Thursday, February 10, 2011

Whatta bout’ big trout guys?!?!?

Dear fishing gear manufacturers -

US BIG PEOPLE WANT GEAR TOO!!!

Sincerely,
A fat fly fisherman

If I was to write a letter to any of the fly fishing manufacturers, that’s what the letter would read verbatim. I’ve been fishing for a very long time now, not necessarily fly fishing but just fishing in general. And from my experience in ANY sport out there, clothes and gear just isn’t made for bigger people. Do I expect to be big the rest of my life? Of course not, but while I’m big I’d like to enjoy the hobbies and sports that I choose without worrying what I can and can’t wear. For example:

WADERS!!!

Yes they make bigger guy waders, but they fit really weird, there seems to be no middle ground. They design smaller waders around the smaller guy almost perfectly, but the moment they have to it, they seem to lose track of the proportional differences in people our size. Now there’s going to be those people who refuse to agree with me, and if that’s the side of the tracks you stand on, then great, but just so you know there’s a lot of larger people who can’t find the equipment necessary to enjoy sports SO THEY CAN LOSE WEIGHT!!!

When they design a pair of high-end waders, how come they can’t design sizes up to xxxl+? Is it because they are using the mentality of clothing designers such as Abercrombie,Gap,Dulce, Victoria Secret? They prefer their gear being seen on people who could appropriately model their gear without disgusting other users who could potentially purchase the same clothing/gear?

Some would say yes to all of the above.

I personally wear a size 46 in pants, but yet still have issues finding breathable waders or guide shirts or pants. Please don’t use the line: There’s some out there if you look hard enough…. That line is full of fluff if you ask me. If I do a random search for waders you will see hundreds of links through hundreds of retailers with Small to XL waders fully stocked and ready to sell. Call any of them to attempt to place an order for larger waders and you will certainly be faced with this very fast response:

I’m sorry sir, we don’t carry that size in our store. If you wish to order something that large please go to our website and we can specially order it for you which will take 6-8 weeks to make and then another 1-2 weeks for delivery.

Why shouldn’t they carry larger sizes? Isn’t it true that America is getting bigger? Why shouldn’t outfitter stores accommodate larger fisherman or women for that matter when they come in their stores? I think the issue with the industries in general:

THEY’RE TO WORRIED ABOUT THEIR APPEARANCE AND APPEAL.

When manufacturers quit using their clothing lines and gear as a fashion statement, and tailor it towards EVERYONE, maybe we can ALL get out on the river and enjoy fly fishing, instead of sitting for hours dumbing down our searches to locate an ok pair of waders that won’t hold up long enough to get ones money worth of use.

1 comment:

  1. Bravo, dude. I found your site while googling "waders fat guys." My problem is common -- i'm 5'10, 53 chest/waist, size 10 shoe, but breathable waders in my torso size have shoes sizes way too big -- 12-14. Sure, it's no problem if I can afford +400-dollar waders, but as a beginner, only a fool or a rich guy should do that. That advice "only buy waders local because you must try them on first" -- few stores have big size waders to try on , and when they do, they're either low quality or overpriced. Mega-stores like cabelas and basspro are rare.

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