I'm 5'6.5" and almost all that I find in stores are fine for me. And most of them have a 32" inseam. I couldn't do 30" as I have a fairly long leg for my height. I buy everything at TJmaxx or Marshall's.

I'm 5'3" but I find that I have this problem a lot. I have a 31" inseam and the petite section (which technically for my height I should be wearing) generally has a 29 or 30" inseam and then regular has a 32" inseam or longer. Occasionally I find something in either section that works, but I usually have better luck in the junior's section. Even then finding things that are just right is annoying.

This is why I love skinny jeans...I can just cuff them and not worry about a hem.

I am 5'6" and need a 29-30 inch inseam. I have become an expert at hemming slacks and jeans (you can do this in such a way that you keep the original hem). Short length work for me with flats but are too short for heels... And regular are too long (I only wear 2" heels) so then I am stuck hemming.

I'm 5'7" and I have the same problem. But it's crazy how they make longs about 12 inches longer than regular. Getting jeans hemmed doesn't cost that much. I would just go that route.

I am exactly 5' tall and wear a petite size with a 28" inseam. I always carry a tape measure in my purse and when I want to buy pants I measure the inseam before I try them on.

My theory is with the longs being very long is that 'if you are very tall you need that length and can't make them longer, but if you are shorter you can always roll or hem them. "

my inseam is 32-33ish.

I think mine is about 32". I have a pair of Levi's Talls at the moment and their a tad too long but I've been too lazy to get them hemmed.

My bigger problem is that I seem to have high hips or a long torso or something because waists never seem to sit right on me. I have a few pair of dress pants and it always seems like the waists are made an inch or two too low (and they're not supposed to be low waisted pants). I can't quite figure out the problem!

I could be measuring my inseam incorrectly based on what all of you are saying yours are...but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it's because I have such thick thighs. It's seriously where I carry the majority of my weight.

It certainly could be the case. I used to carry a lot of my weight in my thighs (now with lifting it's seem to gone away completely, though!) and I always felt like I needed bigger pants because of it.

Actually, now that I think of it during a previous weight loss attempt when I was at my highest I had to take out the hem on one pair of pants but when I lost weight I could put it back in...

Huh, never thought of thick thighs being an issue with pant length, but I can totally see it now. I never had to worry about the inseam of my pants before I lost weight (and I had REALLY THICK thighs) but now I do and a lot of my pants are suddenly long on me.

Weight lifting also brought down my thighs. It's amazing how skinny my arms and legs are now compared to before.

But then again, it could just be the inseam thing too. Height doesn't really have much to do with it...like I said I have a 31" inseam and I know people taller than me (and even the same height) that have less of an inseam. All depends on leg length I guess.

Totally with you on this. My inseam is 30", yet I'm a Tall in the torso/arms (yeah, knuckledragger!) And those legs are, um, er ... "robust". I do agree that thick thighs may be partly responsible for inseam creepage, because although I can measure 30" straight down to the floor, and measure it on seam of the pants when I'm not in them ... it's a whole different ballgame once I put them on. Jeans - I generally need it inseamed at 31" to make it right by the time they hit the top of my shoe.

Sounds like I need to start lifting more!

I would absolutely love to be 5'6. If you think that clothing sizes are awkward and inconsistent at average height, try being well above or below average, where there's far less to choose from!

That's funny, I always wished I could be at one extreme or the other--I'd rather be short or tall than average. Grass is greener...

Regular length jeans/trousers in the UK are typically 32" inseams afaik, which is fine for me. But I have found once or twice the regular length can be really long in some shops (Firetrap!) So I have to get the short length, which is a bit odd at 5'6!