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Hard or soft shell jackets for big men???

maverick2

The 1st 50 yrs are practice - we score the 2nd 50.
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Any recommendations here for ski/mountaineering jacket manufacturers/models that are sized to fit larger framed men? Trying jackets on over the years, shell length isn't usually a problem (I'm 6' 2" tall) but volume thru the chest and shoulders is a dealbreaker (I have a 52" chest and 36" waist.) My wife made/built me a Goretex fabric shell in 1996 that has served as my outer shell for all winter activities, but after 20+ years it's useful life has pretty much come to an end. I've seen this day coming for quite some time and have tried countless shells on over the past 5 years searching for a replacement, and always come up empty. Latest "no go" was a 2xl Mammut Masao hard shell, so thought I'd turn to the educated masses here and see what turned up. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

Mike75

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Arcteryx SV fit jackets tend to run large. I have a 46-48" chest and wear a L in a Sidewinder SV. Plenty of room to layer. Pretty sure they currently make the Sidewinder and the Alpha in SV.
 

x10003q

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Outdoor Research seems to have an 'American' fit. I have an OR White Room Gore Tex shell in XL. I am a 46-48 chest. I also have marmot and north face shells that are older but fit with plenty of room for layering. The Flylow Lab Coat did not fit in XL and had to be returned.
 

Eric267

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I'm 6"1 175-80 44-34 and mostly wear L as far as street clothes and golf shirts. I like jackets baggy with good range of motion so I usually go Xl . I have found rossignol and salomon to fit on the large size for a standard Xl. My pops is about your size with a larger waist and wears an Xl salomon jacket.

Definitely not spyder in Xl they seem to run with a form fit. They do make xxl in a lot of their line though. The Davenport collection comes to mind
 

graham418

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Flylow is cut generously, with a roomy kind of fit. The Quantum Pro or Lab Coat inn XXL would do it for you.
 

Analisa

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Arcteryx AR and SV lines are cut to accommodate a lot of layers, so it might be an option. They're pricey, but the high denier in the weave means it can totally last another 29 years until you buy a new one.

REI's fit block is also cut more generously, but might be a little more dad bod-esque. It's been a while since I've worked in men's and I can't remember if the wider cut extends through the whole torso or primarily through the waist. Their new Stormbolt has better fabric than the Patagonia Triolet at a steal of a price.
 
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maverick2

maverick2

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Thanks! I don't find many XXL jackets and shells in stores to gauge fit, so this info should help minimize the number of "order online -- try it on -- cuss -- return it" iterations I'm going thru.
 

DanoT

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I normally wear an XL shell but the Armada XL Gortex shell felt like I was wearing a tent, so I bought the L and it is roomier than my old XL jackets.
 

princo

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I would also suggest looking at "Snowboarding" jackets as the baggy cut that boarders favors is well..baggy and quite roomy. For example look at brands like Burton, 686, etc. Also, The North Face has extended sizes, up to 3XL.
 

jmeb

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Freeride Systems jackets are cut very roomy. I believe they are a PugSki sponsor or were. Incredibly well built jackets out of super premium materials, great customer service, and made in America (Leadville CO). @TheBestSkier reps / works for them and can point you in the right direction. I've been super happy w/ my Antero II+. It is certainly heavier than an uber-lightweight shell. Personally I'm willing to trade a few oz for burlier materials.
 

coskigirl

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In addition to Columbia check out Obermeyer. I have a nasty habit of swinging sizes ogwink and when I’m on the larger side Obermeyer is my go to as they offer extended sizing.
 

Josh Matta

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Flylow is cut generously, with a roomy kind of fit. The Quantum Pro or Lab Coat inn XXL would do it for you.

x2.

Flylow is good as long as your arms are not super long.
 
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maverick2

maverick2

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Thanks! I like the Indies, so just shot an email to FreeRide Systems to see what they recommend.
 

Wasatchman

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Any recommendations here for ski/mountaineering jacket manufacturers/models that are sized to fit larger framed men? Trying jackets on over the years, shell length isn't usually a problem (I'm 6' 2" tall) but volume thru the chest and shoulders is a dealbreaker (I have a 52" chest and 36" waist.) My wife made/built me a Goretex fabric shell in 1996 that has served as my outer shell for all winter activities, but after 20+ years it's useful life has pretty much come to an end. I've seen this day coming for quite some time and have tried countless shells on over the past 5 years searching for a replacement, and always come up empty. Latest "no go" was a 2xl Mammut Masao hard shell, so thought I'd turn to the educated masses here and see what turned up. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
I can only dream of having your sizing problem!! Might be a pain in the ass buying clothing, but there are others who wish they had your problem :)
 

jmeb

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Thanks! I like the Indies, so just shot an email to FreeRide Systems to see what they recommend.

Good stuff. Make sure to mention PugSki before you purchase. They likely will throw you a 10-20% discount.
 
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maverick2

maverick2

The 1st 50 yrs are practice - we score the 2nd 50.
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Gotta like the folks at Freeride! Shot them an email with my query and had an answer back within an hour, full of info and help. They don't have anything that will work for me, but I'd recommend these folks to others for their customer service alone.
 
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maverick2

maverick2

The 1st 50 yrs are practice - we score the 2nd 50.
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For anyone else plagued by this dilemma, I'll update this periodically with what I find. Found a shop this past weekend with Descente and Flylow shells in XXL. Like the Mammut shell, neither have enough room thru chest and shoulders to be functional (much less comfortable with anything more than a base layer). Looks like Helly Hansen makes a pair of "relaxed fit" shells in XXL (their Ridge jacket and Elevation jacket) that have potential. Will see if I can track down one of those down in the near future.
 
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maverick2

maverick2

The 1st 50 yrs are practice - we score the 2nd 50.
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Thought I'd close the loop on this in case anyone else is in the same boat. It took a while, but I eventually came to the realization that XXL sizing by anybody designing for the alpine ski world (or performance outerwear in general) is a no go for people of my dimensions. If facing a similar dilemma as me, you'll find that 3XL is even harder to find than XXL, but here's where Helly Hansen will became your friend. It's not obvious from their website that any of their stuff is 3XL, but I found out by pure accident that about 1 model out of every 5 of their ski jackets is offered in 3XL -- it will generally only be in one of the 3 or 4 colors the jacket is offered in, so you have to click on EVERY jacket and EVERY color to figure out which ones... The good news is that HH's 3XL fits me thru the chest and shoulders like a dream, so I'll have my resident seamstress (wife) sew a dart or two into the side seams to take up some of the slack around my belly and waist and I'm good to go. If Helly Hansen were alive today, I'd buy the man a beer.
 

Ken_R

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I recently got this Marmot jacket at Sierra Trading Post, new, 60% off retail. 3L Goretex. Its awesome. I have the Large and it is roomy. The XL should fit you nicely.

FullSizeRender.jpeg
 

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