Gildan vs Next Level Apparel: which sweatpant wins?
Both land in the budget tier — the Gildan Heavy Blend Open-Bottom Sweatpant at $16, the Next Level Apparel Santa Cruz Fleece Jogger at $26, just $10 apart. Here's how they stack up, head to head.
| Gildan | Next Level Apparel | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $16 | $26 |
| Material | Cotton/polyester Heavy Blend fleece, ~8oz, brushed interior. | Combed cotton/polyester fleece, ~9oz, brushed interior. |
| Fit | Baggy relaxed cut, runs large; shrinks toward true after washing. | Tapered jogger fit with elastic cuffs, true to size. |
| Quality | Budget — warm but pills, the elastic loosens, and the cut reads plain and dated. | Budget-plus — soft, even fleece and clean stitching; mid-weight not heavy. |
| Best for | Lounging, sleep, layering warmth, printing, and cheap throwaway basics. | Soft tapered loungewear, custom printing, and everyday value wear. |
| Care | Wash cold and tumble low to limit shrinkage and slow the pilling. | Wash cold inside-out and tumble low to protect print and the soft hand. |
This is the blanks-aisle question: Gildan's $16 Heavy Blend open-bottom sweatpant against Next Level's $26 Santa Cruz fleece jogger, a $10 gap at the very bottom of the category. Both are cotton/poly fleece with brushed interiors and both get bought for printing as often as wearing, so the gap is really about fabric hand and cut.
- The case for Gildan
- The Gildan is the floor of the category on price — warm ~8oz fleece under $20, a baggy relaxed cut that suits lounging, sleep, and layering, and a cost so low that pilling and loosening elastic are priced in.
- The case for Next Level Apparel
- The Next Level buys softer combed-cotton fleece at a slightly heavier ~9oz, cleaner stitching, and a modern tapered jogger cut with elastic cuffs that fits true to size instead of running large.
The bottom lineWhich should you buy?
Buy the Gildan if you want throwaway warmth — sleep pants, bulk print blanks, or sweats you expect to wear out and replace, because at $16 nothing touches it. Step up to the Next Level if the pants will leave the house: the combed fleece is softer, the taper reads current instead of dated, and the sizing behaves. Ten dollars for the jump from disposable to genuinely wearable is one of the easier upgrades in this category. Printers deciding between blanks should let the fit do it — boxy classic versus tapered jogger.
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