These Levi's 501 are not the shrink-to-fit jeans I wore years ago...they're actually better because they fit "right out of the box" and because they're pre shrunk/washed they're very comfortable. I had to learn this the hard way because I never knew Levi's 501's came any other way but shrink-to-fit...I purchased another pair for the same price from a different vendor 3 inches wider in the waist, soaked them in hot water for an hour and hung them up to dry. The money I saved, and then some, I ended up spending having them altered to fit me. I will say that the material is still heavyweight like I expected, just a little softer and comfortable to wear.