Pea coat sizing help

[JLStorm]

I have a 46" chest, but in a sweater its more along the lines of 47" or so. Im looking at a Schott or sterling wear pea coat 320z, does anyone know if the size 46 leaves room for a sweater, or when they say size 46, does that mean that your measurement should be 46" in whatever clothing you will be wearing?

I dont like my jackets super tight in my chest, but my waist is quite a bit smaller than my chest and my arms arent long enough for most size 48 coats, but 46 fits my arm length perfectly.

Any idea whether I can get away with a 46, or if I should go up to a 48?

BTW, Im not interested in finding "the real thing" on ebay or similar, the larger sizes are just too hard to find and Id rather buy new.

 

[OneEyeMan]

The best suggestion I can give you is to email Gail at Schott.
She's very responsive and knowledgable on all of their items.
Lenny

 

[Doctor Strange]

I can't advise you on Schotts, but I got a Sterlingwear "Classic" 32oz coat a couple of years ago. Their sizing, at least on this unvented model, is very strange. Essentially, it's tight in the chest and wide in the waist and bottom sweep. See their published size chart:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/Sterlingwear_pea_coats_sizechart.htm

Also see the descriptions regarding Sterlingwear sizing on Barre's main pea coat sales page:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/pea_coats.htm

In my case, sizing any garment is all about fitting my big gut. I'm only 5'8", but 220 lbs. with a 43" waist. I typically wear a size 46, but my shoulders will actually fit a 44: I need the 46 is to get enough room at the waist. And the sleeves are nearly always too long for me at the size.

After consulting with the folks at Barre (who are great, as are their prices) I ended up going up two sizes and getting the Sterlingwear in a 50 Short. The shoulder/chest size fits perfectly - actually, it's borderline tight under the arms with a thick sweater. And the sleeve and body length are absolutely perfect for me. But there's actually a good deal more room than I need at the waist and hips, which I am simply NOT used to.

Sizing oddities aside, I love it. It's very warm and gets a lot of use when it's too cold for my leather jackets:

PS - The hat is a Steston Temple.

 

[JLStorm]

I can't advise you on Schotts, but I got a Sterlingwear "Classic" 32oz coat a couple of years ago. Their sizing, at least on this unvented model, is very strange. Essentially, it's tight in the chest and wide in the waist and bottom sweep. See their published size chart:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/Sterlingwear_pea_coats_sizechart.htm

Also see the descriptions regarding Sterlingwear sizing on Barre's main pea coat sales page:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/pea_coats.htm

In my case, sizing any garment is all about fitting my big gut. I'm only 5'8", but 220 lbs. with a 43" waist. I typically wear a size 46, but my shoulders will actually fit a 44: I need the 46 is to get enough room at the waist. And the sleeves are nearly always too long for me at the size.

After consulting with the folks at Barre (who are great, as are their prices) I ended up going up two sizes and getting the Sterlingwear in a 50 Short. The shoulder/chest size fits perfectly - actually, it's borderline tight under the arms with a thick sweater. And the sleeve and body length are absolutely perfect for me. But there's actually a good deal more room than I need at the waist and hips, which I am simply NOT used to.

Sizing oddities aside, I love it. It's very warm and gets a lot of use when it's too cold for my leather jackets:

PS - The hat is a Steston Temple.

Really, and I thought traditional milspec sizing was weird enough.I have the opposite problem you have, my chest is about 8-10 inches bigger than my waist. I also have a problem with the sleeves in any sizes over 46 (non-milspec) Schott sizing is a bit less complex from past experience, but the sterlingwear is much cheaper and looks just as good.

 

[Doctor Strange]

BTW, I think the Fidelity pea coats are very nice too. I got my daughter one of the 22oz women's models, and it's an excellent coat. I've handled the men's models in a store, and they seemed pretty comparable to the Sterlingwears. And their sizing may work a bit better for you:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/Fidelity_Pea_Coat_Sizing_Charts.htm

Also, it's hard to beat the $99 price on their 32oz model (#23232)...

Actually, I think all three American-made coats - Fidelity, Sterlingwear, and Schott - are pretty comparable. Which is to say: definitely better than the imported ones from Alpha and Rothco (i.e., UltraForce) that are sized S/M/L/XL.

 

[JLStorm]

BTW, I think the Fidelity pea coats are very nice too. I got my daughter one of the 22oz women's models, and it's an excellent coat. I've handled the men's models in a store, and they seemed pretty comparable to the Sterlingwears. And their sizing may work a bit better for you:

http://www.vtarmynavy.com/Fidelity_Pea_Coat_Sizing_Charts.htm

Also, it's hard to beat the $99 price on their 32oz model (#23232)...

Actually, I think all three American-made coats - Fidelity, Sterlingwear, and Schott - are pretty comparable. Which is to say: definitely better than the imported ones from Alpha and Rothco (i.e., UltraForce) that are sized S/M/L/XL.

Fidelity is like the Schott in that the price goes up as the size goes up, I think its about $110+ for my size. Im curious why such a price difference between Schott, fidelity and sterlingwear if the wool is the same and they are all made in the US? Any idea, is it just individual company profit margin, or is there more too it?