Undershirts Without Side Seams (Tubular Body)

Here’s a great exchange with a reader looking for an undershirt without side seams.

Hey Tug,

I always used to buy Hanes t-shirts. But I got tired of them shrinking, not staying tucked, and just the overall poor quality.

Recently I tried the Thompson Tee. I got the fitted bamboo rayon/spandex shirt, and it fit great. I liked that it was fitted and not loose like my Hanes.

But I’m going to have to return them.

While my Hanes always had seams around the armpits and above the shoulders, there was never a seam over my ribs/torso.

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The Thompson Tee feels great other than the fact I have been scratching the seams over my ribs all day long.

So I guess the question is — Do you know of an undershirt that is fitted, made of a higher quality fabric like bamboo or modal with a bit of elastane or Spandex, but does NOT have a seam over the ribs (like Hanes)?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks, Bass

Seam Over Ribs & Torso?

I wasn’t exactly clear what seams Bass was referring to, and wanted to understand if he needed a hyperhidrosis undershirt like Thompson Tee to manage heavy underarm sweat.

Here is his response.

Hey Tug,

Thanks for emailing me back!

Hey Tug,

Thanks for emailing me back!

I have attached a photo of the inside seam from the Thompson “Tee” that stretches all the way from the armpit to the bottom of the undershirt.

Essentially, this seam on both sides of the shirt is itching me constantly. There’s no protruding plastic that I can see.

The last time I really wore a really form fitting shirt like that was when I wore UnderArmor’s TurfGuard back in high school when playing football as part of the uniform.

It had the same seam inside, and it drove me insane. I threw it away as soon as the season ended.

From what I read, Hanes is what they call a ‘tubular’ undershirt, with no seam holding the front and back of the shirt together along the ribs.

In the past, I always bought a small, shrank it in the dryer, and that made it feel fairly fitted. But by the end of the day, despite my efforts, it stretched back out and was too baggy under my dress shirts.

Plus, the shrinking made it difficult for it to stay tucked in.

I do not have an over-sweating problem.

I particularly appreciate the Saxx Undercover underwear I purchased recently. They are a combination of modal, cotton, and spandex. But the 1/8″ seams are flat inside the Saxx, whereas the Thompson undershirt does not lie flat.

So can you recommend an undershirt of preferably modal or similar that is fitted w/ spandex/elastane, is tuck-able, and does not have any seams over the ribs (or has seams that itch less, i.e. seams sewn towards the outside as opposed to inside of the shirt, taped seams, etc.)?

Light gray as an option if possible.

Lastly, while I appreciate a good shirt that is durable, money is a factor like it is for most people, so if you could provide a few options in various price ranges, that would help.

Your expert advice will be much appreciated!

Undershirts Without Side Seams

Heya Bass,

Thanks so much for the photo and the additional information!

I’ve not come across an undershirt with a tubular body (one without side seams) in quite some time. Sometimes this is referred to a seamless undershirt, but not consistently.

Nor have I come across a daily-wear undershirt that is made with flat seams (flat lock or Merrow) in a long while.

The most recent undershirt I came across that has micro flat-lock seams (aka Merrow stitch) is the Uniqlo AIRism Seamless undershirts, but I don’t believe you can purchase them from Uniqlo at the moment.

They may have been discontinued, but it’s hard to tell with Uniqlo, because sometimes they only offer their AIRism undershirts in the summertime.

I did find one undershirt on Amazon that doesn’t appear to have side seams, but the price might be more than you want to spend — $29.90.

You can find our more about that tubular undershirt here.

Ideas on how to find tubular / seamless undershirts:

Here are some ideas that you may want to try.

First, here are some search terms you may want to search for:

• tubular undershirt
• seamless undershirt
• flat lock undershirt
• flatlock undershirt
• merrow undershirt

Aliexpress

Search for the above terms on Aliexpress.com to see if you can track down undershirts without side seams.

It’s more likely that you’ll find a seamless body lightweight t-shirt or undershirt there, then elsewhere.

eBay

You may find some older stock tubular undershirts on eBay, so it may be working there.

Asos

Try looking at a site like asos.com, and see if you can find a lightweight t-shirt that doesn’t have side seams, using the terms above

If all else fails, you can find an undershirt you like, and just wear it inside out (:

Let me know your thoughts on the above.

Look forward to continuing the discussion!

Best, Tug