I bought one of the shirts called "iron works heavyweight" a few years ago. Very nice, and, especially, it layered very well. This one was a great disappointment by comparison. It snags on my shirt and bunches under a windbreaker. It is much thinner so even after you work out the bunching it is still not as warm. Oh well. Sending it back.
I am 6' 175 with a 36" waist. Shoulders fit ok with the large size, arm room way too tight causing thermal transfer and the waist a bit large. Sweatshirt is very tight on my average sized arms with a light sweater underneath. Tall size was also necessary. I tried the xl which was a better fit in most respects which accommodated a lightweight base layer, however, the waist was huge allowing for a steady flow of cold air. I have recently found LLBean jackets, fleece, and sweatshirts to be tailored for folks who have narrow shoulders, very large waistlines., and skinny arms. I base my opinion on the Bigelow jacket which also had a huge waist and the Super Cresta 200 fleece as well. Both waist hems could be taken in by 4"plus to make sense. For my hwp body, xl size works best except for the ginormous hems, I have recently been disappointed with my purchases as sizing seems out of sorts..Quality of workmanship for the Bigelow was superb, the Cresta excellent, and the Katahden very good. If I were to make design improvements on the Katahden I would try to keep the fleece away from the zipper , thicken the outer fabric, and switch to a polartek .brand lining. I thought about bringing the Bigelow to a tailor but it would be cost prohibitive. Using the drawstring on the hem just doesn't cut it as it ruins the look of the jacket given the material. The hem could be reduced by by about 5" inches. I do not have narrow hips. Considering hems have a tendency to become larger with extended use as a result of stretching, it doesn't make sense to make a waist so large even with base layers. They also look crummy.
I just received this item. A great looking sweatshirt, appears warm, well-made and fits well except slightly wide in the shoulders and the sleeves are excessively long. I am 6' tall, 160 lb. with broad shoulders and long arms. I wear a 42 long dress jacket and have a sleeve length of 33-1/2 inches and this regular medium is easily 4-5 inches too long in the sleeves. The edge of the cuff comes to the end of my fingertips. Customer Service said the designed sleeve length is 37 inches. This is non-standard sleeve length, makes little sense and should be noted in the catalog description. I had the same problem with a recently purchased cotton/cashmere sweater. Call Customer Service regarding measurements before ordering any outerwear.
I've had mine for a few years. The hook loop broke after about a year and now some of the threads at one cuff are broken and loose. I can't say I'm really unhappy. I was expecting a bit more life. I wear it nearly every day through the winter but the harshest part of it's life is getting in and out of the car. I wash it in spring when I put it away. I've had other jackets that took several more years to show this kind of wear. Outside of that, I love it. I like the rest of it so much I plan to buy another. What can I say. I'm hoping mine was a dud.
