<p>We’re heading up to Minnesota in the next few weeks for son to attend grad school. We’re from the south and been told to buy winter gear up there, as they’ll have the right stuff. I got a brochure for MOA and don’t think we’ll find anything for him there, as he’s about 6’4 and built like a football player. Are there any winter clothing stores up there that cater to the big and tall man? I know there are catalogs, but would like to go in a store for him to try things on. Want to check out the location so he can start shopping as soon as the winter wear is out. Thanks for any help!</p>
<p>Two great options:</p>
<p>There’s an REI store just down the street from Mall of America. REI is not the cheapest place around, but it is probably the best stocked outdoor retailer in the country, both in stores and on-line. They have every imaginable thing you could wear or use for winter weather. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.rei.com/”>http://www.rei.com/</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.rei.com/stores/bloomington.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=localmaps&utm_content=15”>http://www.rei.com/stores/bloomington.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=localmaps&utm_content=15</a></p>
<p>There are two Cabelas stores in Minneapolis St. Paul. Cabelas is a monster outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping retailer with all the winter clothing you could ever want. They have a Big & Tall Department:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cabelas.com/”>http://www.cabelas.com/</a></p>
<p>The great thing about both retailers is they have incredible websites. With local stores, you can order on line and return the stuff easily if it doesn’t fit. Or use the stores to figure out what the stuff on line actually looks like.</p>
<p>Montegut, every time I browse through he clearance racks at REI, I find many more extra large sizes than M, which Mr B wears, so there is hope. Idad is correct that REI’s clothing bought online can be returned to their B&M store, no questions asked. They are like Nordstrom for outdoor enthusiasts. 
</p>
<p>No question. Medium is always sold out first on the sale items. 
XL is often available. </p>
<p>The key is to figure out what size he needs. There are incredible deals from places like Sierra Trading Post on last year’s colors. They’ve got a Marmot GoreTex Pro waterproof, wind proof, blizzard proof hooded shell in 2XL for $179 with one of their 35% off discount codes. That over a fleece or a [down</a> sweater](<a href=“http://www.sierratradingpost.com/marmot-zeus-down-jacket-800-fill-power-for-men~p~6927n/?filterString=s~marmot-men%2Fsizefamily~general%3B2xl%2Cxl%2F&colorFamily=01]down”>http://www.sierratradingpost.com/marmot-zeus-down-jacket-800-fill-power-for-men~p~6927n/?filterString=s~marmot-men%2Fsizefamily~general%3B2xl%2Cxl%2F&colorFamily=01) would be the cat’s meow for a Minnesota blizzard. Those two pieces would handle everything from thunder storm (Goretex by itself) to dry cold all winter (down by itself) or all out blizzard (both together). But, it all starts with figuring out the size.</p>
<p>The sports oriented companies (Marmot, Patagonia, North Face, etc.) tend to be a little trimmer cut than LL Bean or REI brands. Either can work, but in might be an XL in LLBEAN and a XXL in Marmot. That’s where a trip to REI would help.</p>
<p>Idad, you are one great poster.</p>
<p>Of course, no matter how well you shop, he’ll probably just end up wearing what most young male students wear all winter: shorts or soaking wet jeans, flip flops or soaking wet tennis shoes, and a soaking wet cotton hoody. Maybe, if it’s really, really cold, a soaking wet wool pea coat. Basically, the stuff that will kill you from hypothermia if you ever get caught out in the cold. </p>
<p>Someday, 20 or 30 years from now, they’ll try some of the high tech winter garb, slap themselves on the forehead, and wonder, “why wasn’t I wearing this stuff all along?”</p>
<p>Wow, you guys are awesome! Ah, yes, the trimmer cut. Imagine a big burly lumberjack, about the size of Bigfoot. And feet to match. We have Bass Pro Shop down here, and also, Cabelas. My brothers are hunters,so I figured they would be a place to start. Gets mighty cold out there in the marsh during duck hunting season. Son is coming from the Deep, Deep South, where it’s been over 100 all summer, so the wardrobe will be as much as tuition. Well, almost! We had gotten “whale watching jackets” from Lands End a few years ago,and I was hoping there was actually a Lands End store up there. Good to know about ordering online and returning to the store, as his size is going to be the biggest problem, I’m sure. The Lands End whale watching jacket, which was not in the warmest level, was either a 2XL or a 3XL, so something that runs large is definitely going to be in order.</p>
<p>Lands End’s size chart says their XXL and 2XL are the same size (50 to 52 inch chest, 36.5 inch sleeve. If you want to take a chance on an XXL, REI has the two items that I wear more than anything else in the winter in their clearance dept. If you buy $150, you take an extra 35% off clearance items, so these are really attractive. Free shipping on orders over $50.</p>
<p>One, is a light weight down jacket. These are not big puffy down parkas, but thin enough to wear under a rain shell. Patagonia calls this a “down sweater”. I wear mine (a TJ MAXX bargain) more than any other jacket when temps are between 20 degrees and 40 degrees. Mildly water resistant, so it’s OK in a little snow flurry. It’s not super athletic cut. Closer to a LLBEAN or Lands End cut as Marmot stuff goes.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.rei.com/product/869699/marmot-zeus-down-jacket-mens-2013-closeout”>http://www.rei.com/product/869699/marmot-zeus-down-jacket-mens-2013-closeout</a></p>
<p>They’ve got it in red or blue in XXL. With the 35%, that’s $78. I thought I stole it at TJMAXX for $99. Really nice jacket. It’s so comfortable that I wear it on the sofa watching football sometimes.</p>
<p>The other is a lightweight fleece hoody. I wear a light fleece 24/7 in the winter. Much better than sweaters because I can just throw them in the washing machine. Perfect for cool winter temps indoors and perfect for wearing under a jacket outdoors. I got my daugher the LLBEAN version, back when they made a hoody, and I think she practically lived in it. IT was a big hit. You never see hoody versions:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.rei.com/product/863422/marmot-reactor-fleece-hoodie-jacket-mens-2013-closeout”>http://www.rei.com/product/863422/marmot-reactor-fleece-hoodie-jacket-mens-2013-closeout</a></p>
<p>$48 with the extra 35%.</p>
<p>If these fit, no matter what else he ever buys for winter, these two would get worn and worn and worn and worn. If they don’t fit, at least you know and you can return them to REI when you are up there… and rule out deals on Marmot, Patagonia, North Face, etc.</p>
<p>Don’t panic! My anew England kids never wore boots. The one who went to college in the northeast,still never wore boots. And his preferred outerwear was a hoodie. Sometimes he layered a hoodie with a fleece jacket. He did have a winter hat, and many pairs of warm gloves.</p>
<p>The DD who went to college in CA never owned boots until she went to CA…where it never snowed and the weather was gorgeous. Go figure.</p>
<p>Once your son gets to college, he will see what others wear…and can either order online or visit a store. dicks has a huge selection in a variety of sizes and shapes. And they carry many of the brands mentioned upstream.</p>
<p>Remember, layers of clothing is the key to surviving MN winters.</p>
<p>Montegut, I could be wrong, but thought there was a Land’s End at MOA.
When you head up to MN to look for winter wear, it could very well be incredibly hot and humid, and you’ll be happy to step into the AC in the MOA…and your S will not be happy trying on winter wear. 
I’d just make sure your S has mittens, scarf, something for his head/ears and decent footwear. He really doesn’t need (or won’t want) to dress for the tundra…unless he is prone to spending many hours outdoors. A decent winter coat/fleece as Idad suggested, and layers are probably going to serve him well…
Congrats to your S…MN can be wonderful!!</p>
<p>There are stores that specifically cater to big and tall men, but if your son is athletically built, he may be an outlier among big and tall men in the US (being obese is much more common than being athletically built). Athletically built men (of any size) may find much of the off-the-rack clothing to be too small in the chest and/or too large in the abdomen.</p>
<p>I was thinking Lands End/LLBean type shopping for basics that aren’t too expensive. DK if they cover extra large sizes, though. </p>
<p>Campmor has good sales, too. </p>
<p>Many Sears stores have a Lands End department. When I need to return items ordered from Lands Ends, I just take it to the department in our local Sears store.</p>
<p>DS has waterproof hiking shoes instead of boots. They are pretty good about shoveling and clearing the sidewalks at the university but there are plenty of puddles. And yeah, it gets hot and humid during the summer – last year’s move-in was wicked hot! </p>
<p>My S is the same height and build, and we’re in the upper midwest, though he has escaped for life in Southern CA. Land’s End is a big part of my clothing choices, he’d not be caught dead in it, though they are working on appealing to a younger demographic. Columbia parkas come in all sizes, and are a good starting place for winter warmth. Sierra Trading post has tall items, at great prices if you catch them right, as well as large boots and so on. JC Penney’s has clothing for all sizes. </p>
<p>My S had too many off the rack pants that were not long enough at a point in college. I ordered about 6 pair from LLBean, Land’s End, Gap to make him try a variety. Gap were his favorites, and he orders a lot of clothing from them. Tall is not in the store, has to be ordered on line. Yes, trying on would be great, but if you want variety in large sizes, mail order and returning things is the name of the game. </p>
<p>As mentioned above, unless he is into outdoor sports, he will not be forging through snowdrifts to get to class. This part of the country is very efficient with shoveling, plowing, and salting. Even low top waterproof boots with good traction are worth a great deal for day to day use. </p>
<p>If renting off campus, he needs to know when to shovel his sidewalk, and how much time he needs before being fined. Hope he has a great time learning a new part of the country! </p>
<p>I’ve found this thread very informative and relevant to me. My DH is tall and long waisted so he needs the T. XLT or XXLT, and really those brands that are generous with the length. It’s not easy to find at reasonable prices. We tend to order by catalogue and look for sales and even then his wardrobe is pricey. </p>
<p>I have tall, athletic sons and have found buying pants and shoes in stores to be the most challenging. Most stores carry shoes up to a 13 and my guys need 14 or 15. Nordstrom is the exception so we shop The Rack for shoes whenever possible. Timberlands are very popular on Midwest college campuses and keep the feet dry. For pants, which mostly means jeans and khakis, I usually order from American Eagle or Old Navy as stores usually carry up to a 34 in length and sons need 36. Outerwear we’ve had good luck at REI - but my boys are not heavy - they need length, not width, so we can usually find their size in North Face, Patagonia, etc. Good luck! </p>
<p>Even returns to Sierra Trading Post are painless. Just fill out the return slip and UPS label in the package or print a UPS slip on line, seal up the box, and drop it off at a UPS store. I think they deduct something like $5.95 return shipping from your refund. Some of their deals are so fantastic (sign up for their e-mail list for a steady supply of discount codes) that it’s worth the occasional return.</p>
<p>At least for guys, the first step is finding out what size, if any, fits in brands like Marmot, Patagonia, North Face, Columbia. I have found that they are pretty consistent across the board, A medium in any item from any of those brands fits me more or less the same. Then, find out what fits in LL Bean or Lands End. Then, you can bargain hunt on line. You can almost always find sales on Marmot and Patagonia at 25% to 30% off, occasionally very deep discounts of 50% off, especially in last year’s colors or the big sizes, or if you can find something at Sierra Trading Post. I can usually find discounts on those brands for the same or cheaper than LLBean. Knowing sizes opens up bargain hunting at Marshalls and TJMaxx. I’ve found crazy cheap bargains from time to time on Columbia, Marmot, and North Face jackets and fleeces.</p>
<p>Is there a Sierra Trading Post store? We will need to get son long length. He is not athletic build, but the obese physique, unfortunately. I usually do well with him at Penney’s, with St. John’s Bay, in the 2 or 3XLT, for polos, and long length for pants. Only at his heaviest did I have to go to one of those Big and Tall Men’s stores, but because of layering, I’m thinking we may have to go larger sizes. As for those things you wear to cover your faces, I sure could use some guidance on those. Saw different material on Lands End site and not sure which will be best for a Minnesota winter. I’ve also been suggested fleece lined perhaps jeans, and I did not see those on Lands End site, so any guidance on where to find those would be helpful. Also, long johns, as we call them, anyone make those for big boys?</p>