Buying Padel Clothes as a Gift: How to Get the Size Right

Buying a hoodie for someone else usually means guessing their size. Guess wrong and it goes back in the post.

You don't have to guess. If you're working out what size hoodie to buy as a gift, the answer is already in their wardrobe. Here's the method I'd use, with the real numbers from our size charts.

Step 1: Find the hoodie they wear the most

Not the one folded at the back of the drawer. The one on the back of the chair. The one they put on after every match. That hoodie tells you how they like a fit, which matters more than the letter on the label.

Ignore that letter, by the way. A medium from one brand and a medium from another can be miles apart. A tape measure is more honest.

No hoodie to borrow? Any top they love the fit of will do. A sweatshirt or a jumper works the same way.

Step 2: Get the measurement without asking

The whole point of a present is that they don't see it coming. So:

• If you live with them, wait until they're out. It takes two minutes.
• If you don't, recruit someone who does. A partner, flatmate or parent can lay the hoodie flat, put a tape measure across the chest and send you a photo. That photo is all you need.
• If you're stuck, a hoodie left at yours after a visit counts.

Now the measuring itself. Lay the hoodie face up on a table or bed and smooth it out. Zip it up if it has a zip. Then take two numbers in centimetres.

• Chest. Straight across the front, from one armpit seam to the other.
• Length. From the top of the shoulder, right next to the collar or hood, down to the bottom hem.

Skip the shoulder. Our hoodies have a drop shoulder, so the seam sits down on the upper arm. Comparing that against a regular hoodie will only confuse you.

Step 3: Turn that number into our size

Our charts don't say how they're measured. But at 66 cm on a small hoodie, the chest can only be the flat width, armpit to armpit. That's exactly what you've just measured, so the numbers line up.

Here's what one measurement means on each garment. Find the row closest to your number.

Notice the gap. The same top can point to an S in one column and an XL in the other. That's why a gift buyer who picks "medium, same as always" can get it badly wrong.

The hoodie column covers all three of our hoodies: the Mk1 Box Hoodie, the Sunday Padel Club and the Bagel Boyz. They share one chart, and the product pages describe a unisex oversize hoodie with a loose, relaxed fit. The sweatshirt column covers all three sweatshirts, which list a loose model on their pages. If you're still choosing between the two, our hoodie vs sweatshirt guide sets out the full spec side by side.

Landed between two rows? Think about how they wear it. If they like it loose and slouchy, go up. If they like it close, go down.

If their favourite is under 66 cm and they like things neat, even our smallest hoodie will sit roomier than what they wear now. A sweatshirt will feel closer to normal for them.

Step 4: Check the length

Chest decides the size. Length tells you if it's the right call.

• Hoodie lengths, S to 2XL: 70, 72, 74, 76 and 78 cm.
• Sweatshirt lengths, S to 2XL: 68, 70, 72, 74 and 76 cm.

Hold your length number up against the size you picked. If ours is a lot longer than their favourite and they're not tall, the size below might suit them better. If ours is shorter and they like a hoodie that covers the waistband, go up one.

Tees, women's pieces and the size guide page

Tees. Our heavyweight tees are cut oversized and unisex. Take a size down for a regular fit, or their usual size for the oversized look. The tee has its own chart on its product page, so measure a tee they own, not a hoodie.

Women's range. The women's pieces, including the £70 cropped hoodies, fit more true to size. Her usual size is the place to start, and each product page carries its own chart.

The size guide page. Our size guide is handy for a quick look, but for a hoodie always go by the chart on the hoodie's own page. The numbers differ.

When you can't measure anything

Some people won't let you near their wardrobe. Some live 200 miles away. You've got two choices.

Buy the size they normally wear, knowing our hoodies are described as oversize with a loose, relaxed fit. Or skip clothing sizes altogether with something like the Wake Up For Padel mug, a pack of overgrips or the organic ribbed beanie, which comes in colours, not sizes. Our Christmas delivery dates guide has a full no-size shortlist with the return rule for each, there's more in accessories, and padel stocking fillers under £30 covers the small stuff.

If the size is still wrong

It happens, even with a tape measure. Size exchanges are accepted, and returns are open for 30 days on everything, made-to-order pieces included.

One rule matters most for a fit check. The returns page asks for items unworn, unwashed and in their original condition with tags attached. So tell them before the tags come off. Return postage is paid by the customer unless the item is faulty or wrong. If you're unsure how to arrange a different size, email hello@padelism.co.uk.

How the 30 days line up with Christmas, and who gets the refund, is covered in the delivery dates guide. The full terms are on the returns and refunds page.

Timing

Our clothing is made to order, so allow 7 to 10 working days for UK delivery. Outside the UK, it takes 7 to 14 working days. The last order date for UK Christmas delivery is 10 December 2026.

My advice: don't aim for the deadline. Order early enough that, if the size is wrong, there's still time to sort it before the day.

When I first wore the sample hoodies to my local club, people kept asking where they were from. That's the reaction you want on Christmas morning, and the right size is most of it. If you're still choosing what to buy, the guides to padel gifts for him and padel gifts for her have ideas sorted by the kind of player, and our hoodie guide goes deeper on the hoodies themselves.

FAQ

What size hoodie should I buy if I can't measure one of theirs? Go with the size they normally buy, and expect a roomy fit. Our product pages describe the hoodies as unisex oversize with a loose, relaxed fit and a drop shoulder. If guessing feels too risky, pick a gift with no clothing size instead.

How do I find out someone's hoodie size without asking them? Measure the hoodie they wear most, flat, armpit seam to armpit seam, while they're out. If you don't live with them, ask someone who does to send a photo of it laid flat with a tape measure across the chest. Then use the table above, not the label.

Can I measure a jumper or a T-shirt instead of a hoodie? A jumper or sweatshirt works for our hoodies and sweatshirts. For a tee, measure a tee, because our tees have their own chart and are cut oversized.

Can they wear it once before deciding to keep it? No. The returns page asks for items unworn, unwashed and in their original condition with tags attached. Check the size before the tags come off.