Forum T-Shirt?

[Al the optimist]

Anyone think it's time Ivar gave us our own shirt? (Not wishing to be impolite Ivar, just thought I would do the market research for you first before requesting your consideration).

 

[walkmag]

Good idea re forum Tshirt

 

[Melensdad]

Sounds good to me, but can it be offered in Merino Wool instead of cotton for people who walk in cooler months?

Better yet a long sleeve for those winter and/or 'shoulder season' Caminos.

Certainly not any polyester material as it creates a mighty 'funk' of a smell when mixed with perspiration from walking.

I'd love one, for each member of my family, but seriously, not polyester or cotton. Merino!!!

 

[SRM]

Anyone think it's time Ivar gave us our own shirt? (Not wishing to be impolite Ivar, just thought I would do the market research for you first before requesting your consideration).

Al, as soon as you get all interested to agree on the many aspects of the shirt go to Ivar with it. Lol.

 

[Magwood]

@Al the optimist, you can buy a camino t-shirt from forum member @David. See his signature block for link.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Anyone think it's time Ivar gave us our own shirt? (Not wishing to be impolite Ivar, just thought I would do the market research for you first before requesting your consideration).

Great idea, count me inn. Peter.

 

[ROB STONE]

ive got the t shirt, but i havnt been ther dun it,,,yet....2 n a half wks n counting...salud

 

[David]

Perhaps folk should put up some designs??

 

[Carol06]

Sounds good to me, but can it be offered in Merino Wool instead of cotton for people who walk in cooler months?

Better yet a long sleeve for those winter and/or 'shoulder season' Caminos.

Certainly not any polyester material as it creates a mighty 'funk' of a smell when mixed with perspiration from walking.

I'd love one, for each member of my family, but seriously, not polyester or cotton. Merino!!!

My thoughts exactly.

 

[David]

100% cotton

 

[JennyH94]

Perhaps folk should put up some designs??

Firstly, Al, what a top idea! Well done!

David - I've come up with an idea that would be really simple for Ivar to do ... use the design and size of the Forum Member Badge. That design could be printed on the t-shirt at the spot near the heart - because we all LOVE the Forum ! Check out the Camino Shell t-shirt that Ivar's selling in his online shop - I see it as a similar look to that t-shirt. And Yes - always 100% cotton! I see this t-shirt as something to be worn when the walking/cycling's done for the day - something to relax in while you're chatting to other pilgrims and also checking out the Forum of course !

 

[Buz Radican]

100% cotton

Wool, not cotton. At least for me.

 

[Elizabeth Alvarez]

Anyone think it's time Ivar gave us our own shirt? (Not wishing to be impolite Ivar, just thought I would do the market research for you first before requesting your consideration).

Sure a quick dry material. I will buy one.

 

[David]

There are problems setting up to sell printed garments .. people want merino wool, 100% cotton, perhaps a modern synthetic fabric, so there are already three types of shirt to buy in ... then there will be a call for various colours ..And then there will be a call for female tailored cut and male box cut, which doubles the problem.

Then one has to choose ratios of sizes ..small, medium, large, extra large, extra extra large .. how many of each? The standard selling ratio in the uk used to be s1 m2 l2 xl1 xxl1 (in America it is biased to the larger sizes) but that is for general unskewed populations and pilgrims are skewed and also come from different countries where people tend to average different sizes - think Koreans compared to Norwegians) so it is rather difficult to predict size ratios and therefore one can end up with boxes of items that just don't sell.
The alternative is problematic ... getting a list of what people say they will buy and then printing those - but this means it is one printing run and there won't be any more ... print costs drop drastically when one prints in bulk and, conversely, are expensive when doing just a few ....
one can laser print but this tends to work well only on a white background so one is most likely looking at screen printing, which means that one has to also pay for the screens to be printed.

My point is that, yes, would be great to just get a forum t shirt for oneself as one wants it but for the provider it is difficult.

As Jenny said, the forum logo badge would be the obvious design - small above heart print or larger chest print - but people will then suggest it is on the back as well, which doubles the cost - problems are endless!

 

[Melensdad]

There are problems setting up to sell printed garments .. people want merino wool, 100% cotton, perhaps a modern synthetic fabric, so there are already three types of shirt to buy in ... then there will be a call for various colours ..And then there will be a call for female tailored cut and male box cut, which doubles the problem. . . .

My point is that, yes, would be great to just get a forum t shirt for oneself as one wants it but for the provider it is difficult.

As Jenny said, the forum logo badge would be the obvious design - small above heart print or larger chest print - but people will then suggest it is on the back as well, which doubles the cost - problems are endless!

Actually David, they could be done through one of the websites like Zazzle or Cafe Press, you buy no inventory at all. They manage that. But they also limit the shirt materials so my desire for Merino Wool is eliminated. You earn less money on the sale but eliminate the inventory risk completely.

 

[David]

True, Melensdad - I left out the Cafe Press option because of the price per item. You have to sell items at a much higher price than if you were independent - but if folk are prepared to pay the higher prices then it would be a good answer.

Par ex: to go to a print shop with a front print cotton box (unisex) cut t shirt run would cost about £5.50 a shirt, with Cafe Press it is about £14. The 'mark up' (the profit) they assume is £3 so the shirt would sell for £17 plus postage and packaging - for international post that would be (from the uk) £5.05 plus packaging- say £5.25, so one shirt would cost just over £22 delivered with a profit of £3. Use the same calculations for the shirt costing £5.50 to print and you can see the difference.

although they aren't 'forum' shirts I have two unique designs of pilgrim t shirts in my shop that I am currently selling for under £9 (as I am closing the shop next week for the summer and only have a couple of dozen left so the less I have to store the happier I am). £8.95 is a big difference from £17.

 

[Kathy F.]

Slightly off topic.
I bought my first, merino wool t-shirt the other day at Decathlon.
OMG.
I thought a wool shirt would be heavy and uncomfortable to wear, especially in warm weather. But I am in love with this shirt! It is as comfortable as a guy's undershirt, but without seams and cotton sticking to you when you sweat. It is as light as a feather and folds down to nothing.
I am going to walk the 9 K back to Decathlon (yeah, I could drive or take the train, but, well, you know) and get as many more as I can get my hands on.
I may never buy a cotton t-shirt again. Or, if I do, it will have to have a completely irresistible design on the front.

 

[David]

Dang Footek! Now I am going to have to try one!! (it sounds great)

 

[ivar]

I just saw this thread... why not? ... but we would need design + a place where they can be made. Will look into this

 

[David]

A cheap and simple fix, were folk to go for an emblem left upper chest, is to have some thin iron-on forum badges made, then they could just be ironed onto any t shirt - just a thought.

 

[Introibo]

Maybe there could be a background water mark on the garment that, when viewed in a certain light said "Sponsored by Competed" ?