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: 28 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 — everything below I bought with my own money, wore, and put a tape measure on at 6 foot 8 and 285 pounds.
Thirty-one garments. Ten I kept, thirteen I sent back, seven I measured alongside them, and one I am still testing — and the returns are on the page for a reason. An article that recommends everything it touches recommends nothing. The returns are where the useful numbers are, because a garment that failed on me may be exactly right on you, and I have said which dimension decided it every time.
Nobody publishes front rise, shoulder width, or hood opening. That is the whole reason this site exists. Prices move constantly, so I do not quote them — check before you buy.
Under $30
Three things on this page cost less than thirty dollars, and all three are keepers. Every one has a catch no size chart would have warned you about.
- Amazon Essentials Slim-Fit Comfort Stretch jean — under $20. Front rise 11.75 in on a 40 x 36. The rise sits low, and I own four pairs anyway. The numbers →
- Amazon Essentials Skinny-Fit Washed Comfort Stretch chino — under $25. A true 36 in inseam, which is rarer than it should be. It runs about two inches large in the waist, so size down. The numbers →
- Sevego Tall Inseam Jogger, XL / 33 — under $30. 33 in to the bottom of the cuff, and sold in four real inseam lengths: 31, 33, 35 and 37. I kept the 33; the 35 went back. The numbers →
Jeans and chinos
Amazon Essentials Slim-Fit Comfort Stretch — 40 x 36
KEPT
Under $20, and the trimmest leg of the six pairs I put a tape on. I own four pairs, which is the most honest thing I can say about a cheap jean.
Measured by hand: Front rise 11.75 in · Leg opening 14.5 in
Buy it if you want a jean that disappears into the week. The rise sits under the gut rather than at the waist — at this price I take that trade.
The Perfect Jean, Athletic Fit — 38 x 36
KEPT
The $80 tier, and the only pair of six whose rise landed in the window on a long torso. I have bought it twice and put more than twenty washes through it.
Measured by hand: Front rise 12.5 in · Leg opening 16 in · High stretch
Buy it if the waistband on everything else settles on your hips instead of your waist.
Amazon Essentials Skinny-Fit Washed Comfort Stretch Chino — 38 x 36
KEPT
A true 36 inch inseam, which almost nothing in a chino actually delivers. It runs about two inches large, so size down.
Measured by hand: Front rise 12 in · Inseam 36 in · Thigh 12.5 in flat · Waistband 20 in flat
Buy it if you need a chino that reaches the shoe without a tailor. Size down one.
True Classic Stretch Straight — labelled 40 x 36
RETURNED — on price, not fit
The rise was fine. It went back because at the $80 tier it was competing with a jean I already owned and liked, and it lost. The catch is the label: a waistband measuring 42 inches on a labelled 40.
Measured by hand: Front rise 12 in · Leg opening 18 in · Waistband 42 in on a labelled 40
Worth a look if you want four-way stretch and a straight leg — but measure the waistband flat, because it runs two to four sizes large and that breaks every rise comparison off the tag.
Gap Relaxed Fit — 40 x 34
RETURNED — rise overshot
The widest leg of any jean on my tape, and it came back because the rise sat above my natural waist. Gap publish the front rise as 12 3/4 inches. Mine measured 13.75.
Measured by hand: Front rise 13.75 in (published 12 3/4) · Leg opening 20 in
Buy it if you carry less at the front, or if you want real room through the thigh and calf. On a flat stomach this is the one with the space.
Wrangler 13MWZ Cowboy Cut — 40 x 36
RETURNED — unworn
The highest rise of every jean I have measured, and two inches over my window, so it never left the house. Wrangler publish 11 7/8 inches. It measured 14.5 — off by 2.6.
Measured by hand: Front rise 14.5 in (published 11 7/8) · Leg opening 17 in · Rigid raw indigo, button fly
This is not a bad jean, it is a jean for a different build. Long torso and a flat stomach, and it may be one of very few off-the-shelf pairs that reaches your natural waist at all.
Joggers and sweats
Sevego Tall Inseam Joggers — XL / 33
KEPT
Sold in 31, 33, 35 and 37 inch inseams for under thirty dollars. Four real lengths, not one length called tall. I bought the 35, returned it and kept the 33 — my sizing error, not a fault in the jogger.
Measured by hand: Cuff opening 4 in flat · Front rise 14 in · Waistband 18 in flat (36 around) · Thigh 12.5 in flat
Buy the 35 or 37 if you are 6’9” or taller, or long in the leg. At my height take the 33. On a jogger you are choosing volume, not waist — the elastic waistband is always fine.
GM MGBOYGYM Active Athletic Jogger — 2XLT
KEPT — worn over a year
The pair I actually reach for, and the benchmark every other jogger on this site gets measured against. Adjustable drawstring, zipper side pockets, and a cuff that finishes at the ankle instead of stacking above it.
Measured by hand: Cuff opening 5 in flat · Front rise 13.25 in · Waistband 16.25 in flat (32.5 around) · Inseam 31.5 in to the bottom of the cuff
Buy it if you want a jogger that stays put through a whole day and does not read as sportswear.
Sweaters and hoodies
Amazon Essentials Crewneck Sweater — 2XLT
KEPT
One of only two keepers out of ten layers. 32 inches down the back and 32 down the front — no drop tail at all — so it stays put when you lean over a table.
Measured by hand: Body back 32 in · Chest 54 in around · Shoulder 21.5 in · Sleeve 35.5 in from centre back · 100% cotton
Buy it if knitwear rides up on you. Nothing clever about it — the numbers just land where they need to.
Amazon Essentials Long Sleeve Hoodie — 2XLT
KEPT
The longest sleeve of the three knits I measured, at 37 inches from the centre back. Raglan, so there is no shoulder seam to get wrong — and the shoulder is the number that sent a Nautica jacket back.
Measured by hand: Body back 31 in · Chest 54 in around · Sleeve 37 in from centre back · Hood opening 14 in · Pouch pocket 13 x 9.5 in · 100% cotton
Buy it if hoodie sleeves finish short on you. It is the shortest body of the five and still a keeper, because the sleeve and the chest are right.
Amazon Essentials Cable Knit — 2XL Big-Tall
MEASURED — the one with a real rib hem
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.
Measured by hand: Body back 30.5 in · Chest 54 in around · Ribbed hem 2.75 in · 100% cotton
Buy it if your sweaters ride up. A real rib hem and real cotton is not a combination this cheap usually offers.
Izod Crewneck Sweater — 3XLT
MEASURED — no ribbed hem
A tall size that gets the length right and leaves out the one detail that keeps a knit down. No ribbed hem, and polyester rather than cotton.
Measured by hand: No ribbed hem · 100% polyester
Compare it against the cable knit above before deciding — same problem area, two different answers.
Coofandy Crewneck Sweater — 3XL
RETURNED — four inches short
The clearest illustration I have of why sizing up is not sizing tall. The sleeve is 35.5 inches from the centre back — identical to the 2XLT I kept. The body is 28 inches against that sweater’s 32.
Measured by hand: Body back 28 in · Chest 50 in around · Shoulder 20.5 in · Sleeve 35.5 in from centre back · 100% acrylic
Same reach, four inches less sweater. As far as I can find, Coofandy do not make this one in a tall at all.
Coats and jackets
Columbia Powder Lite II — 3XT
OWNED AND KEPT
The winter jacket I own and wear. 35 inches down the back with a 40 inch sleeve from the centre back — the longest sleeve of any outer layer I have measured.
Measured by hand: Body back 35 in · Chest 62 in around · Shoulder 24 in · Sleeve 40 in from centre back
Buy it if coat sleeves finish above your wrist bone.
Wantdo Puffer — 2XLT
RETURNED — the closest call of ten
The cheapest coat of the four and the one I nearly kept. Landed at mid-seat, hood fine, cuff at the wrist, shoulder fine. It closed over a sweater, but only just.
Measured by hand: Body back 31 in · Chest 62 in around · Shoulder 22.5 in · Sleeve 37.5 in · Hood opening 13 in
One inch of extra space and it would have stayed. This is the one I would reorder a size up, and the only coat where a single dimension is the whole objection.
Amazon Essentials Mid-Length Puffer — XXL Big & Tall
RETURNED — too bulky
The widest garment I have measured at 70 inches around, and the only one of four that closes over a sweater properly. Longest landing of the four, at the bottom of the seat.
Measured by hand: Body back 35 in · Chest 70 in around · Shoulder 24 in · Sleeve 38.5 in · Hood opening 12 in
It went back for bulk, which is the same fact as the 70 inch chest seen from the other side. If bulk does not bother you, this is the one of the four I would look at again.
Legendary Whitetails Casual Coat, Waxed Cotton — 3XLT
TESTING — no verdict yet
The first of three Whitetails coats to arrive. Waxed cotton, water resistant, two zips, no side vent, and it finishes below the waist. A 2XT further down this page is a different listing of the same idea and went back on the cold, not the fit.
Measured by hand: Body back 34 in · Chest 57 in around · Shoulder 23 in · Sleeve 41.5 in from centre back · Collar 3.5 in
The shoulder is the first one to land dead centre of the window that has fitted me — 23 inches — and on every coat I have measured the shoulder is the dimension that decided it. It will not go over a sweater at 57 inches around. Two more Whitetails coats are on the way and the verdict waits for them.
The shoulder window, and the twelve coats it sorted, are set out in Coat Shoulder Width for Tall Men. For where a given back length finishes on a 6′8″ frame, see Coat Lengths for Tall Men.
Legendary Whitetails Waxed Cotton Jacket — 2XT
RETURNED — not cold-ready
The most expensive of the four and the one I most wanted to keep. Washed waxed cotton, fleece-lined 17 inch hood with a drawcord, chest zip pocket.
Measured by hand: Body back 36.5 in (incl 3.25 in collar) · Chest 56 in around · Shoulder 22 in · Sleeve 41 in · Hood opening 17 in
Good in wet weather in the mid thirties to twenties, and not a good purchase any colder. A sweatshirt hood fits under parts of it but not fully.
Nautica Sailing Jacket — 2XLT
RETURNED — shoulder too narrow
Long enough, wide enough through the chest, and still too small — because of a 20 inch shoulder. It was never the chest and never the body length.
Measured by hand: Body back 32 in · Chest 58 in around · Shoulder 20 in · Sleeve 38 in · 100% polyester
If your shoulder runs narrower than mine this may well work. Mine does not.
Nautica Double-Breasted Wool Pea Coat — 3XT
RETURNED — too big everywhere
Genuinely nice, and built for a wider man. A 25 inch shoulder and 35 inches of back length. Also worth knowing: 3XT is not 3XLT, and I read them as the same thing when I ordered.
Measured by hand: Body back 35 in · Chest 58 in around · Shoulder 25 in · Sleeve 38 in · 59% wool / 36% poly
Buy it if you are broad through the shoulder as well as tall.
Invachi Military Fleece Cargo Jacket — 2XL
RETURNED — cut long and narrow
The most interesting coat on this page, because nothing is wrong with it. At 33 inches down the back it is longer than the Nautica sailing jacket, the Wantdo puffer and the BGOWATU bomber — and at 52 inches around it is narrower through the chest than every single one of them. That is a coat cut for a tall man who is not broad, which almost nothing in big-and-tall actually is.
Measured by hand: Body back 33 in · Body front 32 in · Chest 52 in around · Shoulder 22 in · Sleeve 27 in from the shoulder seam · Cuff 4 in flat · fleece lined · cotton shell
Buy it if you are tall and lean and every coat you try is built for someone twice your width. I am 285 pounds and it was never going to close on me — my shape, not the coat’s fault. Note it is fleece lined, so the lining sits inside that 52, and I measured the 2XL only; larger sizes exist and I have not taped one.
CRRYSULLY Fleece Lined Cargo Jacket — 2XL
RETURNED — the narrowest coat I have measured
At 50 inches around the chest this is the narrowest coat in the whole file, and a plain 2XL rather than a tall size. The body still measures 31 inches down the back, the same as the Wantdo puffer — so the length is there and the width is not.
Measured by hand: Body back 31 in · Body front 26.5 in · Chest 50 in around · Shoulder 21 in · Sleeve 26 in from the shoulder seam · Cuff 6.5 in flat · button front · fleece lined · cotton shell
Buy it if you are long in the body and genuinely slim. The hem finished two inches above my navel, which tells you it is cut for a narrower frame than mine rather than a shorter one. Fleece lined, so the lining is inside that 50.
BGOWATU Quilted Bomber — XXL
RETURNED — the lesson is mine
The only one of the five that is a plain XXL rather than a tall or big-and-tall size, and it arrived far too tight and small. At 57 inches around it was never going to close over anything.
Measured by hand: Body back 30 in (incl 2.25 in hem band) · Chest 57 in around · Shoulder 22.25 in · Sleeve 39 in · no hood
A coat too small through the chest rides up: this one finished at my belt line, higher than its 30 inches of back length should have put it.
Polos and shirts
Greg Norman Polo — 3XLT
MEASURED — longest body of the three
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 polos come untucked by lunchtime, this is the one that does not.
Measured by hand: Body back 34 in · Shoulder 23 in · 90/10 poly-spandex · no side vent
Buy it if length is your problem. It is the widest cut of the three, so if you are tall and lean it will read roomy.
Under Armour Tech Polo — 3XLT
MEASURED — narrowest of the three
Same 3XLT label, 26 inches across the chest flat against the Greg Norman’s 27.5. Four inches less room around the body, with the length holding at 33 inches.
Measured by hand: Body back 33 in · Shoulder 21 in · 100% polyester · no side vent
Buy it if the others swim on you. Avoid it if they do not.
Kecols Pocket Tee — XXL Tall
RETURNED — and mislabelled
Filed here for honesty. The listing called it a work shirt; it is a crew-neck short-sleeve pocket tee, the Carhartt K87 shape. 35 inches down the back including the collar.
Measured by hand: Body back 35 in (incl collar) · Sleeve 12 in
Too big for a shirt on me, and I did not need a work shirt. The measurement is here anyway, because someone is going to want it.
Compression and base layers
DFND ACTIVE Full-Length Compression Tights — 3XL
KEPT — the one I train in
The tightest of the four I own, and the only one whose waistband holds all day. It has the shallowest band of the three real compression pairs — and a draw-cord, which is what actually does the work.
Measured by hand: Front rise 12.5 in · Rear rise 13 in · Waistband 15 in flat, 1.25 in band plus a draw-cord · Thigh 7 in flat · 75% nylon / 25% Lycra · opaque
Buy these if you actually want compression rather than a snug layer. A 3XL whose thigh measures the same as a 2XL is a tighter garment, and that is the point of them.
SKINS Compression Tights, calf length — 2XL
MEASURED — the two-inch band
A two inch plain waistband, and it stays put. No draw-cord needed. Opaque, which not all of them are.
Measured by hand: Front rise 12 in · Rear rise 13 in · Waistband 15 in flat, 2 in band · Thigh 9 in flat · Hem 4 in flat · opaque
Buy these if you want a calf length pair you can wear on their own. On a long leg the hem finishes at the calf, nowhere near where the words below the knee suggest.
CompressionZ 3/4 Compression Tights — 2XL
KEPT — the cheap honest pair
The cheapest of the four and I still wear them. The waistband pushes down slightly and the fabric is not fully opaque — both of which I knew before I kept them.
Measured by hand: Front rise 9.5 in · Rear rise 12 in · Waistband 15 in flat, 1.5 in plain band · Thigh 7 in flat · Hem 5 in flat · 82% nylon / 18% Lycra
Buy these if you are wearing something over them and want the cheapest honest pair here. Do not if you need them opaque on their own.
Under Armour Compression Tights — 3XLT
MEASURED — snug, not compressive
The word compression on a label does not describe one kind of garment. This pair sits close without squeezing, and its waistband measures four inches wider than any of the other three.
Measured by hand: Front rise 8.5 in · Waistband 19 in flat · Thigh 10.5 in flat · Hem 5.25 in flat
Buy these as a thin layer under trousers in the cold — the use nobody writes about, and the one where a tall man gains most, because the alternative is a base layer that stops short of the ankle. They are not insulated.
Under Armour Exercise Shirt — 3XLT
MEASURED — the size-step test
I own this shirt in 3XLT and 4XLT and measured both, because sizing up is the thing everybody tries first. The step buys 2.5 inches of length and costs 5 inches of chest.
Measured by hand: Body back 32.5 in · Chest 56 in around · Sleeve 21.5 in from centre back · Raglan · 100% polyester
Buy the 3XLT if you are tall and lean. Read the size-step numbers before reaching for the 4XLT — you are buying width to get length, and on a lean frame that is a bad trade.
The thing worth noticing
The under-$20 jean had more rise than the $80 jean. Money did not buy the fit — and the joggers I wear most are the cheapest pair on this page.
Rise is not something you pay for. It is something almost nobody publishes, which is a completely different problem.
Everything here is measured by hand from items I own, at 6 foot 8 and 285 pounds. Nothing on this page is sponsored and nobody sent me anything.
Tell me what to measure next
The numbers size charts leave out — body length, chest, sleeve, rise — taken by hand at 6 foot 8, including the stuff I sent back. Reply with what you are shopping for and it goes on the list of what I buy and measure next.