Bogu for tall men

[Jason Wright]

I've just recently begun studying kendo, so I know I'm reasonably far out from needing bogu. But I'm nearly seven feet tall, so I know the odds of anything 'off-the-rack' fitting me are pretty much zero even before weight/build come into it. (I'm around 315 currently, if it's relevant.)

I'm hoping to get a feel for what I'll have to pay. I'm told a beginner set in normal sizes runs $400-$500 USD. Can anyone tell me what I might be looking at roughly? I need to know how much I'll need to scrimp to afford it.

[Taylor]

You should be able to get a basic set that fits well enough. The only real problem you will have is that when you keep your head straight you will not be able to see your opponent properly because the gap in the men-gane is in the wrong place for us tall people. The bar at the bottom of the gap is in the middle of my vision. Although you might be able to comfortably see through the one below it being you have about 3 inches on me.

[Toecutter]

You should be able to find an off the shelf set that will fit you fine. While I'm not as tall as you, I am fairly tall, and an XL (extra long) Do is pretty close to fitting, height wise. Thats going to be the only real issue for you buying off the shelf. Men and kote should be fine, fit wise, unless your size is freak, then they'll have some issues. But on the bright side I scored some unbelievable kote from shobudo because they were freak size and on display, so sometimes it works out in your favor.

[Neil Gendzwill]

The main issue will be doh. At your size, the largest stock doh will probably be too narrow. To test this out, have someone measure you across the back, not around just the distance straight across. The largest stock stock dohs are around 45 cm.

You can stretch the doh out to make it fit, and likely that is what you should do for your first set. It won't be ideal but it will work. Odds are it won't be tall enough but you can live with that for a while. If you decide to commit to kendo, later on you can have a custom doh made.

Uniform sizes are an issue too, right now AFAIK e-bogu is your best bet for the big/tall guys.

[Jason Wright]

Thanks for the heads up, folks! When the time is right, I'll check with E-Bogu about their off-the-rack stuff. (After getting my wife to help me out with the pertinent measurements.). If a uniform is also going to be a challenge, that's something else I need to start checking into.