Question for the Ladies: Large Clothing?

[christopher]

One thing I do know-
You can't read tone of voice on a forum...
Christopher...your comments rubbed me the wrong way. Women do want their opinions taken seriously. I think this is a great area of Forum. I applaud Snowest for realizing there is a need for it.
Your apology is accepted.

Your 100% right on that.
The internet can be brutal because you can't see the face or hear the inflections that come along with normal conversation. It takes a LOT more effort to communicate on the internet than it does in person.

I hope we get some more "Lady Lurkers" posting here.
Oh...and btw...I'm allowed to have an opinion and I like Pink.

who would have guessed!!

I hope your wife gets some good ideas from the thread you started. Does she snowmobile?

She has gone with me a couple times, and I think for the most part had a good time.

Our challenge is that we have 4 kids, and I like to take them with me.

Twins 17, which can ride their own, but I have a boy 10, and girl 9 who are not quite ready for their own sleds. Which means they have to ride with mom and dad, and that changes the whole dynamic of the ride.

 

[christopher]

If your wife is able to alter or mend garments, whilst maintaining the waterproof/breathability qualities, have her sign up, join the discussion, and post here. That way people requiring alterations can have a private way to contact her. No offence, but they shouldn't have to go thru you to get info to her. The service someone requires is none of your business. Discretion is the name of your wife's game, in this case. You wouldn't want to have to tell a tailor's wife your pants fit great now that the crotch doesn't sag, would ya???

The purpose of this thread was not to go trolling for business. Sue doesn't do alterations for people, nor is she looking to begin doing so. I was just exploring a topic of interest that I had come across.

 

[Belle Star]

I have seen some plus size for women I know that last year I won a womans Polaris coat that was XXL and I saw a plus size gal in a Ski Doo out fit but I think unless you go to a big motorsports store it will be hard to find, and both were "Brand" specific. If you get a chance go to one of the snow shows. I have the best luck at the shows as there is a lot of choices both mens and womens gear. I like many others wear mens gear as the womens gear didn't fit well, couldn't layer with the womens gear. So I bought Klim gear and I am warm and dry. Very Important.

 

[Polar Express]

im a lucky man

Alright, I'll risk open ridicule and post in the ladies' section.

Some of you have met my wife, and know just how tall and slender (and beautiful) she is. We have had a nasty time finding clothes that fit her. While I doubt she'll get much 'sympathy' for her particular challenge, the fact remains that yes, it's hard to find clothing options for any lady that does not fit in the "95% of common female shapes",- as determined by clothing designers. Factor in the varying tastes for color, and aesthetic differences, and it's a nasty line to try and walk for a manufacturer. It would be cool to find a company that would be willing to make alterations from 'stock' designs. Add 4" to the legs, or subtract 2" from the arms, that sort of thing, for a fee of course. But, with the economy the way it is, I doubt any clothing company is going to ADD a custom shop to the factory, especially when so many things are made in foreign countries. Ladies, I won't pretend to know exactly how you feel, but please know I have participated firsthand in the 'hunt' for gear, and seen lots of frustration.

But we can always hope.

FYI, for those of you who don't know my wife, check out August in the 'ladies' ride' calendar, and yes she is really 6 feet tall..... then add the heels.

 

[CoyoteGirl]

and yes she is really 6 feet tall..... then add the heels.

Rub it in! lol

FYI for anyone who has Klim, they DO alterations in the shortening type of variety.

 

[Momma]

From my experience. Buying gear for dirt or snow I end up with mostly men's gear. Height is the issue for me with long arms and legs. I guess girls are suppose to be under 5ft 3inches. and tiny feet. But I can make myself look like a girl with my pack, helmet and goggles. A lot of the ladies have their sleds custom and girlie lookin. So it really doesn't matter what they wear.

Yup GP. Me too!!!!!! Height is my problem when looking for gear. Long arms and legs... so I buy mens Jackets and pants to have the leg and arm room.

 

[Puddy Tat]

Alright, I'll risk open ridicule and post in the ladies' section.

Some of you have met my wife, and know just how tall and slender (and beautiful) she is. We have had a nasty time finding clothes that fit her. While I doubt she'll get much 'sympathy' for her particular challenge, the fact remains that yes, it's hard to find clothing options for any lady that does not fit in the "95% of common female shapes",- as determined by clothing designers. Factor in the varying tastes for color, and aesthetic differences, and it's a nasty line to try and walk for a manufacturer. It would be cool to find a company that would be willing to make alterations from 'stock' designs. Add 4" to the legs, or subtract 2" from the arms, that sort of thing, for a fee of course. But, with the economy the way it is, I doubt any clothing company is going to ADD a custom shop to the factory, especially when so many things are made in foreign countries. Ladies, I won't pretend to know exactly how you feel, but please know I have participated firsthand in the 'hunt' for gear, and seen lots of frustration.

But we can always hope.

FYI, for those of you who don't know my wife, check out August in the 'ladies' ride' calendar, and yes she is really 6 feet tall..... then add the heels.

(Yeah rub it in)
my sister in-law is 6’1’ and me just barely making it to 5’3 if I push it!!! She looks great in everything but has a hard time finding anything to fit her, she finally went with a men’s AC Large and Tall they look pretty good on her so I understand what you guys go though to find stuff me I guess I am in the normal sized group I don’t really have that hard of time finding something that I like. So I guess being short has its advantages.

 

[JoeandLindze]

I had a hard time finding any womens gear that fit well to where I could still move around comfortablely. I settled on mens gear. Less bulky and to me they felt warmer. My bibs do anyway. I do however wear pink gloves

 

[Skadi]

Looks like it's all been discussed... i did FINALLY find a pair of pants that makes a butt look good and isn't TOTAL high waters... HMKs gambler gear... HAWT!! ToBe had the market on making womene's butt's look good before but their pants were WAY too short... Now with the HMK Gambler gear the butt looks great and the gear is only 2" too short, rather than 5 like the ToBe's would have been, I didn't even bother trying them on after looking at the length on some of my way shorter GFs...

oh i have so many thoughts on all of this but no one is listening so why both posting it... let's just keep trying to get more chicks so we can FINALLY have a say in women's gear that fits AND functions!!!

 

[PoWdErCuRlGiRl]

Hummmm.... Don't suppose they would take a couple inches out of the butt cheek area? Releive the diaper booty syndrome I seem to have I only have 1 booty, but I think 3 of mine would fit in there.... lol it may help to keep those things from saggin too.... LOL

FYI for anyone who has Klim, they DO alterations in the shortening type of variety.

 

[CoyoteGirl]

but no one is listening so why both posting it... let's just keep trying to get more chicks so we can FINALLY have a say in women's gear that fits AND functions!!!

They are listening... just not acting upon it all... lol

Marmot, that's funny. I think the diaper butt is here to stay until you put some meat on those cheeks! lol

It is interesting to me that the Freeride pants sure seem to be "bubble butted" for a mens' pant ie men aren't shapely and bubble butted (usually).

 

[dragonblue]

Looks like it's all been discussed... i did FINALLY find a pair of pants that makes a butt look good and isn't TOTAL high waters... HMKs gambler gear... HAWT!! ToBe had the market on making womene's butt's look good before but their pants were WAY too short... Now with the HMK Gambler gear the butt looks great and the gear is only 2" too short, rather than 5 like the ToBe's would have been, I didn't even bother trying them on after looking at the length on some of my way shorter GFs...

oh i have so many thoughts on all of this but no one is listening so why both posting it... let's just keep trying to get more chicks so we can FINALLY have a say in women's gear that fits AND functions!!!

I am so glad that I'm not alone in being worried about how my butt looks while riding, lol! Seriously, there's nothing wrong with us ladies having gear that looks good and is functional, like you said.

 

[BackCountryBabe]

A few Ladies Gear suggestions.

I cannot not relate to the XL or XXL .. I'm 5.9 and 135. My apex is longer then my height. So for me I am always stuck with high water pants and sleeves that end by my elbows. My mom, dressed me funny with pleanty of hand me downs - oh how unpleasant puberty was for me. I am very particular with my outer gear. Hear are a few thoughts and suggestions.

Motocross gear is the worst. I have opted to stay with mens, however the length is always a problem. Luckily my Thor boots cover the missing 5 inches at the bottom. Unfortunately most men / women MX gear you have buy online then send it back if it doesnt fit. That gets pricy - Look around for a local MX Dealer Expo - pay the few dollars to get in. Then go try on everything they have, even if you don't like the color. Pretend you are going to buy everything on the rack. Opps my bad - I forgot my CC, swwwy! Then make note of what fits and what doesn't - start shopping online.

Next suggestion - I've been snowboaring, cross country skiing, ice / rock climbing for a long while and its been *extremely* hard finding pants which will reach over the boots. I found mens generic brand of "gortex" pants black work the best. They come in all shapes and sizes. There are plenty of manufactures to choose from. I wear them for snowboarding, hiking, camping and they aren't too bulky.

I use those same pants for sledding however on a sled the pants kept ridden up and snow would fall into my boots. Get yourself a pair of Gaitors. This will extend your pant length and if you find yourself stuck standing in waist high snow. You sure wont have snow yup your pants. Buy L or XL men's gaitors, I find work the best - they will fit over the bulky boots. You might be able to get away with Med - But I wont go that size.

For winter gear I think we have great options, perhaps the snowmobile scene they haven't cater to women yet - in time that will come. Have you tried skiing or snowboarding shop or even stores like Sierra Trading Post? Womens' outdoor gear has come a long way. I might suggest looking into European outdoor gear - I like buying American - But they take woman's gear much more seriously over there.

Not all gear will fit all the different shapes and sizes we come in. That is what makes us all so beautiful.The world would be boring if we all looked like Star Trek's Borg Drone. Good Luck with your shopping - Breaking the bank will be a snap.

 

[Skadi]

Oh I know their listening B... Just that I've said it all before to ANYONE who will listen so I didn't want to hash it ALL out here again... hence the abbreviated post...

Marmuttal ( I dunno why I like the marmuttal version of your name the best) anyway, I have some extra butt for you if you need to get rid of hte diaper butt! I've been trying to loose some of my butt for months now and all that keep happenin is it gets lower and lower rather than smaller and smaller! oh well... (actually, even with my big butt the only pants that actually FIT it were the gambler pants from HMK. Have you tried those? they're pretty stylin!! not that you need more gear....

 

[Funoutfitters.com]

We carry a lot of larger sizes in HMK, Klim, and Arctic Cat. I know not a lot of places do, but no matter who you are its always great to be comfortable! Check it Out

 

[MNSnowCat]

Ladies Gear

I realize I'm a little late to this party but I thought I put in my 2 cents... I've read thru this thread and it appears that what we ladies need is a custom/made to order gear manufacturer!

My summer "sport" has the same type of statistics (ladies being about 10% of the overall participation numbers) and we have a couple of niche manufacturers that create custom-fit gear (you send dimensions, etc).

Christopher, if your wife wants to do something like that...??? I'm pretty sure she could be overwhelmed with requests pretty quickly!

 

[christopher]

Christopher, if your wife wants to do something like that...??? I'm pretty sure she could be overwhelmed with requests pretty quickly!

I have told her as much as well!!

 

[CatWoman]

*snip*I have some extra butt for you if you need to get rid of hte diaper butt! I've been trying to loose some of my butt for months now and all that keep happenin is it gets lower and lower rather than smaller and smaller! *snip*

Haven't you been paying attention......the big derriere is in these days! All these years of hating mine, and then a couple of Hollywood peeps with them, and voila......it's the new thing! I see pants that have padding in the rear end to enhance the behind, or the uplifting kind that do the same thing. Who would've thought?!!

With that said, even I have *diaper butt* in my MEN's size S/Tall Klim britches. I have to have the tall as I'm not going with highwater pants, and my legs are longer than my torso.

And while ladies may only be 10% of a sport, in most households they are the ones handling the finances, and thus have a big say in where the money goes.

Christopher, I think your wife could do VERY WELL!

 

[plumnuts]

There are no "Short Fat Grannie" clothes. So I but Short fat guy clothes. Need suspenders and have to rollup the sleeves. But I can still put a few guys to shame. Dislike that most women sit in the warm up shack and complain. They need to get out and learn. I would love to have a custom coat and pants in the ever so slimming Black. What they need to build are a good pair of gloves with fingers that aren't too long and palms that are thin and not too bulky. When riding hard and fast for great distances like cross country racing large blisters on blisters form on the palms of the hands because the gloves fit terribly or are just too bulky. Hand warms keep your palms and fingers pleanty warm (If they work).

Mrs Plumnuts(Janet)

 

[dcd]

ladies clothing and...

...the respect of men riders....
Two points I want to make myself here from my own personal experiences.
Point #1-ladies clothing...we don't all like pink, a soft blue in anything would be nice occasionally, but not to dwell on colors. I am 5"3, 120 lbs-where exactly does a someone of my size find nice riding pants. Mens pants are way too long, childrens pants either too short in length or inseam-either way-don't need riding pants creeping up like that for 200 mil;es or so. Luckily, a local dealer of Choko clothing understood when I first started riding, and kept ordering things for me to try until found the perfect pair. I still use that pair after 10 yrs! God bless her for her time, effort, and patience! My first coat was a men's coat-still use that too but found something a little more "girlie" even though all black. Not all of us want pink-this is true- but something a little different would be nice. However, valid point made earlier on another's post-always great to see a guy's face when they have been smoked by a girl. Which leads me to my 2nd point...I can't tell anyone how many times a guy has looked at me and walked away when I tell them I ride. Many don't take girl riders seriously for some reason-anybody have an answer for that? I even told a guy he didn't want anything to do with me until he found out I ride with only guys and ride more miles in a day than he did in a season. Now, he seeks me out for riding tips, and trail comparisons. Why do some think we are "the little ladies knitting at home?!"