I've noticed that jackets especially have got shorter over the years. Arm lengths are not so much of an issue to me as body lengths.
From what I remember (and from going through lots of old photos) all my old gear used to prety much cover most of my backside and crotch - both vital areas for keeping warm and comfortable IMHO.
A few jackets I have tried recently barely cover my belt line, let alone my backside. At the same time I have noticed phrases like "active fit" and "technical cut" becoming more and more popular in the manufacturer's blurb. The thing is though, I do not recall my old, longer jackets ever restricting movement...
The synic in me says that manufacturers are simply saving on their material costs to fatten up their profit margins - make the jacket shorter, use less fabric, pump in a load of jargon and catch phrases into their sales pitches and watch the cash flow in.
Rohan (as mentioned above), PHD, WestWinds, HillTrek and Paramo are the manufacturers I favour because their sizes don't tend to do this. Their jackets, even in the 'off the peg' sizes are prety much just right on me, even if I take a 'small' from one source and a 'large' from another. If not, they do altering services...
The oddity to me though is the differences between what they all call 'medium'. For Rohan polo shirts I take a 'small' but need a 'medium' in their t-shirts, fleeces and jackets. My WestWinds parka was also a 'small' but measured up almost exactly the same as my HillTrek 'large' jacket. And with PHD gear I use their 'large' sizes almost exclusively!
Paramo is a bit unique, as many of us know, and each separate model seems to have its own unique size.
Oh, for some standard sizes!
James
