Hunting industry clothes sizes.

[muddydogs]

Whats the deal with the hunting industry and there clothes size? At the recent hunt expo in Salt Lake City I was all set to try out some SKRE clothes, my biggest issue was wanting a jacket. I found the SKRE booth and tried on there 3 XL Hardscrabble jacket and it wasn't even close to fitting around the middle or across the shoulders. Found the jacket in 4 XL and here again there was no way it was fitting.
I went on to try jackets from Kuiu, Firstlight and anything else I could find and they all run small.

I wear a 3 XL shirt all day long, Carhartt, Cabelas, Wrangler basically anything in the usual clothing lines I wear a 3 XL tall shirt with the 3 XL being a little big but its safer then going with a 2 XL and it shrinking a little. All my current jackets for everyday wear and the couple I have from Cabelas are all 3 XL, one Cabelas 3 XL jacket is even a little to big on me.

By the hunting industry sizing standard I would need a 5 or 6 XL top. Do these guys realize just how big a 5 or 6 XL top is in the real world? You could fit two of me in a 6 XL top and I'm not a small guy. I get at 6' 10", 300 lbs, 38 inch inseam and over 3 foot at the shoulders I'm not your usual sized guy but it don't help that the hunting industry sizes there gear small. I wonder just how much business these company's are loosing by running there small sizes as not everyone that hunts is a scrawny short dude.

Cabelas was never the best gear but it was what I could afford at the time, now I'm able to afford more but it appears that there's nothing in the high rent district to spend my money on. Wouldn't be such a concern but the way Cabela's appears to be going down hill as of late I may be hunting in my skives and no one wants to see that.

 

[BluMtn]

When it comes to hunting clothing you are correct in the sizing is usually regulated by each company. KUIU, FL, Stika, Kings, and all the others seem to be sized by who ever owns the company. There have been some changes in the last couple years in regard to inseam length, but there seems to be a big discrepancy when it comes to waist size and thigh size. I have read where guys have to size up the waist to get the upper legs to fit. There is no general guide to go by. Basically you have to order what you think you are and when you get it you have a 50-50 chance it fits and if it does not you know which way to go. I wore Cabelas for years and would still be using some of their wool stuff but I am afraid those days are in the history books. Jackets are even more all over the board as far as shoulders and arm length and whether they reach your belt or extend further down. Again it usually is dictated by who ever owns the company and how they like to wear their clothing.

 

[OHDeerHunter]

Yeah more and more seem to be going with the skinny or athletic type fit. I'm 6'6", 240. I usually wear a 2xl tall shirt but most of the times have to go with a 3xl just for the sleeve length. But yeah I just wish more of these companies would offer larger sizes and more would offer tall sizes.

 

[Formidilosus]

I'm not your usual sized guy but it don't help that the hunting industry sizes there gear small. I wonder just how much business these company's are loosing by running there small sizes as not everyone that hunts is a scrawny short dude.

The answer is that they're not losing that much. It is a very small percentage of actual users that don’t fit the Sitka/Arctyrx cut clothing, that actually do things requiring it. It isn’t that the clothing is running “small for short, scrawny dudes”. It’s that it’s cut for the main body type that uses it.

One of the biggest issues is that most normal clothing companies use “American” sizing. I.E.- a “38” waist is really a 40-42” waist. It’s a marketing thing so fat Americans don’t feel bad. While, a lot of the specialty clothing companies (Sitka, Arctyrx, etc) use sizing much closer to reality.
This can obviously causes problems if you’re not the proverbial 5’10”, 185lb athletic build person. But, there’s no way to make clothing that’s cut to fit a 5’9”/180lbs person, and the 6’5”/280lb person. It isn’t just sizeing- it’s the cut and design of the clothing.




While I’m sure it sucks for some, and I’m not saying that you are are, but the entire rest of the clothing industry is built around fat people. The cut is big and baggy, blocky from shoulders to waist, huge thighs, deep crotch, etc. Firstlite changed the sizing and cut of their Obsidian pants for instance because “big strong guys” (aka fat people) complained enough. Now, those pants suck for every “scrawny short dude” (aka people with low body fat). There is no way for a company to make clothing fit both types and when companies try to, the fit sucks for everyone.

 

[muddydogs]

There is no way for a company to make clothing fit both types and when companies try to, the fit sucks for everyone.

Ya right nomorous clothing companies cover the spectrum from Extra small to very large without a problem. Only ones that can't seem to figure out sizing is the hunting industry.

Kind of funny that companies put up sizing charts showing how to measure waist and other body parts then size there stuff accordingly, I know my waist size and paints with the same waist size fit. I don't have to purchase 2 sizes smaller just to make myself feel better as you suggest.

Like you stated its the cut and design of the clothes that can be a problem with the hunting industry as they can't seem to figure out that bigger guys need bigger cuts. Sure some guys are fatter then most but I know skinny guys built like a guy is from spending there life working hard that can't find clothing as they are wide in the shoulders, big in the legs and arms.

 

[Formidilosus]

Ya right nomorous clothing companies cover the spectrum from Extra small to very large without a problem.

Please name one company that you think makes the same shirts, pants, and jackets that correctly and optimally fits a 5’9” 185lb male that lifts and runs with low body fat, a 6’1” 150lb endurance runner, and a 6’6” 300lb construction worker? It isn’t just size. They are completely different designs and cuts. You, are not an upscaled version of me. How our clothing needs to fit is totally different.



I get that you want specialized clothing, but Firstlite isn’t Levi. These are small companies.


Again, the population that truly is “big” but not fat is really small. But everyone that’s fat thinks they’re “big”. I’ve been told by more than one company that truly big, fit guys that would actually buy and use the clothes would make up way less than 1%. These boutique companies can not absorb the overhead to fit different cuts for each body type.



Have you looked at Beyond Clothing? They make pretty solid gear, and sizing should be closer to what you want.

 

[20DYNAMITE07]

Well, I'm a fat bastard (6'3" 300lbs), but I still love hiking miles and miles into the back country with a heavy pack and quality gear. It sucks that there are so few brands that accommodate folks like me, but I understand the economics of the matter. It just doesn't make sense for every company to add items to their lines to sell to an ironically small demographic. But you'd think one or two of them would - I mean, I'm perfectly prepared to pay more, and since none of the quality niche guys offer anything, they'd have the market cornered.

I need to learn how to sew...

 

[Desk Jockey]

Please name one company that you think makes the same shirts, pants, and jackets that correctly and optimally fits a 5’9” 185lb male that lifts and runs with low body fat, a 6’1” 150lb endurance runner, and a 6’6” 300lb construction worker? It isn’t just size. They are completely different designs and cuts. You, are not an upscaled version of me. How our clothing needs to fit is totally different.



I get that you want specialized clothing, but Firstlite isn’t Levi. These are small companies.


Again, the population that truly is “big” but not fat is really small. But everyone that’s fat thinks they’re “big”. I’ve been told by more than one company that truly big, fit guys that would actually buy and use the clothes would make up way less than 1%. These boutique companies can not absorb the overhead to fit different cuts for each body type.



Have you looked at Beyond Clothing? They make pretty solid gear, and sizing should be closer to what you want.

Hey bud, not sure if you are trying to come off as kind of an asshole, but you did.

Maybe I am one of those guys that is “fat” but only thinks their “big” that you mention above.

To level set, I am husky at 6’3” and 250. I wear a 48-50 long coat and 38 jeans with a 34 inch inseam. In addition to hiking and getting outdoors, I do CrossFit 4-6x a week and ride a road and mountain bike as well as a little running.

I am right on the edge of not fitting a lot of hunting brands. 38s in kuiu work in the waist but I need 40s to fit my ass and thighs. I need a 42 in Sitka for the same reason. My tops run from xl tall to xxl to xxxl in Sitka, firstlite and kuiu. Depending on the brand, it is usually the shoulders, arms or neck that are too small for me.

The OP is on a perfectly fine rant about how some of the higher end companies don’t fit the larger end of the hunting crowd and you come in with a bunch of irrelevant crap about endurance runners vs construction workers. While I agree that there may be valid business reasons to cut their sizes off somewhere due to sales volume, I will bet you there are a hell of a lot more hunters in construction unions than at your average marathon. I also bet you that the average size of a hunter is on the bigger end of the spectrum but that is just based on who I know and see at the archery/ hunting stores and trade shows, so maybe those companies are missing out on a chunk of the market that they ought to pay attention to? BTW how many construction workers do you know? Guarantee if you got to any job site you are going to find a big chunk of those guys and gals don’t fall into your “fat” or “big” categories.

Maybe think a bit more before you start spreading around your body type philosophies next time or better yet, don’t post at all.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

I laugh, because women deal with this their entire lives, and not just with hunting clothing, A size 2 for one brand/designer is completely different compared to the next, their solution? Try it on.

Heck, even with shoes it depends on the brand it I'm a 11, 12, or 13.

This my friends, is life, and nothing new. But really, who cares what the labels say, try it on till it fits. Definitely makes online ordering a pain though.

But yes, I measured and ordered KUIU stuff based on sizing chart, nothing fit right, all too small. I'm XL/L and I had to go XXL for a Sitka jacket to get torso length, but it's much to wide.

I found FL stuff has measurements that are a little off too, some stuff I ordered in L, it fit perfectly, but others I order L based on measurements and it was too small, had to go up XL.

Higher end clothing is sometimes truer to size, maybe not in outdoors world, be definitely in more formal office wear, etc.

I find in clothing in general, some brands I cannot wear a single article because of the proportions, that's just life and hence fitting rooms.

 

[BluMtn]

One of the biggest issues is that most normal clothing companies use “American” sizing. I.E.- a “38” waist is really a 40-42” waist. It’s a marketing thing so fat Americans don’t feel bad. While, a lot of the specialty clothing companies (Sitka, Arctyrx, etc) use sizing much closer to reality.

When I measure my waist the way companies tell you to measure I am a 33-34" waist. When I buy wranglers I buy 34" waist, great fit. When I buy my 34" Kuiu pants, Great fit. When I buy Skre, Cabelas, Sitka, or any of the other pants I have in 34" waist, they fit great. My coats are all XLT, fit great. My beef is companies think that 34 or 35" inseams are tall. There are a few that make inseams that are longer, Kuiu you can cut the hems and lengthen them and have someone sew a new hem in them. Pnuma you can buy a 36" inseam. And Cabelas makes a few in 35". I wear a 38 or 40" inseam. My point I am trying to make is the outdoor clothing companies make clothing for the middle of the road consumer. If you are outside those parameters you are out of luck. There are some days I wished I had a little more luck.

 

[jmez]

I have yet to figure out what athletic cut actually means. I have what I consider an athletic build, 6'0" , 200 lbs. My waist measures 32, the smallest I can buy pants is a 36 to fit my legs and ass. Sitka are the worst, need a 38 in those and have a bunch of fabric at the top.

Wear an XL shirt and coat and in most all of the "hunting brands" I need a 2XL and they are still snug. I won't buy it if I can't try it on anymore. Not worth it as it never fits correctly.

I'm not fat. But the industries definition of "athletic" and mine are completely different.

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[LongWayAround]

I'm not even that big of a guy and I struggle with this. At 5'9" 185lb you would think it shouldn't be a problem but it is. I have long arms, broad shoulders, skinny waist and big thighs/glutes.

Almost nothing from Sitka fits me (I did find a 90% Jacket that I like). Kuiu I have to size up. First lite was always an odd fit until I tried their newer Chama.

Sitka makes their shoulders narrow and their legs spindly. Kuiu is closer but I still have to go up. Their XL tops fit but is it really an XL if I'm an average ish size guy? Going up one size in the waist isn't a big deal but I could really go up twice to make my legs comfortable and that would be too much slop at the waist.

I need clothes made for a short linebacker.

Last spring attempting to kayak into some turkeys I complained about the size of the yak. My buddy said "you're not much bigger than most people, but most people aren't shaped like you."

 

[Magnum61]

I would chalk it up to them focusing on a fit range that covers the majority of their business so their efficient and cash positive.


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[Truecoastie]

I want to wear first lite but the fit really sucks. Meduim in the pants=skinny Jean's. Large= jenco icp gear. Same thing with the tops meduim are just a bit too small and I'm swimming in the larges. I'm 6' 190 so it shouldn't be hard to find stuff that fits right? Wrong. I tried kuiu and everything was skin tight. I might as well have been in cool runnings. I want to wear "hunting gear" but the sizing sucks so bad I dont think it's worth paying the shipping to try all this crap on and send it back and try it on and send it back...

 

[Formidilosus]

Hey bud, not sure if you are trying to come off as kind of an asshole, but you did.


The OP is on a perfectly fine rant about how some of the higher end companies don’t fit the larger end of the hunting crowd and you come in with a bunch of irrelevant crap about endurance runners vs construction workers. While I agree that there may be valid business reasons to cut their sizes off somewhere due to sales volume, I will bet you there are a hell of a lot more hunters in construction unions than at your average marathon. I also bet you that the average size of a hunter is on the bigger end of the spectrum but that is just based on who I know and see at the archery/ hunting stores and trade shows, so maybe those companies are missing out on a chunk of the market that they ought to pay attention to? BTW how many construction workers do you know? Guarantee if you got to any job site you are going to find a big chunk of those guys and gals don’t fall into your “fat” or “big” categories.

Maybe think a bit more before you start spreading around your body type philosophies next time or better yet, don’t post at all.

1). No, I am not trying be be an asshole. I’m being objective. There are reasons why SPECIALIZED mountain clothing companies do not generally make clothing that fits less than 1% of their users. They would go out of business if they did.



2). How is explaining that body type, not just size, determines what will and won’t fit with clothing irrelevant to his “perfectly fine rant”? There are norms for most activities. The answer is it is exactly relevant. But you got offended by the answer.


3). I did rough framing for a significant part of my early life. I’m quite familiar with people that do construction. You seem to have gotten offended at my usage of “construction” worker, but I’ll bet most people could visualize the body shape by what I said.

4). While I’m sure more hunters are in construction unions than marathons, those hunters that are in marathons are more of the target market for most of the specialized brands, and they represent more of the actual “need” for that specialized clothing than most hunters.


5). I think quite a bit before I post. I didn’t get upset that muddy dogs called me a “scrawny short dude” because I’m not 6’6” 300lbs. I do have to ask-why as an adult male are you sensitive to “body type philosophies”?



The most funny thing is you seem to assume that I CAN fit into most of the clothing by these brands. The majority I can not. However, I am an adult and don’t throw a hissy fit because Kuiu, or someone on a forum said my azz was too big to fit. My butt is too big to fit most of them. I squat and swim frequently and consequently have a larger butt and thighs than average for my waist. So what?

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

Whats the deal with the hunting industry and there clothes size? At the recent hunt expo in Salt Lake City I was all set to try out some SKRE clothes, my biggest issue was wanting a jacket. I found the SKRE booth and tried on there 3 XL Hardscrabble jacket and it wasn't even close to fitting around the middle or across the shoulders. Found the jacket in 4 XL and here again there was no way it was fitting.
I went on to try jackets from Kuiu, Firstlight and anything else I could find and they all run small.

I wear a 3 XL shirt all day long, Carhartt, Cabelas, Wrangler basically anything in the usual clothing lines I wear a 3 XL tall shirt with the 3 XL being a little big but its safer then going with a 2 XL and it shrinking a little. All my current jackets for everyday wear and the couple I have from Cabelas are all 3 XL, one Cabelas 3 XL jacket is even a little to big on me.

By the hunting industry sizing standard I would need a 5 or 6 XL top. Do these guys realize just how big a 5 or 6 XL top is in the real world? You could fit two of me in a 6 XL top and I'm not a small guy. I get at 6' 10", 300 lbs, 38 inch inseam and over 3 foot at the shoulders I'm not your usual sized guy but it don't help that the hunting industry sizes there gear small. I wonder just how much business these company's are loosing by running there small sizes as not everyone that hunts is a scrawny short dude.

Cabelas was never the best gear but it was what I could afford at the time, now I'm able to afford more but it appears that there's nothing in the high rent district to spend my money on. Wouldn't be such a concern but the way Cabela's appears to be going down hill as of late I may be hunting in my skives and no one wants to see that.

I

I agree 100%! I am a big guy but not nearly as big as you. I normally wear a 2xl and just received a Sitka Mountain Jacket yesterday in that size which according to their size chart is 50-53 inch chest. My suits vary between 48-50 inch chest so this like most of my hunting tops should have room to layer. Well that wasn't the case. I tried it on over a dress shirt and it there was no chance of layering . It was so tight that my arms felt like it was going to rip the seam. Unfortunately I believe based upon their sizing I would need a 4-5x to fit and that's just ridiculous.

 

[snakelk]

The answer is that they're not losing that much. It is a very small percentage of actual users that don’t fit the Sitka/Arctyrx cut clothing, that actually do things requiring it. It isn’t that the clothing is running “small for short, scrawny dudes”. It’s that it’s cut for the main body type that uses it.

One of the biggest issues is that most normal clothing companies use “American” sizing. I.E.- a “38” waist is really a 40-42” waist. It’s a marketing thing so fat Americans don’t feel bad. While, a lot of the specialty clothing companies (Sitka, Arctyrx, etc) use sizing much closer to reality.
This can obviously causes problems if you’re not the proverbial 5’10”, 185lb athletic build person. But, there’s no way to make clothing that’s cut to fit a 5’9”/180lbs person, and the 6’5”/280lb person. It isn’t just sizeing- it’s the cut and design of the clothing.




While I’m sure it sucks for some, and I’m not saying that you are are, but the entire rest of the clothing industry is built around fat people. The cut is big and baggy, blocky from shoulders to waist, huge thighs, deep crotch, etc. Firstlite changed the sizing and cut of their Obsidian pants for instance because “big strong guys” (aka fat people) complained enough. Now, those pants suck for every “scrawny short dude” (aka people with low body fat). There is no way for a company to make clothing fit both types and when companies try to, the fit sucks for everyone.

You're correct about First Lite and the sizing and cut change of their Kanab/Obsidians. How they can call their "medium" a medium now, I don't know. If it is, the medium Kanab 2.0 was a small. I wondered what happened with their sizing. I could darn near put two of my legs in one pant leg of the new "medium" Obsidians, and I am not skinny. 5'8" 170 here and the old Kanab 2.0 fit just fine, albeit a bit big in the waist. The Obsidians were like clown pants. Totally ridiculously large. Who would want that much material flopping around?
Yes, I'm short, but by no means scrawny, and I wouldn't say disproportionate. The new Obsidian sizing is obviously made for a different body habitus. To the OP, good luck finding clothes that fit correctly, it isn't just taller, bigger guys like you that have the problem. The picture shows First Lite Kanab 2.0 Medium on the right, and Obsidian Medium on the left. Needless to say, I didn't keep the "clown" pants.

 

[sneaky]

Buy a jacket from someone like Nunatak gear. Give them your measurements and they'll sew you up whatever you want. No Goretex or anything, but puffy jackets or whatever you'll be fine.

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[cuttiebrownbow]

The average size man in America is 5’9 200 lbs. I would be willing to bet if these clothing companies surveyed the people buying their clothes that the vast majority would be the average size or very close.

Base their designs off of that and then make tall variations and they would cover the vast majority of hunters.

I’m 5’9” 200lbs and Sitka XL in some jackets don’t fit my chest or shoulders. I would love to get a Jetstream but that ain’t happening.





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[Gatorgrizz27]

I’m 6’ and 165 lbs so I’m happy to finally find clothes that don’t fit like a burlap bag.

As others have said, it comes down to target audiences. Even Sitka doesn’t sell 1/10 of the clothing that everyday companies do, and the majority of the guys that do what the clothing is designed for (backpack hunting deep into the backcountry) aren’t “husky.” The unit we hunted in Colorado this year was very remote. We packed in 5 miles and the dozen or so people we ran into over the course of the trip were almost all wearing KUIU or Sitka, and none of them had an extra 5-10 lbs around their waist.

Unfortunately, if you’re 6’10”, you’re an outlier and smaller hunting companies can’t afford to make pants in a size that maybe 6 people would buy.

If you can find something that fits but is short, gaiters can help out. A lot of guys are wearing regular outdoor clothing in earth tones rather than hunting brands.