Military sizing?

ZombieButter · August 10, 2012, 12:33:23 AM

I am planning on ordering an all weather coat. I went to Kohls and put two coats on top of each other and got the size 42R, but the length around my chest is 36 inches. Would I still need to order a 42R? Are military sizes different?

SarDragon · August 10, 2012, 02:52:11 AM

My experience with outerwear is that it is designed so its size number is the same as the clothing it's worn over. That said, I haven't bought any outerwear of that nature in a very long time. I never wear that stuff often enough to wear it out.

YMMV.

Oh, and to answer the other part, military sizing pretty much matches civilian sizing. 42" usually always equals 42".

AngelWings · August 10, 2012, 03:00:25 AM

Only one I've ever seen a difference is with the Army dress greens. They can run one size too small, either that or you just get the "infantry" cut

Garibaldi · August 10, 2012, 03:42:37 AM

Quote from: ZombieButter on August 10, 2012, 12:33:23 AM
I am planning on ordering an all weather coat. I went to Kohls and put two coats on top of each other and got the size 42R, but the length around my chest is 36 inches. Would I still need to order a 42R? Are military sizes different?

Here is a chart I found on a website to do conversion to military sizing:

SarDragon · August 10, 2012, 05:08:55 AM

Informative chart, but it doesn't really help with the outerwear sizing problem.

a2capt · August 10, 2012, 06:56:36 AM

I'll concur that the sizing on outerwear is meant to match the size of the item it's being worn over, since that's pretty dependable in the military environment where these items are made to be worn together and other factors don't need to be taken into consideration.

caphornbuckle · August 10, 2012, 12:48:44 PM

Quote from: AngelWings on August 10, 2012, 03:00:25 AM
Only one I've ever seen a difference is with the Army dress greens. They can run one size too small, either that or you just get the "infantry" cut

I have also found that the new Army PT outfit (especially the shorts) seems to be about 2 sizes smaller than average. They were EXTREMELY tight in the size I normally wore.

Walkman · August 10, 2012, 12:59:19 PM

One difference between military sizing and civilian clothing: many brands are making their clothing larger, but keeping the same size number. If you go to Old Navy and buy a pair of slacks that are a 36" waist, they actually measure 41". They do this to help make Americans with expanding bellies feel better about themselves.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/pants-size-chart-090710

The long shot of this means get a tape measure out and do a real measurement, because if a uniform says it's a 36" waist, it's going to 36".

SarDragon · August 10, 2012, 08:28:09 PM

+1

I have really noticed this in clothing with S-M-L-XL sizing. Today's M is about the same as an L from 15 years ago. I have t-shirts that demonstrate that.

I haven't seen it so much in number sized stuff, although I don't generally shop at Old Navy, in spite of my status as such.

Shawn W. · August 11, 2012, 06:46:32 AM

On this same note, how does it work with a service jacket then? As a new Logistics officer, i am Trying to help outfit a soon to be Cadet officer with a service jacket, and i am having a difficult time with the sizing. As I have no stock on hand, I have to have one ordered out of Wing supply, so that kinda puts a monkey wrench into the mix.

Any suggestions??

Thanks

AngelWings · August 11, 2012, 07:35:13 AM

Quote from: Shawn Warneke on August 11, 2012, 06:46:32 AM
On this same note, how does it work with a service jacket then? As a new Logistics officer, i am Trying to help outfit a soon to be Cadet officer with a service jacket, and i am having a difficult time with the sizing. As I have no stock on hand, I have to have one ordered out of Wing supply, so that kinda puts a monkey wrench into the mix.

Any suggestions??

Thanks

The US Air Force sizing is exactly the same as regular civilian sizing for the coats (not baggy or tight designed clothing, just a straight business coat). This is what I did to size myself, and it worked. As a former supply officer on the cadet side of things, I had some charts I used to size my cadets with conversions done from civilian sizes to military size, and it always worked well.

A general rule of thumb for pants is that they run 4 sizes bigger than someones jean size and 2 sizes smaller than dress pants. I was wearing a size 32 pair of jeans but I had to get a size 36 pair of dress blue pants. For uniform shirts, usually they are half to a full size smaller than their civilian counterparts (I wear a size 15 1/2 civilian dress shirt but a size 16 military dress shirt). Flight caps are the same as the civilian sizing. Some things run different, it all depends on the year of manufacture and who is making it, but this is a general guideline that saved me for sizing and worked well for me.

If you have cadets who have service coats, I'd ask them if they can let other cadets try them on.