On being an oddly sized human being

Plus, and this is the kicker, all my stuff weighs more than my medium sized counterparts! Grrr.

Here in LA, we have any number of "immigrant" dry cleaners and tailor shops. Yeah, one needs to be careful about down jackets… but look around your city. Finding a good and inexpensive tailor adds at least as much joy as finding a good/inexpensive mechanic! :)

I'm with you. I'm an inch shorter at 6'2", but I only weigh around 155. (I try and try to gain weight but it just doesn't work). I bought so many jackets trying to find the right one, and like you, chose the longer, but very bulky in the chest. We should start a company called "Tall and Skinny" or something.

>>We should start a company called "Tall and Skinny" or something.

Not in America, Ryan. ;) We'd be bankrupt in no time.

I have found (and I think Ben said the same thing) that a good tailor is the thing to have.

I am 6'4" 215 lbs (6'5" on a good day) and I have an athletic build (I promise this isn't a personal ad). I have found Cabela's to be a good source of clothing in "tall" sizes. I wear their Guidewear zip-off pants in L with a 36" inseam (you can choose the length), and I also wear their Space Rain Ultra Pack Rainwear in XL-Tall (to leave room for clothing underneath)–I have reviewed the rainwear on the BPL website.

That being said, I still have to take things to a tailor from time to time.

David is a smart man — or at least perceptive. :)

This might cut it, but you'd have to sell it in a mall with really loud music and xtreeemme sports videos playing via bluetooth to their cell phones

I'll drop in my rant as well. I'm 5"11 140lbs and here's the kicker . . . female. I can't find anything that fits me. Check out my pic. The pants are women's "cropped" which are supposed to hit aound the top of the achilles tendon. As you can see on me they're just below the knee. I deal with guys pants so I can get the 36" inseam when I can find it, but they are always way too big in the thigh/butt. The long arms are the real dealbreaker though. NOTHING in the women's section ever has sleeves long enough and they guys clothes are just too big. We should start tall & skinny hikers support group.

http://www.specialtyoutdoors.com/default.asp

i have never used Penny. but she has a good reputation and would be worth talking to. however, i believe she has said that she doesn't do down work. contact her and see what she can do for you.

"I can't find soft shell pants with a 36" inseam."

I feel like a shill since I keep posting this. Beyondfleece will make you soft shell pants customized for you, based on your oddly sized human measurements. They cost about the same or less than off the shelf brands that don't fit you.

I can't think of any reason why you want to go elsewhere or not place an order. I should say that the final products you get from BF look much better than the dorky photo images they put up. That may be a turnoff to many when they go there to check out their stuff. BF should put up real pictures of their products so people can really see them.

http://beyondclothing.com/products/pants/soft-shell/

Just so you’re not a lonely shill: I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t choose Beyond Fleece for soft shell gear. Cottage industry, competitive pricing, tailored to fit, free adjustments, customizable options, special request options. And I’m not suggesting “competitive for custom” but “competitive against off-the-shelf major brands”.

My only complaint, echoed by many Beyond Fleece customers, is the lack of good colour choices. They’re not terrible, you just probably won’t get blue or green or red, but I did go with khaki over black. I figured anything but more black Winter gear. But, hey, there’s no logo and no racing stripes.

Beyond Fleece…. join us….. join us…..

-Michael

David, you might want to check out Montbell products. I am a fairly normal 6' 1", 200 lbs, except I have wide shoulders. A year ago I ordered a large Montbell Thermawrap jacket and found it too tight in the trunk area. I can remember thinking that it was designed for a person that is more skinny in the trunk area than me. I returned it for an extra large. It fits just right in the trunk area, but the sleeves are a little too long, which I can live with. A large would probably fit your trunk area just right, although I don't know if the sleeves would be long enough. Fit is such a pain in the butt sometimes!

The MB products are the one's I've specifically had trouble with. While talking on the phone to one of the sales people, he said with my build, there might be nothing MB makes that would fit me. I ended up keeping two MB jackets anyway. I tried looking for a tailor who could modify them for me, but they all said the cost to modify would be so expensive it wouldn't be worth it.

(These were down products – I think the story may have been different if I asked them to modify a synthetic piece).

dh,

You're only odd if things fit…

Seems like clothes will fit "normal" but not if your body mass index (BMI) is normal. I'm 5 11 and 195. I'm exactly in between large and extra large. Depending on the brand I usually find a really good fit. My BMI is in overweight range.

You can google 'bmi calculator'.

Height: 6 feet, 3 inches
Weight: 180 pounds

Your BMI is 22.5, indicating your weight is within the normal range for adults of your height.

Height: 6 feet, 4 inches
Weight: 215 pounds

Your BMI is 26.2, indicating your weight is in the overweight category for adults of your height.

Height: 5 feet, 11 inches
Weight: 140 pounds

Your BMI is 19.5, indicating your weight is within the normal range for adults of your height.

Height: 6 feet, 1 inches
Weight: 200 pounds

Your BMI is 26.4, indicating your weight is in the overweight category for adults of your height.

Height: 5 feet, 11 inches
Weight: 195 pounds

Your BMI is 27.2, indicating your weight is in the overweight category for adults of your height.

Yes, we are all made in the image of the Creator, and in my case, He has a sense of humor and resembles a hairy bowling pin.

I have big neck, short legs and arms and long waist, which makes for tops and bottoms being hard to find. If I get the torso length right (as in buying a tall), then the sleeves are too long. It seems like 99% of the pants are 32" inseam (I wear a 30) and features like ankle zips make it hard to alter them. We're all surfing the bell curve!

What does chap me is the inconsistency in sizing grrrrrrr…

darn, nevermind

You want nutty sizing? REI pants are god awful if you have muscles or a butt. They seem to vary how high and low the rise is as well – so some years you get crack showing low riders, next year you have mom pants on that are so high you can't breathe.

I have learned to buy LLBean hiking pants, Clumbia hiking skorts and M. Hardware pants.

Especially after my cruddy zipper blew out last summer on a brand new pair of pants on day 2 from REI.

I am short, have a small torso, but have normal leg length. Tops are too long in the arms, but I can't buy petite because I have boobage (yeah, you guys? Until you try cramming big boobs into a shirt made for a flat chested woman no crabbing. All of my shirts are stretched across my chest and ride up in the front.)

The only clothes that actually fit me are home sewn :-(

Maybe the next edition of Sarah's

"Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple" cookbook
http://www.freezerbagcooking.com/

will include one of those centerfold pages!

Wearing home-sewns, of course.
: )

:)

Hey, I've been slow getting back to this thread, but I just wanted to thank everyone for their input. Before this thread I'd beenunaware of Beyond Fleece & Specialty Outdoors. I'm sure I'll go to them both for gear sometime soon.

Dave