Hey folks. I have a friend who is buying some clothing for an upcoming vacation to Iceland. Cold temps and she will be out photographing the auroras at night, so mix of walking to sites and standing around while taking pictures. She's having a hard time finding thermal layer and snow/ski pants in plus size - wondering if anybody had some suggestions or knew of any particular brands she should check out. Thanks!!
L.L.Bean gear typically runs pretty large, my wife doesn't even fit into the smallest of their sizes. I wear one size smaller L.L. Bean gear than most all other brands. They are extremely accommodating with returns; in fact, it was their suggestion when purchasing boots to buy 2 different sizes & return the one that doesn't fit
Thanks for the reply!
Has she considered whether snowmobile apparel might work?
Did a quick search and found this site:
http://www.snogear.com/big-and-tall-...-clothing.html
...among others.
Good idea - thanks!
Pudgy.....have her look in the men's section of places like EMS, REI, and whatever other mtn stores service hikers and outdoor fanatics in your area.
Women's clothes are sometimes cut to fit models, and men's clothes give you more room to flex and move about. Also, have her check the ones with elastic waists. Sometimes depending on the size, they can be too long but it's easy enough to shorten them, or have someone do it for her. Also, if the arms are too long, she can roll up the cuffs. That sometimes works well for pant cuffs as well. The good news is, if you buy your clothes big enough, you can layer up underneath if necessary. It's all trail and error.
I am not petite and buy men's mountain clothes for this very reason. I have a super skinny friend who shops in the men's dept for all her ski clothes.
Your friend need not fear going into that section. Lots of women do.
I love Mountain Hardware. Most of my closet is filled with their gear, with a little Patagonia, and Marmot for good measure. Have a pair of windproof, water repellant pants that I wear every day all winter for outdoor activities. I throw them in the gentle cycle and dry them in the evening. They are now 6 yrs old and going strong.
Also keep in mind that if any of the clothing acquires puncture or rip wounds, they can easily be patched with the strips you can cut and stick on to repair the damage. I keep some on hand in various colors because of my four legged friends.
I have not had good luck with LL Bean. Almost none of the pants, men or women's fit me properly. It's trial and error but you now have my 2 cents.
Thanks for the great ideas. I'll pass along the info!
I am, um, on the larger side and I've bought quite a bit of gear from LL Bean - as previously mentioned, their gear tends to run larger than most other places. I've typically found that I can fit into one size smaller in LL Bean versions of things than I can in most other places. That's a nice psychological boost. Plus, they do carry some things in Plus Sizes (or "Womens" versus "Misses" in their language). She might be surprised by what she finds.
at a glance, cabelas offers up to 2x xl for women, and often had great deals.
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