If you are stuck for a Christmas gift idea that is unique, high quality, and exclusive (and who doesn’t want that?), then the Loadout Room store has something for you: The Limited Edition “Dead Men Tell No Tales” custom-designed hoodie.
We went to Independent Trading Co and asked for their very highest quality hoodie.
What does that mean?
It means 13.5 oz. (US), 70/30 ring spun cotton/polyester fleece, 100 percent cotton face yarns on solid colors, 20 singles double fleece-lined hood. Here s what all that means.
The 13.5 oz weight means its medium-weight cotton that weighs close to a pound for each yard of fabric.
You can quickly tell the difference when you handle a hoodie, and it feels thin and cheap: it’s probably well below 13.5oz in weight. The practical effect is that this medium-weight cotton lasts longer, wears better, is much warmer, and is more comfortable than lightweight cotton.
Ring-spun cotton is made by a process whereby each strand is twisted like a rope before being made into fabric. Ring-spun cotton is smoother to the touch and much more robust than standard cotton.
The cotton/poly blend makes the fabric more resistant to fading and allows it to flex while retaining its shape.
The double fleece-lined hood means just what it says. Rather than have the rougher backing material of the fabric exposed, it is double lined for a clean, finished look.
Not satisfied with the material, we ensured that the hoodie also features a reverse cover stitch closing all seams for durability and a premium finish with body and hood panels sewn cross-grain to limit shrinkage after washing.
We also looked at the fit and finish of the hoodie itself. The eyelets that the drawstring passes through are metal, rather than plastic, with an antique silver finish. The drawstring itself is a heavy cotton weave, and the tips are also metal with that same antique finish. When you pick up this hoodie, the first thing you notice is its weight and then the tight weave of the material. You will realize very quickly that not all hoodies are created equal. This SOFREP hoodie will be the quality standard by which you will judge all others for as long as you live.
For the artwork, we went to Jan Michael “Micu” Villegas, a self-taught graphic designer and artist who has worked for Creativo, Mito Brand, and now Bauer Hockey, a major sporting goods maker in Canada where he designs graphics for their apparel and equipment. You can see more of Miku’s work on his Instagram and his Behance page. His work is pretty impressive, considering he is entirely self-taught as a graphic artist and designer.
His work entitled Dead Men Tell No Tales belongs to SOFREP. You won’t see this image reproduced on a cheap hoodie in a big box store somewhere. The only place pretty much anyone will see it is on your own back since this hoodie is part of a limited edition of just 100 pieces.
The phrase itself is pretty self-explanatory. It originates with Thomas Bacon when around 1560, he wrote, “The dead cannot reveal any secrets.”
Jan Villegas incorporates a pirate motif in the design. The use of this axiom by pirates is a part of legend and lore. It is said that when a pirate captain would take a chest of treasure ashore to bury it, he would then kill the two men who had helped him lug and bury it highlighting that “Dead men tell no tales.”
So if you need a unique gift idea for someone this Christmas, give this limited edition SOFREP hoodie a look in the Loadout Room store. Our previous “SOFREP Gun Club” Hoodie sold out in a matter of days, so don’t delay, snap up yours today.
