The Great Outdoors - Clothes For Big Blokes
Politics of size
Having been a big person all my life, I can tell from my own experience that only person who’s ever discouraged me from doing anything, is me. Nobody has ever told me that “you shouldn’t do that” or “you can’t do that”. The only person responsible for my health is myself. I don’t support any “fat pride” or anything, which promotes unhealthy lifestyle. Being overweight is unhealthy and according to the statistics it’s the leading cause for lifestyle diseases like T2 diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
Being overweight shouldn’t stop anyone from participating in activities and trying to get healthy. What’s a better way to get healthy than walking and hiking? It’s easy to do, it costs little or not much and added benefits are fresh air, sunshine, movement, mental health & weight loss. Everyone knows outdoors is much more fun and accessible when spending time there is comfortable. This is why I’ve invested in high quality hiking gear; to keep me warm & dry on the trail and keeping my backpack as light as possible. This makes the hiking much more enjoyable. Right, now that we got that out of the way, I’ll share what I use and how you can access the best gear if your size starts with an X or few.
Columbia
I have lots of tops from Columbia Sportswear. Their sizes go up to 5X on Big & Tall range. My current go-to hiking shirts are short sleeve Columbia Tech Trail shirt and the long sleeve Columbia Tech Trail shirt. They are lightweight, soft feel and very stretchy. I find them to be comfortable to wear and wick moisture will. If you can find them under £30, it’s a good deal.
Another great Columbia product is Columbia Klamath Range II fleece. It’s very light weight and can be used while moving without overheating. It’s very soft and comfortable. The sleeves are maybe a bit tighter than average, but this allows it to fit under layers better. I own three; one for hiking, one for casual use and one for work in the garden. I’ve bought mine at Amazon sales for under £20. The lowest price I’ve seen was probably under £15, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for them.
Other Columbia clothes I’ve bought:
Columbia Flashback windbreaker on sale from Amazon US
In addition to Amazon UK, you can also buy Columbia apparel direct from Columbia Sportswear UK website. Usually the pricing is better on Amazon, but, they do have the sales where you can find some bargains. If you’re familiar with shopping at Amazon US, that’s another place to find Columbia bargains and use a shipping agent to get them delivered to UK. If you’d like to learn how to use a shipping agent, you can find the details here.
Under Armour
Under Armour is another American brand which makes larger sizes. My favourite UA products are UA Tech Mesh 9” boxer shorts. They are really lightweight and breathable. I never really had a chafing issues while wearing these. They are also smart enough looking to have a quick dip in the sea or lake to cool down on a hot day. The UA Tech 6” boxer shorts are my daily drivers outside hiking. I also like the combo of shorts & leggings for cooler days. This pair of UA HG Armour leggings has a nice feature of having an integrated mobile phone pocket. UA also makes a Storm -line which are water resistant clothing and I’ve picked up couple of pairs of hiking shorts from sales, but those don’t seem to be available anymore. UA also used to make hunting clothes, which make great hiking clothes, but I haven’t seen much of those either. I also own a few UA Launch AV running caps which I find to make nice hiking caps.
Most of my UA underwear is from Amazon UK, but I’ve also bought some items from Under Armour US Outlet and then used the shipping agent to ship them to UK. US Outlet has more sizes available and often products and/or sizes that are not available in the UK.
Outdoor Research
Outdoor Research US sells sizes up to 3X. The extended sizes include OR favourites like Echo shirts, hoodies and Helium rainwear. OR also makes some of the best UL hiking hats out there. It’s worth checking the Outlet or Sales for the best deals.
Shopping at OR US requires using the shipping agent to ship them to UK.
Enlightened Equipment
Enlightened Equipment is well known for its UL quilts and Apex apparel. I own synthetic Torrid puffy, Visp rain jacket and Copperfield wind jacket among other bits. EE has some sizes/configurations in stock, but they also offer custom options with fabric type, colour and size 3X & Tall. Please note that the shape of the jackets is rather boxy and they are generous sizing (even for American brand) for layering purposes.
Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer US is more of an active lifestyle brand, but it does have couple of nice hiking products. Its ultralight Super Sevens capsule collection is meant to be worn layered together consisting a Alpha-style active layer hoodie, wind jacket and a rain jacket. I own the fleece hoodie and it’s great keeping warm on a cooler day while allowing wind through enough to prevent overheating. It’s also ridiculously soft, enough to me to put it over my inflatable pillow. All of them come in 3X or 3XT. EB also has some nice sun hoodies & micro grid fleece tops.
Shopping at Eddie Bauer US requires using the shipping agent to ship them to UK.
REI
REI is a big, legendary US outdoor retailer. They stock a variety of brands as well as their own in-house brand. REI stocks sizes up to 3X and 4X depending on the brand. It’s worth joining as a member if you’re planning to make a bigger purchase, as it gives access to extra discounts, free shipping and dividends once a year based on purchase and much more. I’ve picked up bits and pieces from big name brands on REI sales as well as a REI baselayer top.
Shopping at REI requires using the shipping agent to ship them to UK.
Kuiu
Kuiu is an American brand specialising in (ultralight) hunting. They have a quite a few nice products suitable for hikers and the sizing goes up to 3X. Their Peloton 97 zip top is a hiker favourite (PCT 2022 Gear Survey) as it’s very light and wicking. Other nice products they have are 125 Merino t-shirts, Gila sun hoodie and Ultra Down jacket. I own the zip top and couple of 125 Merino t-shirts.
Kuiu does ship direct to UK, but the costs can be high, so other option is using the shipping agent to ship them to UK. Use this referral link for $50 discount when spending over $250 and shipping to US address.
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