Does any company make gear (splash jackets/pants/baselayers) in women’s plus sizes? I can’t be the only bigger person in a boat that wouldn’t mind girly colored gear? I’ve found afew men’s items in about the 3x range, which should work, but it’s slim pickins! Thanks for any advice!

Some of the men’s wear
often comes in bright colors. I buy almost all men’s stuff for paddling, because I can’t get my size in women’s paddle clothing. I have a pinkish-salmon colored techwick long sleeved shirt that is a men’s shirt, that my hubby would not wear if I paid him.



I also found lots of wicking shirts and nylon pants in the sports clothes men’s section at Target. These are great for paddling wear. Lots of reds, bright blues, yellows and whites, but no pinks.



If you do find a place that provides women’s plus size paddle wear, let me know. But, my guess is, they may be a bit pricey.

Cabela’s
I buy base layers at Cabelas. They have lots of women plus items, from 1X to 3X. They aren’t in a lot of colors (basically black or tan) but that’s ok with me. I buy a lot of my regular outdoors gear there. I’m tall too and they have a lot of pants without hems that I can make the length I need them.



I also agree with the Target sports section as being a good resource. I have a number of items from there for summer especially.



Pam

custom fit by DIY
I agree – so much paddling clothing is dull.



Another option (for those cold windy winter days when kayaking isn’t an option) is to sew your own gear, something I’ve done off and on for years when I couldn’t find what I wanted. Seattle Fabrics sells (at their on-line catalog or send for their print one) every type of sports performance fabric in a range of colors (even prints!), They sell patterns too: the Green Pepper Designs patterns have anoraks and pants that could easily be adapted for splash gear and their uni-sex sizing goes up to 52" chest and 46" waist. Rainshed patterns has a neat simple pants design that sews up quickly (though their sizes aren’t quite as generous).



Also, both Woolrich and Columbia sportswear make some nice stretch poly sport tops and pants as well as rain/windshells tops and bottoms in great colours – I find their sizes are really generous in both men’s and women’s styles. They often show up on the racks at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s stores and Gander Mountain has frequent sales on their stuff. I check the Eddie Bauer store sales racks, too. I really like their mock-neck half-zip performance “cocona” poly tops and pants for paddling – cool two tone colors and they have mesh panels in the back and under the arms that help vent under a PFD for warm day paddling. The fabric is good at moisture transfer and SPF 50 as well – I have to keep my forearms covered in strong sunlight due to a prior bout with sun poisoning and the stuff works better at that than other long sleeves I’ve tried.

plus sizes are a problem in any sport
since the vast majority of “sports wear” favor size 2 to a large size 12. those of us who are a bit bigger have a hard time finding suitable clothing for what ever sport you choose.



I have seen alot of plus sized womens clothing at Bass pro shope, Dicks sporting goods, and Gander mountain.



since this is my first year paddling I decided to use what I had on hand and then decide what I really needed.



when I paddle I use my yoga clothing,gym clothing, and biking clothing in the summer.



Then I switch to my outdoor cold gear when fall sets in.

Sew your own!
Funny you should mention Seattle Fabrics…I just found that site the other day and the thought entered my head about making my own gear. I dusted off my sewing machine the other day to make my son his halloween costume and I’ve got the itch to try more…first project will be cockpit covers for our boats! If that goes well, I may just try a splash jacket next!



Thanks guys for all the tips! WOW…I’ve never found plus clothes at Dicks! I’ll have to check there. I have been buying some LL Bean, Eddie Bauer and Columbia items that dry quick and work well in the water…summer is no problem as I wear my swim suit and don’t mind getting wet! It’s nice to know some companies carry stuff for us!

Clothing
I’d love to know if anyone responded to your request.

no paddle clothing for plus-sizes!
amen to that! Several of the women I paddle with are 1x, or above, including myself. I’m so frustrated with the fact that outdoor gear manufacturers don’t even consider us. It’s an untouched market, they should wake up! I wrote Kokatat a suggestion to that effect. If you know others in this situation, encourage them to start writing the major companies, and the dealers too. Like Cabella’s, Bass Pro, REI, Dicks, and L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, Columbia, North Star, Patagonia.

In the meantime, good luck!