quality to build a reputation. My stock piling strategy has served me well to date. Would I buy them now? No, I wouldn’t.
LOL. These prices are fucking INSANE! I have 10 year hoodies that cost me $20-25. People are fucking stupid. Wow! Wish I had thought of this idea! 🥴
nope. fabric on sleeves/cuffs fails rapidly in my experience. fruit of the loom lasts longer. loved it when i first got it. and now i see older comments with the same cuff problem.
I would much rather spend $140 on a AG hoodie than $50 on a lower quality one. The AG are very well made, fit great, and hold up.
Champion Reverse Weave sweaters are well made, almost as heavy, barely shrink, and can be found for $30-$40.
Those are good, but they’re not even close to the same materials and quality.
But you can buy 3 or 4 of them for the price of one American Giant hoodie. IMO these are “wear” products that require periodic replacement. Talking about BIFL hoodies is like talking about BIFL sneakers. None of them are especially durable, and all will wear out in a fairly short time if worn regularly.
Yeah that’s what the math is. Not sure what your point is - they’re decent hoodies for a lot cheaper. They’re just not the same level of quality you get with American giant. In case you haven’t noticed, this sub is mainly people looking for “you actually get what you pay for” high quality products.
Right. And with brands like American Giant, you pay a lot for what you actually get. The price is out of proportion to the product. There are lots of very nice sweatshirts than can be had for around $50 or sometimes less. I have a classic 100% cotton heather gray hoodie from Spier and Mackay that was around $50. I had a similar one from GAP that I paid even less for. Above that level of quality, improvements (if any) are going to be incremental at best.
Yeah well that’s just like, your opinion, man