Outdoor Clothing for Curvy Women

beabria

I'm going hiking this weekend and decided to splurge on some fancy pants with tons of pockets and zip-off bottoms. So, I go down to my local REI, but they don't really have anything above a size 12 in the kind of pants I'm looking for. Sadly, I've got a ways to go to fit into those. So, I go to the website to order some. At this point I realized I was going to have a problem since the size charts for every brand of outdoor women's clothing indicates a 3-4 SIZE difference between my hips and waist! But I made a best guess and ordered two consecutive sizes of the REI brand. They arrived today and - sure enough - they were shaped like men's pants with virtually no difference in the hips and waist. I tried them on and the size 16 fits great in the waist, but is way too small in the hips. The size 18s fit great in the hips but are HUGE in the waist. They are so big in the waist that I can literally pull them off while buttoned up and have room to spare. Even when I was overall smaller in size, I had this problem with waist-hip ratios in outdoorsy clothing.

Now that my rant is over, I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a brand and/or style that is cut better for curvy women. It's too late for this trip - I'll just cinch up the big ones (which looks very funny, trust me), but for future reference, I'd love to know if there are better options. And, even if they don't make them in my size, it'll be helpful for when I march in to buy those 8's.

meshashesha2012

i generally buy sporty things to fit my hips because i tend to wear them low anyway because i'm short waisted

imaginaryplaces

Which REI pants did you get? I have similar problems with getting pants to fit and have worn both the REI Sahara and the Rendezvous pants. The Saharas seem to be cut a bit more generously in the hips and thighs than the Rendezvous - so, if you haven't tried the Saharas, they might be worth a try. I've never tried on Columbia pants, but have found good fits in their jackets. Most other brands that I've tried on seem to be even less curvy than REI.

Have you tried the 16W (1X) in the REIs? I'm no longer wearing Plus sizes, but when I was, it seemed like the plus sizes were roomier through the hips and thighs relative to the waist. Good luck! I know how frustrating it is.

IrishMc

I had the same trouble with Columbia pants and have yet to find any that fit. Hoping to find a better fit in a few months when I get some of the weight off.

feydruss

Have you tried anything at www.junonia.com?

beabria

Thanks for all the suggestions. Sounds like I'm not the only one with this issue. Yes, these pants are actually 16W in REI - but still not enough difference in hip-waist ratio. I'm going to hold onto them though, because I think they'll be the better option when I'm down another 10lbs or so. The 18s look rather comical already since they're gaping an the waist. Maybe I'm shaped funny???
I haven't tried junonia. I'll definitely check it out!

beabria

Have you tried anything at www.junonia.com?

Oh, I just went to their website - awesome! I'm actually going to be needing a lot of winter wear (I'm going to Antarctica - long story.) so that website may be a lifesaver!

keenercam

I second the junonia recommendation. LOVE their clothes.

drgndancer

For a cheap short term fix can you belt the 18s and wear a top that goes over your waist? Not ideal, but since it seems like the 16s are close to fitting, it could work short term. Sadly I have no recommendation on other stores/sites. My experience with women's clothes is limited to what my ex wore and she didn't care for cargo style.

beabria

In my searches, I've found another option for curvy women that I thought I'd share. L.L. Bean has seperate sizing for "straight" and "curvy" body types with the curvy being ~1 inch smaller in the waist and larger in the hips than the regular one. They don't have as many options as for the straight one, but it's another option and I thought I'd share.