Some Cool Paragliding T-Shirts

A whole bunch of paragliding t-shirts are available online these days. Some artistic types have taken it upon themselves to produce some great designs. Most of the available t-shirts are pre-shrunk 100% cotton.

We Ordered One From Cafe-Press

Well, it was Christmas, so they were flat-out. Hence it took a few days extra for the t-shirt to arrive, as expected. In a thick, well-sealed white plastic bag.

Shirt quality was ok, it's had a few washes now, with no problems. It doesn't feel like one of those transfer-type printed t-shirts, since it's direct printed. See the next section for details on this type of shirt-printing technology.

Direct Printing

The main benefit is durability, since no cracking and not much fading occurs during the lifetime of the garment. Also, comfort is good since the design is embedded in the fabric itself.

A disadvantage of direct printing is that the images are not as colorful and clear as for the traditional method, heat transfer. There's not as much fine detail.

Try this if you're not living in the U.S.

Heat Transfer

Disadvantages? Well, the transfer feels slightly 'plastic' or stiff when the garment is worn. Plus the design eventually fades and/or cracks. Sometimes the image goes slightly yellow as well, after a long time.

Currently, most people prefer direct printing.

The Whole Kit And Kaboodle

When browsing though it all myself one day, I couldn't help noticing that the designs tended to belong to one or more of the following categories.

Humor. Always popular with wearers of paragliding garments! Nearly everyone likes a laugh.

Promotional. A pretty broad category, this one. After all, most paraglider pilots are pretty one-eyed about their incredible sport!

Art. Some decent artistic talent is evident in a lot of these designs. I think the natural beauty of paragliders lends itself to dreamy, emotive designs.

By and For Paraglider Pilots. A few designs on paragliding t-shirts will only be fully understood by other paraglider pilots!

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