A puffy that fits?

Hey MP. Before I elaborate, this topic is related to being transgender. Be an adult about it. 

I'm looking for a puffy jacket that fits me better, and is warmer, than my current one, an XS men's Patagonia Down Sweater (3.4 oz of 800 fill power down). I'm 5' 6", 125 lbs, and I have physically transitioned from feminine to androgynous, including having a mastectomy (my chest is flat). +1 ape index, pant size 28-30, inseam 30, short torso.

The men's XS from Patagonia is spot on in shoulder width, sleeve length, and upper torso. But it's so tight around my hips I can barely zip it over certain layers - I don't know whether this is because of torso length or waist size.

Women's jackets are typically too narrow in the shoulders for me, unless they're oversized everywhere else. Then there's the extra dead space in the chest. And a men's S is usually too big. But not always.

So, any suggestions for a brand whose sizing would fit me better?

Or an affordable custom option?

I would consider getting my current puffy modified, but it's not really warm enough; nonetheless I also need it these days so can't mail it away...

Thanks in advance.

For your stature, it seems a Men's Asian fit in size S would be a perfect fit for you. Almost all the major brands offer an Asian fit version of their clothing line in Asia. You can find quite a few Japanese sites willing to ship to US, even Amazon.co.jp.

Patagonia always seems to fit weird on me, I’ve avoided their tops forever.  Dead bird, MH, and even BD (the cold forge) fit slimmer.  Agree on Asian fits maybe working well for you too.

Maybe a brand that is less slim in their regular fits. I feel something like the Outdoor Research Transcendent hoody might fit better. That’s what I have and it has a boxier fit. 

I think that, due to the unique nature of your build, you're going to have to modify gear to find a perfect fit. You're basically part male, part female right now and none of the major brands will design for that. Women's hips are generally just a lot more pronounced and broad than men's. This leads to obvious problems when trying to fit clothing not designed for your gender. 

Men's asian size S might work but could also be too short in the sleeves. I'd ask what Patagonia (Wornwear?) might be able to do for you. Sounds like a little bit of powerstretch in the side panels might solve your problem. 

I use an old North Face puffy that's pretty loose-fitting but has a drawstring built in to the bottom to cinch around the hips.  The loose fit lets me get a number of layers underneath.  (I'm not an XS though).  Something like this.  It's a lot puffier, bulkier, and I believe warmer than the newer low-profile down sweaters.

you should check out the Cumulus brand.

A review from a puffy here.

Eddie Bauer stuff is generally cut a bit roomy, a men’s S might be wide enough to deal with your hips? Either that, or look for a women’s model with a narrow cut and buy one size up to get shoulders that fit. 

That's tough. Just finding a men's XS is hard enough. Ordering from abroad makes returns more of a hassle. 

Nunatak could make you a nice puffy if you can wait 2-3 months. 

I would reach out to customer service at every company who makes a men's XS puffy you find appealing and ask them for the physical measurements of the jacket (not the size chart) so you can compare to your Patagonia. This is what I do when I'm ordering a custom jacket to make sure it's perfect. Those numbers leave less room for interpretation.

Easiest would be to ask Patagonia how the Fitz Roy hoody waist/hips measure compared to your Down Sweater. 

If you don't already have a soft tape measure, you should really treat yourself to one for the purpose of this quest. Should only cost a couple bucks.

Tree, RABs tend to have more fill than the Patagonia down sweater.  This is relevant because many of the outdoor retailers, Patagonia in particular, cut their styles boxy. So if they fit somewhere they don’t fit in other places.  I am 6’1” 200lbs and the Patagonia sweater fit my shoulders but is loose everywhere else.  The extra fill on a RAB alleviates the loose fit. 

^^^ I was just going to suggest  RAB!

I have relatively wide shoulders for a woman my size, and their jackets fit me great!

I do oversize my puffy though. I don’t want a tight fit in a puffy. I’m 5’2”, 110lb, which is generally XS in US, but my RAB Neutrino is Eur 38/UK10, and I wouldn’t want it any smaller. 

It still amazes me that people pay inordinate prices for what amounts to a few dollars in materials. Years ago, I wore a lightweight Remington down coat liner that couldn't have cost more than $30 new. I got it second-hand, worked great. 

Last year I stocked up on puffy jackets from Steep and Cheap: Mountain Club and Stoic. They're the same jacket, different label. My daily driver has a full year of at-home and the backcountry.. the Hulk, Yosemite, tree work, etc. Looks new. I had to watch for the price change, but are you ready.. $10-30 each. I got my wife and I four hooded jackets so we can double down when it's 10 degrees out. 

Short story long, the same jacket fits both of us, she's an L and I'm an XL. 

I thought I'd heard about some Marmot saving the planet with the proceeds, but folks could take the $200 saved, and sponsor a real hippie

Josh Fengel wrote:

It still amazes me that people pay inordinate prices for what amounts to a few dollars in materials. Years ago, I wore a lightweight Remington down coat liner that couldn't have cost more than $30 new. I got it second-hand, worked great. 

Last year I stocked up on puffy jackets from Steep and Cheap: Mountain Club and Stoic. They're the same jacket, different label. My daily driver has a full year of at-home and the backcountry.. the Hulk, Yosemite, tree work, etc. Looks new. I had to watch for the price change, but are you ready.. $10-30 each. I got my wife and I four hooded jackets so we can double down when it's 10 degrees out. 

Short story long, the same jacket fits both of us, she's an L and I'm an XL. 

I thought I'd heard about some Marmot saving the planet with the proceeds, but folks could take the $200 saved, and sponsor a real hippie

Josh, you are so right.  The worst thing about my RAB is the price. The second worst thing is I hate using it in the places I need it most because those are the places it will get torn.  I am a fool and I know it. 

Eddie Bauer has some pretty nice but inexpensive down jackets that are relatively relaxed cut in the waist and hips compared to Patagonia or Arc’teryx. Some are more technical than others. If you want a more detailed run down let me know. 

Josh Fengel wrote:

It still amazes me that people pay inordinate prices for what amounts to a few dollars in materials. Years ago, I wore a lightweight Remington down coat liner that couldn't have cost more than $30 new. I got it second-hand, worked great. 

Last year I stocked up on puffy jackets from Steep and Cheap: Mountain Club and Stoic. They're the same jacket, different label. My daily driver has a full year of at-home and the backcountry.. the Hulk, Yosemite, tree work, etc. Looks new. I had to watch for the price change, but are you ready.. $10-30 each. I got my wife and I four hooded jackets so we can double down when it's 10 degrees out. 

Short story long, the same jacket fits both of us, she's an L and I'm an XL. 

I thought I'd heard about some Marmot saving the planet with the proceeds, but folks could take the $200 saved, and sponsor a real hippie

If you find a $30 jacket that satisfies you then great. Recognizing that tone is often lost online, I don't think you need to project how clever you think you are for exploiting cheap (possibly child) labor and bulk buying. Not that Patagonia is much different than the S&C specials in that sense so that's not really my point. But it's not just a few dollars in material: ~5oz of down and a couple of yards of ripstop would cost me close to $100, and a down jacket is not particularly easy to make. That's without odds and ends (zipper, cord and cord locks, elastic for cuffs, mesh for baffles if applicable, thread). I'm happy to contribute to a master craftsman like Nunatak's living wage when I want something done a certain way. I suck at sewing (stuff sacks, sure. Jackets not so much) and my time is worth more per hour than paying someone to do it right. I think that would be the case for most people holding down a professional job who don't sew regularly. It is not the case for everyone and thus some might make a different calculation.

OP has an uncommon body type and is evidently pretty particular about fit so I think the chances of them finding a $30 jacket that they are satisfied with is small, but I wish them luck regardless. Times are tough and not everybody can throw several hundred dollars at a luxury item to more comfortably enjoy a luxury hobby. But a $30 jacket is not always equivalent in every meaningful way to a $300 jacket for a given individual. 

jdejace wrote:

If you find a $30 jacket that satisfies you then great. Recognizing that tone is often lost online, I don't think you need to project how clever you think you are for exploiting cheap (possibly child) labor and bulk buying. Not that Patagonia is much different than the S&C specials in that sense so that's not really my point. But it's not just a few dollars in material: ~5oz of down and a couple of yards of ripstop would cost me close to $100, and a down jacket is not particularly easy to make. That's without odds and ends (zipper, cord and cord locks, elastic for cuffs, mesh for baffles if applicable, thread). I'm happy to contribute to a master craftsman like Nunatak's living wage when I want something done a certain way. I suck at sewing (stuff sacks, sure. Jackets not so much) and my time is worth more per hour than paying someone to do it right. I think that would be the case for most people holding down a professional job who don't sew regularly. It is not the case for everyone and thus some might make a different calculation.

OP has an uncommon body type and is evidently pretty particular about fit so I think the chances of them finding a $30 jacket that they are satisfied with is small, but I wish them luck regardless. Times are tough and not everybody can throw several hundred dollars at a luxury item to more comfortably enjoy a luxury hobby. But a $30 jacket is not always equivalent in every meaningful way to a $300 jacket for a given individual. 

Thank you, I appreciate your opinion

i’m also dealing with similar issues (albeit i am much taller) and i’ve found that eddie bauer jackets actually fit in the shoulders and are too big in the hips. i’m not sure if they size down to XS. but maybe a boys XL might do the trick if not? i’ve never had an issue with men’s sizes since i’m pretty tall but i know a lot of shorter trans people have had a great amount of luck shopping in the boys section. good luck!

Doug Chism wrote:

Eddie Bauer has some pretty nice but inexpensive down jackets that are relatively relaxed cut in the waist and hips compared to Patagonia or Arc’teryx. Some are more technical than others. If you want a more detailed run down let me know. 

x2. you can almost always find some on sale too for 50% off....

EMS carries on their website a British brand -- Karrimor.  Not great quality these days (never was, honestly, compared to Berghaus or Rab) but the EMS corporate overlords use the EMS site to flog off lots of Karrimor clothing in Japanese sizing -- if that idea mentioned upthread has any value for you.  I got a new fleece for $19 a couple months ago.  My new favorite jacket.

Montbell sounds like they’re stuff would fit you perfectly. They’re a Japanese company and at least to me it’s always seemed like their style of fit hasn’t changed since coming to the US

Lena chita wrote:

^^^ I was just going to suggest  RAB!

I have relatively wide shoulders for a woman my size, and their jackets fit me great!

I do oversize my puffy though. I don’t want a tight fit in a puffy. I’m 5’2”, 110lb, which is generally XS in US, but my RAB Neutrino is Eur 38/UK10, and I wouldn’t want it any smaller. 

As a former swimmer, I am very familiar with the struggle to find shirts and jackets with roomy shoulders that aren't overly large in the torso. Often  I just size up for the arm fit and end up with a loose fit elsewhere. I second the Rab suggestion, I love my Rab puffy! Great fit for my shoulders and torse, I didn't have to size up at all.