Tall Deals — Gear Worth Buying, Measured by Hand

This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, The Tall Take may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure.

Last checked: 4 September 2026.

Big and tall retail has a habit of charging a fortune for clothes that are not very good. This page is the opposite of that — the tall gear I think is actually worth buying, why, and what I measured to be sure. Updated.

Prices move constantly, so I do not quote them. Where I give a rough figure it is a ballpark and you should check the current price on Amazon before deciding.

What is good right now

Best-fitting jeans — The Perfect Jean

Around the $80 mark, and the only one of four pairs I measured that landed where a long torso actually needs it. 12.5 inches of front rise on a size 38. I have bought two pairs and put more than twenty washes through them.

• Why it makes the list: the rise reaches my waist instead of settling on my hips
• Measured: yes — full numbers in the review
• Sizes worth knowing: 38 x 36 fits me at 6 foot 8
• Check the current price on Amazon

Best value jeans — Amazon Essentials Slim-Fit Comfort Stretch

Usually under $20. The rise runs about an inch shorter than ideal for a long torso and I wear them constantly anyway. I own two pairs, which is the most honest thing I can say about a cheap jean.

• Why it makes the list: nothing else this cheap fits a 40 x 36 this well
• The trade: waistband sits below the gut rather than at the waist. At this price I will take it
• Measured: yes — full numbers in the review
• Check the current price on Amazon

Still worth it

Not on sale, not new, just consistently good value in tall sizes. These are the things I keep re-buying.

FLX Luxury Soft Wander Tee — usually under $15

A 2XLT that stays tucked, and it did not shrink across ten wash-and-tumble-dry cycles, which is the thing that quietly ruins most tall t-shirts. Measured review.

FLX Wander Polo — usually under $20

Soft, drapes well, good for video calls and weekends. The collar loses its shape over time and I would rather tell you that up front. Measured review.

FLX Printed Golf Polo — usually under $30

Holds its collar better than the Wander, silky poly-spandex, and it sits against big and tall golf polos that routinely run $45 to $70. Measured review.

Measured this season

Everything below I own, wear, and have put a tape measure on. The numbers are in the linked reviews, taken flat and by hand rather than read off a size chart.

Best-fitting tall polo — Greg Norman

The longest body of the three 3XLT polos I measured, at 34 inches down the back, and the widest shoulder at 23 inches. If your problem with polos is that they come untucked by lunchtime, this is the one that does not.

• Why it makes the list: 34 inch body back — an inch longer than either of the other two 3XLT polos
• The trade: the widest cut of the three. If you are tall and lean it will read as roomy
• Measured: yes — all three polos measured side by side
• Check the current price on Amazon

Narrowest tall polo — Under Armour Tech

Same 3XLT label, 26 inches across the chest flat against the Greg Norman’s 27.5. Four inches less room around the body. It is the one to buy if the others swim on you, and the one to avoid if they do not.

• Why it makes the list: the length holds at 33 inches back while the body stays cut close
• The trade: 100% polyester and the narrowest chest of the three. Sizing up is the fix, and it works in activewear
• Measured: yes — the full three-way comparison
• Check the current price on Amazon

Best tall sweater — Amazon Essentials Cable Knit

The only sweater I measured with a proper 2.75 inch ribbed hem, which is what stops a knit climbing over your belt by mid-afternoon. 100% cotton, 30.5 inches down the back in 2XL Big-Tall.

• Why it makes the list: a real rib hem and real cotton, which is not a combination this cheap usually offers
• The trade: 2XL Big-Tall runs half an inch shorter in the back than the 3XLT I compared it against
• Measured: yes — both sweaters measured, and what to check on any knit
• Check the current price on Amazon

Best tall joggers — Sevego

Sold in 31, 33, 35 and 37 inch inseams. Four actual lengths, not one length called tall. I bought the 35, returned it, re-ordered the 33 and kept it — the return was my sizing error, not a fault in the jogger.

• Why it makes the list: almost nobody offers a 37 inch inseam at this price
• The trade: the labelled inseam is measured to the bottom of the cuff, so it reads about 2.5 inches longer than you expect. Size down
• Measured: yes — every measurement, and why I returned the first pair
• Check the current price on Amazon

What I skipped, and why

This is the part most sites leave out. I bought these, measured them, and sent them back.

Wrangler 13MWZ Cowboy Cut — returned

Listed at just under 12 inches of front rise. Measured 14.5. That is not a rounding error, it is two and a half inches, and it sits the waistband above my natural waist. It also arrives stiff as cardboard. I never wore them outside the house.

Gap Relaxed Fit — returned

Listed at 12 3/4 inches. Measured 13.75. Drafted to sit at the navel, which means that if you do not have a flat stomach it lands below the button and looks wrong. Nearly a wide leg through the thigh.

What both taught me: published rise figures are unreliable, and more rise is not better. Too little is a compromise you can live with. Too much comes straight back. The whole argument is in why your 36 inseam is not the problem.

The thing worth noticing

The under-$20 pair had more rise than the $80 pair. Money did not buy the fit — and the pair I wear most is the cheapest one on this page.

Rise is not something you pay for. It is something almost nobody publishes, which is a completely different problem and the reason this site exists.

Everything here is measured by hand from items I own and wear, at 6 foot 8 and 285 pounds. Nothing on this page is sponsored and nobody sent me anything. Prices change constantly — always check before you buy.