"Is Gildan or Jerzees better" is one of the most common comparison questions in the decorated apparel world, and the honest answer is that both brands make solid, decorator-friendly mid-weight fleece, with the real difference showing up in which specific garment each one makes rather than a fabric-wide winner. Here is how the two brands stack up, and how they sit together in the Bear Grips Pro Shops catalog.
| Fabric | Brand | General character |
|---|---|---|
| Nublend | Jerzees | Mid-weight cotton-poly fleece, built for screen print and embroidery |
| Heavy Blend | Gildan | Mid-weight cotton-poly fleece, similarly built for decoration |
Both are cotton-poly blends aimed at the same decorator market: schools, teams, small brands, and promotional shops that need a fabric which holds a print or an embroidered logo without a premium price tag. Neither line markets itself as a luxury or performance fabric. Both are workhorse blanks.
| Brand | Products in catalog | VIP base range |
|---|---|---|
| Jerzees | Pocket Sweatpants, Open Bottom Sweatpants | $40.88 |
| Gildan | Men's and Women's Pique Polo, Youth Hoodie, Classic Zip-Up Hoodie, Youth Crewneck Sweatshirt | $33.88 - $41.88 |
The two brands do not overlap in this catalog. Jerzees is the sweatpants brand here, Gildan is the polo, hoodie, and youth crewneck brand. A shop selling both is not choosing between competing versions of the same garment, it is stocking two different pieces of a matching set.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Sizing between brands is never identical garment to garment, and the honest guidance is to check the size chart for each specific product rather than assume a shared size logic across brands. The Jerzees sweatpants run true to size with a relaxed cut through the waist and hip. Gildan pieces in this catalog (polos, hoodies, youth crewnecks) each carry their own listed size chart at setup. Do not assume a Large in one brand's garment matches a Large in the other exactly, especially across different garment types like a pant versus a hoodie.
Since the two brands do not compete for the same garment in this catalog, the decision is simple: use Jerzees for sweatpants, since that is the brand carried here, and use Gildan for polos, hoodies, and youth crewnecks. See the hoodie and crewneck alternatives guide for the specific Gildan and Champion pieces that pair with Jerzees sweatpants in a matching set.
Jerzees sweatpants, Gildan hoodies, Champion crewnecks, all from one Bear Grips Pro Shops account.
Start FreeNeither fabric is objectively better across the board. Both are mid-weight cotton-poly fleece built for decoration. The bigger factor is which specific garment you need, since the two brands cover different products in this catalog.
Not necessarily. Check the size chart for each specific product rather than assuming a shared sizing system across brands or garment types.
Yes. The catalog is built to mix brands freely, for example Jerzees sweatpants paired with a Gildan hoodie in the same shop.
No. Gildan is represented here through polos, hoodies, and youth crewnecks. Sweatpants in this catalog are the Jerzees Nublend styles.
Bear Grips Pro Shops