If you’ve ever scrolled a website wondering which white hoodie will actually give you good color saturation and fit well once it’s dyed, I have some answers for you. I asked my fellow pro dyers what their go-to blank hoodie was, and a few names came up that I’d never even tried myself.
So I decided to test five of the most popular options side by side: Blank Nights, Tultex, Independent Trading, Gildan Softstyle Midweight, and Lane Seven. To make it a truly fair comparison, I used the exact same geode fold, the same dye colors, measured to the same amounts, and the same amount of ice on every single hoodie. Then I measured the sizing on each one and had a model try them all on so we could talk about real fit and feel, not just what the tag says.
Here’s everything I found in video format if you’d prefer. All the written results can be found below.
The Test Setup
Before we get into results, here’s what stayed consistent across all five hoodies:
- Fold: Geode fold on every hoodie, tied as similarly as possible
- Dye colors: Warrior Princess, Power Berry, Cobalt Blue, and Better Blue Green, one teaspoon of each color per hoodie
- Ice: About 25 lbs total across all five hoodies, applied evenly
- Prep: The hoodies were not pre-soaked in soda ash. I ran them through a rinse cycle in the washer to get them damp, then sprinkled soda ash directly onto the fabric before icing
One thing I noticed right off the bat was a color difference in the blanks themselves. Blank Nights came in more of a taupe color, while the other four were a bright true white. I was curious whether that would affect the final dyed results. (It didn’t)
Size Comparison at a Glance
| Brand | Sleeve Length | Total Length | Pit to Pit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blank Nights | 26″ | 25.5″ | 25″ |
| Tultex | 22″ | 24″ | 26″ |
| Independent Trading | 23.25″ | 25″ | 25″ |
| Gildan Softstyle Midweight | 21.5″ | 24″ | 25″ |
| Lane Seven | 24.5″ | 26.5″ | 26.5″ |
Hoodie-by-Hoodie Breakdown
1. Blank Nights
- Sleeve length: 26″
- Total length: 25.5″
- Pit to pit: 25″
Blank Nights started off with that slightly tan/taupe base color, and it showed in the final result. The color saturation wasn’t quite as vibrant as I wanted, which made sense once I remembered it wasn’t a true white to begin with. The strings did take the dye, and there’s a metal bracket at the closure, but here’s an important note: you cannot soak this brand in soda ash for longer than 20 minutes, since it has that metal hardware. I also noticed the inside was already pilling after just one trip through the dryer.
This brand also has its own dedicated website (I did find it on Amazon here), and isn’t available through the big box blank suppliers I normally use, which made it the most expensive and least convenient of the five once you factor in separate shipping.
2. Tultex
- Sleeve length: 22″
- Total length: 24″
- Pit to pit: 26″
This is the blank I currently supply in my own shop, so I was especially curious to see how it held up against the others. The color turned out great, as usual. The strings dyed well too, but there’s no metal clasp at the closure, which honestly makes the finished product look a little cheaper than some of the others. Overall I was impressed with the dye performance, though the sizing ran a bit differently than I expected once I compared it to the rest.
3. Independent Trading Company
- Sleeve length: 23.25″
- Total length: 25″
- Pit to pit: 25″
This one came up constantly in the Facebook tie dye community, and it’s sourced from the same supplier as my Tultex blanks, so it’s just as easy to get. It has metal closures and the same folded-tie style as the Tultex. The color turned out really good here. The one flaw I noticed was some white flecking, like a bit of the inside fluff worked its way to the outside of the fabric, and slight pilling. Overall though, I was impressed with how it performed.
4. Gildan Softstyle Midweight
- Sleeve length: 21.5″
- Total length: 24″
- Pit to pit: 25″
Quick note: Gildan Softstyle comes in both a heavyweight and a midweight, and this test used the midweight, since that’s what the community group recommended. This is where things got interesting. The pull strings on this hoodie are polyester, so they did not take the dye at all and stayed white. There’s also no metal closure here, just a sewn string. That said, the body of the hoodie dyed beautifully, and the back actually turned out even better than the front. If white pull strings are a dealbreaker for you, keep that in mind.
5. Lane Seven
- Sleeve length: 24.5″
- Total length: 26.5″
- Pit to pit: 26.5″
I’d genuinely never heard of the brand Lane Seven before this test, but a lot of people told me it was their favorite, so I had to see for myself. These run noticeably oversized compared to the other four. The dye took well, and it has a metal closure, but I want to flag something: if the tape part of that closure comes undone, you’re left with frayed edges, which is a dealbreaker for some dyers. I also noticed more polyester show-through on the darker purple areas than on any of the other four hoodies. If you’re working with lighter dye colors, this probably wouldn’t be as noticeable, but on darker saturated colors, it was pretty visible.
The Fit Test
Once everything was dyed and dried, I had a model try on all five hoodies (all size XL) so we could talk through real fit and feel, not just the numbers on a tape measure.
His ranking, favorite to least favorite:
- Gildan Softstyle — softest of the five, snug but comfortable, easiest to pull over the head
- Independent Trading — shorter sleeves, tighter overall, more stiff, and the tightest neck hole of the bunch
- Blank Nights — the biggest and loosest fit by far
- Tultex — surprisingly harder to get his head through despite measuring shorter than expected, felt longer once worn
- Lane Seven — long sleeves, thick and warm, decent softness, but ranked last for fit overall
One interesting takeaway here: measurements didn’t always match the actual feel. Tultex measured shorter than Lane Seven, but felt longer once worn. Fit really can surprise you, which is exactly why I wanted to include this real-world test instead of relying on the tape measure alone.
Which Hoodie Should You Buy?
Honestly, it depends on what you value most.
For dye results and shop use, I’m going with Independent Trading Company going forward. It produced some of the prettiest color out of all five, and while it wasn’t my model’s absolute favorite for fit, he still rated it well.
Gildan Softstyle was the fit favorite, and I get why. It’s genuinely the softest and most comfortable of the group. The only reason I’m not switching to it as my go-to is that the pull strings don’t take dye at all, and that white string detail just isn’t the finished look I’m going for.
Where to Buy These Blanks
Four of the five hoodies in this test (Tultex, Independent Trading, Gildan Softstyle, and Lane Seven) I purchased through Jiffy Shirts but (Gildan and Blank Knights can also be purchased through Amazon), which is where I source most of my blanks along with Shirt Space. Blank Nights is only available through its own dedicated website, which is part of why it ended up being the most expensive and least convenient option in this comparison.
I also want to mention Luna Bear, since it came up a lot when I asked the community where they source their pre-dye blanks. When I looked closer at the tag on the Luna Bear hoodie, it was actually Independent Trading underneath, just resold. They also have more limited sizing available. So I didn’t include it as a separate brand in this test, but it’s worth knowing it’s out there as an option, especially if you’re looking for something already prepped for dyeing.
Want more ways to fold a hoodie for tie dye? Check out my full playlist of fold tutorials on YouTube, including gravity folds, geodes, and more.
Grab your free ebook, 12 Tie Dye Folds, here to start experimenting with new patterns on your next blank.
