Off sizing?

[AngelWings]

I've noticed throughout my time in CAP that many uniform items run incredibly off. I am a size 34 waist in every piece of clothing I wear (including dress pants), but I have to get a size 38 in Blues uniform pants. I wear a size 15 dress shirt, but I have to grab a size 16 in uniform tops. Is it just me, or is military sizing off? The BDU's seem to be pretty accurate (I wear a medium t-shirt, and a medium BDU top fits nice and loose)

[Hardshell Clam]

I had the same issue!

[AlphaSigOU]

Military clothing sizes tend to run smaller than your average silly-vilian sizes. In shirts, tapered fits are common. BDUs are usually cut looser than dress items.

[jimmydeanno]

Yeah, I never understood why clothing sizes vary.  How is 32"X32" measured differently?  I shouldn't have to guess if a waist size will fit, or try on 9 different pairs of the same size to make sure they all fit.  I guess that what you get with the GSA process, a bunch of junk that you could have bought cheaper elsewhere.

[tsrup]

I've encountered this quite a few times with uniform issue (with pants). 

I've always just chalked it up to the styles of pants just being cut and fit different than what people wear today.  Since most pants today are low rise, it's possible for someone who may be thicker around the actual waist to fit into smaller pants (provided they actually pull them all the way up...)

[Hardshell Clam]

I have found that uniforms left in the closet seem to shrink!

[ol'fido]

Uniforms like everything else are made by the lowest bidder.

[EMT-83]

Same with shoes. Why isn't size 12 the same everywhere?