I've trawled through loads of searchs and threads but can't find an up to date answer so here goes..
Are Spearhead Brit BD trousers (either para or normal) sizes pretty accurate? I've seen various threads saying they came up big and others saying the come up small, however these threads were years apart..
Has anyone on here bought any recently. As sending them back to Asia would be a right pain. I'm a 32" waist normally or 33" if measured above the naval.
Do I go for size small (32") or medium (34"). It just depends if they come up big or small..
Any help would be much appreciated..
Regards Chris.
'Non adepto demens. Adepto etiam'
War does not show who is right, only who is left..
Bigger is always better.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
Bigger is always better.
^This. Plus it's more accurate. The chances are you'd just get something about the right size thrown at you by the QM anyway.
Clown trousers are better than drainpipes. 
they'r held up by braces anyway so bigger is not a problem,also remember to order braces.
armoury
m1a1 Thompson,sten mk2,mp40,stg44,sterling,mk2 bren gun,lee Enfield no4 mk1,Mauser Kar98, Walther ppk,smith and Weston m10 and Mauser m712
Give me a big enough hammer and a place to stand and I could fix the world.
i'll kill a man in a fair fight or if i think he's going to start a fair fight or over a woman or.......
a problem shared is a problem halved ,but an advantage shared is no advantage at all
if a job's not worth doing then its certainly not worth doing well
If you are a 33, go for a 34. If it fails to fit, move the buttons. That should work well.
Wartime sizes went in bands of 2" on the waist and effectively in S/R/L leg. Same with Jackets.
Groups from memory were:
5/6/7
8/9/10
11/12/13
14/15/16
18/19/20
27 = Oversize
That cant be right, firstly you've missed out 17 (whihc is my preferred size) and secondly it goes
small /medium/ large of a given height type.
And a size 13 is tall (5.11 i think) but tiny waisted0
i think its more like
4/5/6
7/8/9
10/11/12
13/14/15
16/17/18
And then an outsize. I've never ever seen anything smaller than a 7. (had a 49 pattern size 7 and used it for hallams patches as I thought myself unlikely many pygmies would need to re-enact national service 
The fun bit is that the sizing for suits of denims is *completely different*... i.e my denims are marked as a size 4 i believe...
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
Thanks for the replys Gentlemen.. As always a great help.
Kind Regards Chris.
'Non adepto demens. Adepto etiam'
War does not show who is right, only who is left..
I really appreciate the advice and wealth of knowledge in the replys to my posts, however and just a thought.. Out of all the British service men that fought in ww2 surely a few of them got uniforms that fitted, and if so why can't I be like them.. If you are paying for replica BD, is there really anything wrong with getting something that fits? I'm sure many quarter masters were sadists but surely men swapped bd with other guys to get something that fitted reasonably well or am I just being a big girl....
Yes I've seen photos of guys in Bd's twice the size they needed but in the same photos, men with bd that looks like it fittted...
Surely its like buying clothes today.. If you are average height and size its pretty easy getting things that fit.. However if you are a fat midget or skinny giant your in trouble...
Regrads Chris
P.S. Is " Fat midget" very un Pc..
'Non adepto demens. Adepto etiam'
War does not show who is right, only who is left..
It was all a bit of a lottery it seems.
My dear old dad was in the RE post war[just] and he went through the swapping of BD routine to get something that fitted better. He also had Canadian BD for best, though he has never revealed how he came by it.
Also what fitted at the start of a campaign might not be so slick by the middle or end of it. Heck, I can go on tour for 6 weeks and stuff can be too tight or too baggy by the end. All depends on how hard I'm worked and how well I'm fed and watered. Think on that field replacement kit, for that damaged in action, was almost certainly drawn from a more limited stock than when in depot. You really would get what was available, which might not be much.
If you are going for off the shelf stuff then you are, to a degree, joining that lottery. If you want fitted stuff then you start to pay for the privilege. A fitted suit of the very nice made to measure Panther Store BD will cost you twice that of Spearheads off the shelf stuff.
The inseam on Spearhead BD trousers runs quite long and gets very long for chubby waist sizes, not so much an issue with '40 pattern but with '37 pattern you have to move the straps if you shorten them.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
You'll also find that you were issued two suits of BD. In times of 'relative' peace one of these would be your best and altered by the unit tailor... they could do this in stupidly short times as they did dozens of suits a day.
The 'best' was usually kept on unit transport when up the line (in fact some blokes recall never seeing it again from d-day to ve-day).
Most people look odd in BD because they buy stuff thats either cut wrong (like modern jackets and trousers with the joining line on the hips rather than the waist) or becaue they wear it that way having bought larger sizes to do so. Worn properly the trouser bands supposed to be under your ribs but you see a ot of guys wearing BD trousers like modern combats. It doesnt help that some makes of repro are now cut to be worn like that.
"I think we are in rats' alley - Where the dead men lost their bones."
It turns out I have a pair of Spearhead '40 ptn trousers to hand. Very long in the leg and very full in the leg, almost like Oxford bags. Colour is very ginger, more so than the SoF version, almost American mustard. Nice high waist though. I'll replace the buttons but most wont and I dont think you will get a dressings in their respective pockets, look a bit tight to me.
With a tape to hand they are within 1/2" of the stated measurements. In seam is 1/4" short, waist is 1/2" smaller.
aka Stigroadie
AFRA
better by design
"Truth is a shining goddess, always veiled, always distant, never wholly approachable, but worthy of all the devotion of which the human spirit is capable. "
I have a set of Spearhead BD. They're OK but I'd be wary of using them for anything more than standing around in as the wool is waffer thin. For something cheap and sturdy to battle in I'd trawl eBay for surplus 49 pattern or Greek, Australian, etc. etc. If you're on a tight budget you have to choose between accuracy and durability. That said, I also have a cheap set of denims from Replicators that are blmmin' brilliant, but these were bought before Sanjay decided he could increase profits by just taking the money and not actually sending anything 
If you're serious about britkit then sooner or later you'll end up at Pegasus or Khaki on Campaign anyway 
I really appreciate the advice and wealth of knowledge in the replys to my posts, however and just a thought.. Out of all the British service men that fought in ww2 surely a few of them got uniforms that fitted, and if so why can't I be like them..
Off the shelf, you're unlikely to get anything that fits spot on, just an approximation. If you want it to look neat and fitted properly, you'll need to get it tailored to fit. As Gadge mentioned, in the forces, your 'best' BD would have been adjusted by the unit tailor.
That said, if you do want it tailored, obviously go for the larger size, and get it taken in by a professional, they can make them smaller, but not bigger!
Otherwise, you'll need to go to a militaria show, and try it on in person, to see which is the best fit for you. Even by different manufacturers, sizes do vary widely.
