Jack Sprat (and his wife) go camping

January 8, 2007 4:59 PM

Anybody have any ideas for good raingear for a tall-and-skinny man?

Needing pretty decent raingear for a summer canoe trip to the Boundary Waters (Minnesota). I'd like to keep it fairly inexpensive, but at this point, I'll pay a pretty penny for something that fits my man. We have had zero luck so far in all the likely places. His inseam is 36', waist 30' (can get away with a 32'). Any other tall-and-skinnies out there who've had any luck?

posted by thebrokedown to shopping (10 comments total)

Cagoule?
posted by box at 5:04 PM on January 8, 2007

Oops, should have clarified that the type of activities we'll be doing on the trip sort of demands a jacket/pants combo.
posted by thebrokedown at 5:10 PM on January 8, 2007

I know you have asked for jacket/pants combos, but I (also tall and skinny, if not quite so skinny as your guy) have done better with ponchos for canoing than traditional rain gear. The open sides let out the sweat and allow for easy paddling, and they are cheap (I've used the $5 plastic ones, but prefer the $30 or so nylon ones from Campmor). Particularly in warm weather, consider skipping the rain jacket and pants in favor of other options.

For pants/jackets, there are a few companies that do tall sizes. REI's house brand rain gear has tall sizes, for example, although you will probably mostly find "tall" means 34" inseams, not 36", or that the inseam will grow with the waist band. But this will vary by company, so it's worth ordering some in to try them on. MEC (in Canada, but they do ship to the US, and their prices are very good) also have some tall sizes in some models, and their stuff is generally very good. (On the whole, I would say that MEC house brand clothing is better than REI house brand, but it probably depends on just what you are comparing.)
posted by Forktine at 5:24 PM on January 8, 2007

Holy shit, 36 foot inseam?

I'm 6'8" and not otherwise huge, and I had good luck with these pants from REI. You definitely want to be looking for places that have special tall sizes available. Looks like the inseam will only be 34.5 in size M (31-33 waist), but they have a drawstring waist, so you could size up a little to get a little more length. And inseam is such a variable measurement anyway, what with rise and where you like to wear your pants. Get some good waterproof 6"+ boots and you should be fine.

The LL Bean Weather Challenger jacket in tall also worked for me, though it's always creepy how they say the tall sizes are for 6'1" to 6'3". Whatever. You can return it if it doesn't fit.
posted by trevyn at 5:31 PM on January 8, 2007

Ok, because I love you, and us tallies have to stick together, I measured my pants for you. My Large Tall REI pants linked above are 46.5" down the outside, and are plenty long for me. (Have I mentioned how inseam is a useless measurement?) In medium, they'll probably be about 0.5-1" shorter.
posted by trevyn at 5:40 PM on January 8, 2007

Ooh, he should totally get gaiters. ;)
posted by trevyn at 5:44 PM on January 8, 2007

Man, I SWEAR I used " instead of ' in my original post!
posted by thebrokedown at 5:49 PM on January 8, 2007

I work in a very wet climate with a very tall skinny fellow ("the sandhill crane") and he uses the lighter weight "logger" Helly Hansen rainpants with bib (not so much the heavy PVC fisherman's ones). The extra larges are very long and very waterproof. The bib means you can paddle/bushwhack with the coat open, saving serious sweatage...

He has also used the MEC ones which zip up the sides (handy for on-off in a canoe?) which, as noted, come in tall size and was quite happy, but they aren't cheap.
posted by Rumple at 6:25 PM on January 8, 2007

I have been using this Cabela's gore-tex jacket hard for two years and it still looks new and never leaks. It comes in tall sizes, pants available, and they're even on sale! Cabela's has a great return policy and stands behind their gear.
posted by roboto at 6:30 PM on January 8, 2007

Second the Helly Hansen stuff - I used to work for Outward Bound and we ran trips in the same area (though usually way north of the Boundary Waters), and it's what we gave to students and what most of the staff chose to use as well. It's waterproof - really waterproof - and tough, and not too expensive. When it's *really* raining I'll always opt for my grubby old Helly Hansen mac over Gore Tex.
Helly Hansen pile is very good too, as an underlayer.
posted by Flashman at 4:15 AM on January 9, 2007