Sizing and Fit

Our measuring tips make it easy to get the right fit.

Measuring tips for clothing
Measuring tips for backpacks
Measuring tips for bikes
Sizing tips for footwear (opens new page)

Measuring Tips for Clothing

Neck: Measure around the base of your neck. Or, simply find a collared shirt that fits you well. Lay the collar flat, and measure from the middle of the collar button around to the far end of the button hole.

Chest: Keeping your arms relaxed at your sides, measure under your arms at your armpits. Include the highest part of your chest and shoulder blades.

Sleeve: With arm relaxed at side and slightly bent, measure from the center back, across shoulder to elbow, and down to the wrist.

Waist: Measure at your natural waistline, where your belt normally rests.

Hips: Standing with your feet together, measure around the fullest part of your seat.

Inseam: Take a pair of pants that fit you well and measure along the seam from the crotch to the bottom of the leg.

Hand (for gloves): To measure knuckle circumference, keep your hand flat and measure around your large knuckles. Do not include your thumb. To measure hand length, measure from the base of your palm to the end of your middle finger.

Head (for hats & helmets): Measure around the largest part of your head, just above the brow.

Find Your Backpack Size

With the right fit, you and your pack can become the best of buddies on short or long hauls. Here is how REI's pack-fitting experts make sure you get into the right pack.

1. Measure Your Torso Length.

This is key: Your torso length, not your height, determines your pack size. Here's how to measure it:

With the help of a friend, locate the bony bump at the base of your neck. This is where the slope of your shoulder meets your neck, also known as the seventh vertebra. Tilt your head forward to locate it more easily.
Using a flexible tape measure, have your friend start measuring at that spot down your spine, following the curves of your back.
Place your hands on your hips to feel your iliac crest, the twin pointy protrusions on the front of your hips. Position your hands so your thumbs are reaching behind you.
Finish measuring at the point where the tape crosses an imaginary line between your thumbs. This distance is your torso length.

2. Measure Your Hips

While less critical than torso length, this is helpful if you're considering a pack that offers multiple sizes or interchangeable hipbelts. To measure, take your tape measure and wrap it around the tops of your hips. This is the "latitude line" where you can feel your iliac crest, the two pointy bones on the front of your hips. A properly positioned hipbelt will straddle your iliac crest at this line.

3. Find the Pack's Measurements

When shopping for a pack on REI.com, you can find the torso length and hip measurement info as part of each product's description. To compare multiple packs at once, type "packs" into the search box and then check the compare box on up to four items. Note: If a pack comes in multiple sizes, you'll need to go to that pack's page to get the specifics on each size.

How to Size Your Bike

With shoes on, measure from your crotch to the floor. This gives you your inseam length.
Find the stand-over height on the bicycle sizing chart ("A" in the illustration at right).
For mountain, touring, urban and comfort bikes, the difference between your inseam length and the stand-over height should be around 2 inches; for road bikes, this difference should be around 1 inch.