Its tuff sometimes to be tall

At 6 foot 7 inches tall I have dealt with height problems here and there all my life since I was 18. But here's a lad who would make even me, taller than any major basketball player like retired Michael Jordan, a wee bit short looking.

From yahoo news today:

A towering Turk was officially crowned the world's tallest man Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 after his Ukrainian rival dropped out of the running by refusing to be measured. Guinness World Records said that 8 foot 1 inch (2.47 meter) Sultan Kosen, from the town of Mardin in eastern Turkey, is now officially the tallest man walking the planet. Although the previous record holder, Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk, reportedly measured 8 feet 5.5 inches (2.57 meters), Guinness said he was stripped of his title when he declined to let anyone confirm his height.

Man, that's really tall!

At 6-4 and 175 lbs. (and size 12 feet) I'm right at the outer edge of "normal". My main frustration is that it's so hard to get outdoor gear, especially pants, to fit. You think that active outdoor people would be disproportionately thin, if not tall, and therefore that more gear might be offered in long sizes, but it ain't so, it's all XS-S-M-L-XL. In pants, mediums are way too short and larges are way too baggy, and I just can't bring myself to pay 4 or 5 hundred dollars for, say, a pair of Goretex pants that fit badly -- so I just buy larges on sale and make do with a bad fit. Oddly, I can still walk into a store and find "street" pants that fit off the shelf, because they still stock a range of waist-leg length combinations, although those are starting to disappear too. WIth street clothes it's hard to find shirts that fit a long torso and arms without them fitting like a flour sack.

Does anybody know of any makers of quality outdoor that make clothes to fit tall-thin people (at reasonable prices)? LL Bean sometimes has long sizes, but not depandably. What do you do, Gary?

I've got the same problem. My solution was to take all the odd-fitting old gear i had and use it to add pant bottoms and sleeves to my newer gear. Looks odd but wow!! For the first time i can tuck my hands inside my down jacket and stay warm! It's also easy to reduce the width of fleece pullover and windshirts to make them more form-fitting.

I've yet to find a piece of gear that fits me in my budget. Sorry i couldn't help more.

Me, I have gotten used to buying whatever I can get, often times like today I am wearing pants that are 4 inches too short. I wear 40x36 lants and 17x39 shirts and jackets. But I have just gotten used to wearing the longest I can find which is usually 36 inch sleeves. I have gotten so used to seeing 3 inches of my wrist in the last 30+ years that it seems strange every now and then when I find a shirt that is long enough.

My shoe size is 14 comfortable but often I have to get a 13. My big toes have gotten so used to being battered by the end of shoes and boots , that they have actually become flattened and wider of the years. I lucked out the other day to find a pair of sandals and leather dress shoes at Goodwill that were actually 14's. Amazing that anyone with such a big foot as mine would give them away to charity. I usually wear my shoes till they are so worn out I have to throw them away.

I also ride a shorter mtn bike now with a longer seat post. I cant fit in most cars and have never driven one because I barely fit in the passengers seat. The other day I was riding in a friends car and he opened the sunroof so I could sit with out ducking, I was more comfortable but could not see straight out the windows.

Very strange, since i got custom footbeds done with more arch support, my feet have shrunk a full size. So now i have a couple pairs of boots that are just too big for me! So if you're looking for boots i have a pair of Kayland Contact eVENT size US 13 1/2 brand new in a box that i'll never wear. I bought 2 pairs for the planting season but only used one. 80$ CAN.

Can't right now buy anything. It is very slow at work and I am barely paying my rent and other bills. Maybe if you still have them this winter or in the spring.

Probably, they'll be kicking around in the closet for a while i fear...