Last fall, a friend and I were packing up for a weekend of backpacking in the Desolation Wilderness. She’s a badass professional guide, and I work in the outdoor industry, so naturally we started comparing gear—which led to a list of all of the gear we’d passed on buying because it was only available in “girl colors.” At times, we’ve both resorted to shopping in the boys’ section of REI (size-wise, it turns out that I’m either a slim woman or a very strapping 12-year-old boy).
When I first started working in the outdoor industry, I was so excited to be surrounded by other smart, tough women—and I still am. But whenever I go to trade shows or industry events, I’m shocked at how solidly, stubbornly pink all of the women’s options are—even gear for truly extreme sports, like mountaineering and ultra running. Women’s gear often lacks features that are available for men. For some sports, equipment isn’t available in women’s sizes at all.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised; after 15 years of backcountry escapades, I’ve become all too familiar with the myriad ways that people underestimate women’s abilities in the wilderness. Sometimes it’s subtle—for example, when other hikers ask for directions, they’ll invariably address the men in my group, even when I’m the person holding the map. More often, the double standards show up in the form of concern. My boyfriend is an ultramarathoner, and when new friends hear about his latest 50-mile trail race, they respond with awe and admiration. But when I mention my latest solo backpacking trip, the response isn’t “Awesome!” or “I bet your calves are super muscular!” It’s “Weren’t you scared?” or “Isn’t that dangerous?” Instead of seeing a female hiker as strong and capable, they picture me as a slow-moving target in Tevas.
Then there’s the outright disdain. A few years ago, during a class on backcountry navigation, our male instructor asked each person to estimate their typical hiking speed. When I came up with a rate of 4 miles per hour (brisk, sure, but not blistering), he rolled his eyes and announced to the whole group that I must have miscalculated—nobody my size could maintain that pace.
In reality, some research suggests that women may have an edge over men in extreme endurance sports, especially long-distance swimming and hiking. Our bodies burn energy more efficiently over the long haul, and researchers also speculate that women use better judgment in the wilderness—we’re less likely to overestimate our abilities and crash midway through a race. If we are so well suited for the outdoors, why can’t we find equipment to match?
Altra ad
Jill Missal, founder of GearGals.com—a blog devoted to reviewing women’s outdoor gear—has been hearing the same feedback from her readers for a decade. “The biggest complaints regarding inadequacies of women’s gear compared to men’s are lack of pockets, color choices, and fit,” she says. For example, men’s ski pants don’t change much from year to year, but lately the industry has been designing women’s ski pants to look more like skinny jeans. The result? Too-tight pants that make it hard to move freely, with pockets so shallow they can barely hold your car keys.
Missal notes that the gap between women’s and men’s gear widens when it comes to high-risk, technical activities. “The biggest thing I want to see is high-altitude double-mountaineering boots for women. I keep hearing that ‘women don’t buy tech gear’— but if they don’t make it, how do they know?” She points out that most female mountaineers are stuck buying ill-fitting men’s gear. And on high-stakes expeditions, something as small as a too-wide, wobbly mountaineering boot can be a safety risk.
The market for women’s athletic gear has exploded in the past few years; according to the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), sales of women’s gear grew by 10% between 2012 and 2013. But the industry still has a color palette problem: walk into the women’s section of your local trail outfitter, and you might as well be in the doll aisle at Toys R Us. It’s probably a solid wall of magenta, baby blue, and purple, with a generous sprinkling of flowers and butterflies. Pick up a catalog, and you’ll see the men’s gear displayed prominently on the cover, with women’s options relegated to the back pages, right next to the kids’ fleece onesies.
Ad for Brooks boys’ and girls’ gear
The disconnect is obvious: these companies are outfitting women who are scaling rock faces, running marathons, and scrambling up mountain tops. We need our clothing to be ultra functional, not ultra feminine. Sure, there are some women who gravitate toward traditionally feminine colors, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but there are also many of us who are desperate for a jacket in navy blue, hunter green, or charcoal gray. We’d also kill for pants with pockets big enough for our wallets, because none of us are bringing our purses on the trail. Lauren Heumann, a pro guide based in the Bay Area, notes that even unisex, one-size-fits-all items like hats and gloves are designed with men in mind, leaving her with “baggy items that inhibit peak performance, as I’m constantly readjusting and trying to tighten them down.”
If so many women are frustrated with their gear options, why haven’t things changed? When I’ve asked other people in the industry, they insist that the traditionally feminine designs and colors just sell better—but they seem to be overlooking the huge swath of women (including their own female coworkers) who are simply buying men’s gear instead. The industry itself is largely a boys’ club—in 2011, the OIA also reported that just 12.5% of the largest outdoor companies were led by women. In other words, brands are guessing at what women want and coming up with pink gear that often prioritizes fashion over function.
Some do seem to be trying to turn things around, especially now that major publications like Outside Magazine are calling out the problem. Last year, the REI foundation gave a $1.5 million grant to the Outdoor Industry Women’s Association with the aim of promoting women’s leadership in the industry. Up-and-coming companies are also focusing on making more unisex gear: Daniela Perdomo is the co-founder and CEO of goTenna, a company that makes devices that let people use their phones off-grid—especially useful for rangers and ski patrollers who spend their days in the backcountry. Her product recently won the “Gear of the Show” award at the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow, the industry’s biggest gear expo. Perdomo has made a concerted effort to avoid gender-based marketing: “I didn’t like those gendered flourishes when I was six and I definitely don’t like them at 30. I also don’t plan to release colors that feel more ‘feminine’ — whatever that means. Even as we craft messaging for specific audiences, gender doesn’t play a role in the character I think of as the intended target . . . I don’t think I need to separately message for ‘female hiker’ versus ‘male hiker.’”
As much as pink puffy vests infuriate me, I know they’re just the most visible aspect of harmful, pervasive attitudes that insist that women are less capable of handling themselves in the wild—the same biases that motivate middle-aged men to chase after me at the trailhead so they can offer some friendly mansplaining tips on how to “optimize” my running form. Like so many people, I head into the woods to forget myself, and if I’m lucky, I’ll enjoy a few exquisite hours of thinking about . . . nothing at all. But when I look down at my magenta running shoes (sadly, my favorite brand only offers them in that one color), it’s a little reminder that the world doesn’t always consider me to be as strong and capable as I feel. I hope more outdoor companies explore the outer reaches of the color spectrum when making gear for women, and more women can take to the mountains with equipment that matches their individual preferences and abilities. Until then, you can find me on the trail in my trusty little boy’s down vest.
Yay, thank you! Now I have to go check out Gear Gals because these issues drive me nuts.
POCKETS. I’m not hiking Everest, I’m just walking or taking yoga, but Target, I love you baby, you have great cheap workout gear, BUT NONE OF YOUR PANTS HAVE POCKETS. Especially with how big phones are getting nowadays, and how crucial they seem to be to carry (safety, music, apps, etc) I need a damn pocket to fit it. I find a pair I like, I buy multiples (Athleta has a pair that have side pockets on the legs that I love.)
I’m not a girly type of gal anyway, so sometimes the color options are frustrating as well.
Yes! There should be pockets in everything. It drives me so crazy.
All I want is a pair of walking pants that have fucking pockets. I sewed pockets into my last Target yoga pants because it was the only thing I could do. I miss the awesome cargo pants I had 16 years ago!
Yes! Am I really the only woman who wants pockets in her yoga pants? I would love to live in yoga pants like all these other women I see, but I am unwilling to give up pockets.
Apparently so! I just don’t get it. I mean I sort of understand the “clean lines, no bumps” thin, but this goes on my hips, that ship has sailed.
Seriously can cargo pants just make a comeback?
Pretty please?
my daughters believe they have, and live in them. They are 18 and 22 right now, so they might be either ahead of the curve, or so far behind it they are their own curve.
Man, I wish cargo pants would come back. I love them, and I’m way to pear-shaped to wear men’s pants.
I really, really want more pockets. One of my friends is male/masculine-presenting but has been buying women’s clothes lately, and the first thing I asked them when they told me about it was POCKETS. They are equally – but newly – frustrated by this too. It makes no sense.
Mostly I just want yoga/exercise pants with a big enough pocket to fit my keys and a credit card in. I’m trying to get into running but outdoor running does NOT work if you can’t find anywhere to stash your keys!
Lace them into your shoe/safetypin them to your bra? (Obviously neither of those is a great solution and it would be much better if people just PUT POCKETS ON THINGS, but if you get desperate, they are there.)
POCKETS why are they so rare 🙁
My partner once went on one of their classic rants about having to carry so many dates’ keyes and wallets, and announced that the only thing that could convince them that there was an overt, deliberate world-wide conspiracy to oppress women was the fact that womens’ clothes never had any fvcking pockets! I think there may be something there…
This is such a new perspective for me. As a woman with a size 12 shoe, who was 5 feet tall at age 9, I always had to wear workout gear and shoes from the boys’ (or men’s) section. I hated it. How I LONGED for pink sneakers and magenta hiking equipment. How grateful I was when I started being able to find clothes in “girls’ colors” that fit me.
Me too, eh. Tall woman with size eleven feet, here. I had no idea this lack of choice existed; when I try to buy stuff that fits me it’s all black, gray, and navy, and I want bright colors and femme-looking running and biking gear. I usually have to buy men’s running shoes and am fed up with that. This is the first time I’ve realized that other women are faced with a different frustrating lack of choice. Like a commenter below said about riding gear: when the default consumers are perceived to be women, they actually get some choices. But I guess here it is 2016 and only men are supposed to do outdoor stuff?
You might like Altra running shoes–women’s sizes up to 12.
Same! I’m firmly in plus size territory, and love running around outside and up mountains. According to the marketers, though, this is impossible: you can’t be LARGE and a WOMAN and HIKE REGULARLY, those things are completely in contradiction!
And like teenybuffalo, for a long time this just meant wearing shapeless awful men’s things that made me feel weird and unkempt. Or clothes that absolutely did not fit the task at hand. But finally, every once in a while, I can find clothes that fit me, now. But they’re never pink. Small women wear pink, say the marketers; large women are not allowed to wear pink, because they’re not delicate enough. No flowers for me.
Equivalent choices for everyone in outdoor gear: this is what I long for.
Very similar perspective here. Though looking back on it, I think the issue for me was less wanting pink, girly outdoor gear/shoes than that the different branding and tailoring made it incredibly obvious that I had to wear men’s gear and wasn’t like the other girls. Also, as others have pointed out below, men’s gear usually didn’t actually fit me properly. That self-consciousness is something I’m just now getting over. (Though I did and still do get jealous of women on my sports teams who get the rainbow shoes while I have to buy neutral or “macho” color schemes!) I remember buying my first sleeping bag (blue and gray) in college and being thrilled that the extra-long women’s length offered meant that I could buy a women’s-specific design instead of finding, as usual, that “women’s-specific design” didn’t include me. Or having to explain to the people at EMS that no, I really did need the men’s model of the otherwise-identical winter gloves because the longest women’s size didn’t fit my hands.
(All this is absolutely not meant to dismiss the content of the article! As someone who’s often too big for one-size women’s gear, I hadn’t even thought about how “unisex” gear would be too big for most women.)
Another tall, big footed woman here, and yes, exactly. I have bright pink (men’s) running shoes right now and I love them because I’ve just never been able to have anything like them before.
I need pockets in running gear big enough for an iPhone 6, a key, and a couple of gels.
I want things that are high-vis without being neon pink.
How is this difficult. Literally every woman I know that runs is SCREAMING for this stuff.
And the pockets need to zip shut! My favorite Nike running shorts have a tab pocket that is barely big enough to hold a car key. On multiple occasions I’ve had to retrace my running route to find where my key fell out.
YES! I run with my keys on a string round my neck because none of my running trousers have zip pockets. It is Not Ideal.
I’ve done the thing with taking only my car key and tying it into my shoelaces before, also not ideal.
I do the shoelaces thing because one time I put my house key in my bra and then freaked out when I couldn’t find it and had to dig around in there *in public* before I finally found it tucked way down away under the far side of a boob, like I’d caught it trying to escape behind my back. Not fun.
Of course, it means taking the key off the ring every time or needing an extra spare key just for running.
I keep a spare key tied onto a hair elastic and use that on my ponytail when I run. Like this: http://www.healthytippingpoint.com/wp-content/upl…
For some reason, I find that less obnoxious than having it on my shoelace where it bounces all around.
I have a tracksuit with zippered pockets in the pants, and I am NEVER GETTING RID OF IT.
I would love some tiny trekking poles that aren’t obnoxious bright pink, please please please
BD Trails women’s come in…turquoise.
Years ago I found a pair of Komperdells that were silver. Not sure if they’d fit your “tiny” category.
I’m a little afraid of Komperdells because I was hiking with a friend who had a brand new pair and one of them snapped in half dramatically and fell down the side of a canyon 20ish miles into our 60 mile hike.
I’ve had good luck with some of the older and shorter men’s black diamond ones because I read a bunch of reviews from people complaining that the grips were too small (which meant they were the perfect size for me! Hooray!). But I’d love to buy some in a color that isn’t purple or teal and have a grip that fits my hand.
Hooo boy I am HERE for this conversation. I’ve been working in bike shops off and on for over 15 years, and in that time the women’s cycling options have improved considerably in terms of functionality, but their appearance is still pink/purple/flowers. Shorts, jerseys, helmets, the actual bikes themselves, it’s just wall to wall pink flowers. Grossss.
And I don’t even have the option of just getting the men’s, because padded cycling shorts for people with vulvas has the padding in a much different place and with a different design than padding for people with penises and testicles. I have tried wearing men’s shorts. It just doesn’t work.
And do not even get me started on sizes. Fat women need sports bras and cycling shorts too!
Why are there not all women bike shop because I would spend so much money there.
I had numerous bike shops tell me that a simple repair was not actually possible, and I think a lot of it was that they didn’t trust my judgement.
Oh do not even get me started on the horror stories women tell me when they come in from other shops. Our shop is one of maybe two in the entire area that have women working there, and the difference is huge. One woman told me a guy at another shop said to her that it was great she was “trying to lose weight” (she wasn’t) and that her saddle would fit better when she did (this is not how cycling saddles/bike fit works and a glance at her fit made it clear why her saddle was chafing). One woman told me that the employees at another shop just flat-out ignored her and wouldn’t even check her out. It’s unreal in the year 2016 that this stuff happens.
Yes yes yes.
(In related gender transportation news, my city’s vision zero is including street harassment and assault as a metric an I am so excited! But bike stats exist only by race/income, which is less exciting.)
One time I went to buy a sturdy road bike and when I told the guy in the shop this he walked me over to a step-through cruiser and said, “My girlfriend loves this.”
NOPE!
I’ve had the opposite experience where, after expressing a very clear preference for interally geared upright bikes, I’ve been told to buy a mountain bike because they’re just going to be better for me to ride. I know what I want! I want it for a reason!
“Oh, sorry, I’m too witches for that”
I guess I could have said, “your girlfriend probably fuckin’ hates you” but then guess who isn’t getting a call when they get a Univega Specialissima in the shop.
A PSA: Chicago has a bike shop called BFF Bikes that is owned by two women. They have a racing team and do training rides as well. I went there a couple times for little things and talked to one of the owners. She was super tuned in to the ways that women are disrespected in these sorts of environments. Would recommend! http://bffbikes.com/
Just compression shorts in general! Why do they assume men want knee length shorts, but women want a 2″ inseam? What does that even do?! I have big thighs, they rub together, I need shorts that go down over them, not just (sorry for the mental image) bunch up around my crotch. It should not be that hard!
Yes, yes, a million times yes to this! I remember having to carefully explain to a “helpful” sales girl once that I can’t buy the tiny running shorts because I’d end up with welts on my thighs.
I finally found some sorts with built in ones that were a reasonable length, but why should I have to settle for that? It is one of the few things where you really can’t just buy the men’s version, and it is so aggravating!
It doesn’t hold up for any real sports for me, but in every day life where you have comfy shorts and your skin still touches, monistat makes an anti chafing gel that is some kind of magic. Welt free for a whole Disney trip.
That monistat chafing gel is a lifesaver (thighsaver?). I keep a tube in my purse at all times so I can wear skirts all summer without having to walk in a weird, bowlegged manner because my thighs rub too much when it’s hot out. It’s a little weird that you have to go to the lady care section of the pharmacy to get it instead of keeping it with the gold bond, but as long as i can get it I don’t care if I have to get a pharmacist to get a key and unlock the condom cabinet to get it.
No one tell them, but I’d pay $$$$$ for a super version that did hold up under sports sway sweat.
Bodyglide’s not bad. It seems to last better than gel – I can hike all day *in a skirt* *in summer* (because I can’t find any shorts that are comfortable…).
A thumbs up for bodyglide from this woman. Please note that they sell a pink version that is functionally identifical but one third smaller than the blue version FOR THE SAME PRICE
A lot of people I know swear by vaseline.
Yup. Vaseline.
I just searched the Boots website to see if a similar product was available in the UK (wearing skirts in summer hurts so much). I found two products which both explictly advertise themselves as “for men”. Why? http://www.boots.com/en/Champneys-For-Men-Anti-Ch… http://www.boots.com/en/Below-The-Belt-Grooming-For-Men-Sports-Lubricant-100ml_1707376/
Its driving me crazy how hard it is to find any of these anti-chafing products in the UK! Europeans get chub-rub too! The US seems to have so many options and we have… bepanthen?
Boots do Lanacane in most shops. It works pretty well, but I find it needs frequent reapplying. Runner’s Need and Wiggle both do Bodyglide (as mspym says, do not buy the pink one!)
SECONDED WITH EXTREME PREJUDICE
Yes, god! I’m also really serious about my sun exposure- why do I want more skin out in the air?
HELLO, HI. Walked into the Chrome store, found out they no longer sell women’s cycling clothing. They told me I could buy men’s and have it tailored though! That’s great but man am I tired of being asked to give money to companies that won’t even acknowledge that I exist, I rode my bike here, which also exists.
Even when there’s a men’s and women’s version of a cycling pant, the women’s version doesn’t have the features that make it a great cycling pant, like a place for your lock or four-way stretch in the knees.
Ugggh I am Officially Fed Up with Chrome. Between no longer stocking women’s clothing and the stunt they pulled last year and the non-apology after it, I’m done with them as a company. Which sucks, because their bags are genuinely great and they’re a local business.
What stunt? I was just fantasizing about getting a Chrome bag yesterday 🙁
They ran a sales promotion during NY fashion week that featured topless women in nothing but Chrome shoes, shorts, & bags handing out flyers. The Women’s Bike Messenger association (& other women cyclists) were very upset about this, as women bike messengers already have to face a lot of stereotypes & negativity from the industry. They released a non-apology apology (http://www.chromeindustries.com/nycpromo) but idk, it wasn’t good enough for me. But YDY, their bags are high-quality & locally made; my stance is not necessarily right for everyone.
That is super gross. I think we broke their non-apology web page, though!
I’m also disappointed to see squarestateknitter’s comment that they don’t work with boobs – that would be a dealbreaker.
The bags are amazing–I had some that I bought before this kerfuffle that are going strong. I have mixed feelings, because I bought them before I decided not to rep Chrome anymore, but they’re holding up so well that I feel ridiculous not using them.
Also, if you hate Chrome but love good quality stuff, Chrome’s sister store Kavu DOES make stuff for women and it’s awesome.
Yes! I’m not a cyclist, so I’m not familiar with Chrome as a brand (actually, at its first mention here, I initially thought we were talking about the browser, and was confused), but I bought this Kavu purse a little over a year ago, and I absolutely adore it. The fabric is sturdy, it’s bright and colorful, it’s roomy and has a lot of pockets but still looks compact, and it’s clear that it was designed thoughtfully. Plus, as a 5’0″ woman, the adjustable strap length is actually adjustable, so that the bag can rest comfortably just above my hip and not bounce around while I’m walking, and the metal adjuster thing (the buckle looking thing on the strap, Idk the actual term for it) is sturdy and strong, so the strap isn’t slowly going back to being long. And the crossbody strap rests comfortably on my chest. 5 stars, would recommend
so frustrated with Chrome- wanted one of their ultra-cool sick bags that last forever… and all the messenger bags had straps that WOULD NOT work with boobs. Mine aren’t even big! I’m a 36C, wear a 12-ish, they’re not getting in anyone’s way. Except for chrome.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I legit did not know that bike shorts with vulva-appropriate padding existed. But it sounds like they’re pinkwashed and so bad for dysphoria, nooooo. 🙁
Yeah the dysphoria thing is a definitely consideration for me. I haven’t had it come up in my bike shop existence, but it’s definitely something I think about, and hope to approach sensitively should it come up.
As per the padded shorts, yeah, the padding really is in a different place; I tried wearing men’s shorts because I hate pink, and it was really different and didn’t pad things that needed padding.
And besides the shorts, lots of things about “women’s” bikes (geometry and design-wise I mean) aren’t, you know, just for women. Anyone with, say, small hands or longer legs proportionate to their torso can benefit from these designs.
I keep trying to get my dad to try my Townie because I think he would like the upright position and not having to hike his leg over a 3ft tall bar to mount, but he refuses because the step-through style is Too Girlie and i’m like Dad. your back. your knees. This isn’t even a girl bike color: it’s unisex green and yellow! (like, not even lime green or aqua and daffodil – it’s straight up grass green and sort of sour banana)
I work in a bike shop and have to deal with this attitude all the time! Even though our city has a very popular bike share where all the bikes are the Dutch step-through style, often male patrons at my shop can’t bear the thought of even trying a “girl bike.”
As a kid, I was always baffled by the fact that the step-through style was the girls’ style. Having ridden a ‘boy’s’ bike a few times and had the unpleasant experience of braking too hard and sliding onto the crossbar, I concluded that this would be EVEN WORSE if you had testicles.
On top of that, I keep getting SO much side-eye from people when I talk about my Townie. “So, it’s basically a cruiser?” is the usual statement with the implication that cruiser-type bikes aren’t serious bikes for real bikers. Except my friends with narrow-tube street bikes can’t go on wood trails with me, and I find that anything that doesn’t allow me to sit start upright gives me major between-the-shoulder pain.
Luckily of the 2 bike shops I use, one is a beach shop so specializes in Trek and Electra and beach cruisers, and the other has been 100% about riding what makes you happy. (They keep adult trikes on hand next to all the racing bikes!)
They’re mostly not pinkwashed these days! My bike shorts (from Cannondale) are plain black and come down past mid-thigh, and that’s not at all uncommon (men’s shorts tend to be a bit longer, I think, and European shorts also tend to be somewhat longer). Jerseys tend to be pinker and more floral, though, with (in my experience) too-narrow shoulders. You might want to check out wiggle.com — they’re based in the UK, but it doesn’t take much to get free shipping to the US. They (naturally) have twice as many choices for men as for women, but their selection is still better than (say) REI or most random bike shops.
Unfortunately, technical cycling clothing tends to be pretty form-fitting (the more technical, the more fitted); I’m not sure how that will interact with your dysphoria. I’d suggest looking for stuff labelled “club cut”. Maybe shorts plus a technical t-shirt? There are also a few companies selling padded cycling boxers, including female-specific designs.
This might sound weird, but so long as the colors aren’t super femme then form fitting is fine. Most of what triggers mine is how I’m treated socially, not the way my body is, which unfortunately means I have to watch my color choices. (I love magenta but it’s a quick route to ma’amville.) For tops, I probably have to buy men’s anyway – my shoulders are very very broad, and bound to get worse as I start lifting weights again. 😀
I think I shall investigate the woman-owned bike shop in town and see what they have shorts-wise tho. Partner and I want to start biking again, and your shorts sound perrrrfect so… Maybe I’ll get lucky in meatspace. Thank you for the reassurance! My junk is grateful.
Good luck! I have narrow hips and wide shoulders so I had to try every bike store in town before I found a pair of shorts that fit. If you have trouble with waistbands digging in, you can also try bib shorts (but they make peeing trickier, the straps don’t always work with breasts, and torso length matters; I haven’t bothered). But since I’m about 5 feet tall, it’s easier for me to leave the jersey zip a few inches open than to try to make the men’s work (there’s not much kids’ bike clothing out there, and the quality’s pretty lousy).
I do understand what you mean: I feel so much more psychologically comfortable when I know “women’s” means the design is functional for my body type and not that I’m supposed to be a decorative afterthought. Castelli is pretty good on this front, but their clothing is stupidly expensive (and the sizing is Italian-typically small).
If you’re looking for bikes, too, I’d recommend checking out Bianchi and Giant, in addition to Trek, Specialized, and Cannondale. They both have pretty compact geometry, and the colors are gender-neutral. I’m annoyed at Trek for cutting their entry-level road bikes in small women’s sizes a few years ago. I have a Specialized from about 7-8 years ago, and it’s uncomfortably purple (I needed a bike on short notice…) but more recent years have looked more neutral.
Super late to this thread, but Performance Bike’s house brand does shorts in 5″, 7″, and 9″ inseams. They are plain black with no feminine styling touches at all, just a reflective logo on the hem. They are my go-to plain bike shorts. And I also have very broad shoulders and I have a couple of women’s Garneau jerseys which fit well and have really unisex style lines (no curvy waistline, no boob seams, etc). I hope you find some options you like!
I got this amazing pair of “baggy” shorts from Fox (haha they are only baggy if you don’t have thigh muscles which, I am cyclist, so, …??) and they have this ghastly pink flower just on one leg. I mean, whyyyy…. Ughh. Specialized seems to be really dreadful on the whole teal and pink thing, in my experience.
Hahaha. You might really enjoy this review of Fox “baggy” shorts I did years ago: http://geargals.com/fox-diva-bike-shorts/
Do you have shorts from wiggle? I recently ordered from them and was just really surprised by their size chart. I have never needed an XL in bike shorts, but it seemed like I needed UK 16 (their biggest size). So I can’t help but wonder how accurate that size chart is.
I have a pair of tights from them (their house brand is dhb) in size 8. They fit pretty well, even a little loose in the hips (mine are 32-33″, the size chart says 31-32.5″). But yeah, a lot of British cycling brands seem to skew smaller than American brands, and smaller than the corresponding size for British street clothes (I’m an American, living in London at the moment). I’m not really sure why. This is great for me, but not so great for lots of other people…
I would LOVE a pair of pink women’s biking shorts (bright pink, not Barbie pink). I had a pair of blue ones in the late 1990s and until this current year, I had yet to see women’s biking shorts that were in any color than black. Or mostly black.
To be fair, light-colored cycling shorts can really look obscene, so they don’t really mass-produce them.
It’s really easy to find non-pinkwashed shorts these days! Most shorts are black and don’t have random ‘feminine’ touches like a flower or ~swirl~ (god I hate you Pearl Izumi); it’s the jerseys that can be a problem. You got some other great replies so I just wanted to throw in this– Twin Six is a great indie bike company (the most affordable indie) that makes the exact same stuff for men & women. I don’t mean unisex, I mean almost all their prints come in men’s and women’s jerseys. ETA: actually a ton of indie cycling clothing makers do this, but most are just soo expensive.
Oh man, sports bras and bra tops for a 32F. I do aerial work, so I don’t need a lot of bounce protection like a runner would, but I do need my tits to not fall out when I’m upside-down. Finding bras that fit my size and don’t look like goddamn armor is almost impossible. I end up relying on the fact that sports bras accommodate a lot of swish, and wear a lot of D and “large”.
Fellow 32 D-F here- it’s a hell of a size to fit bras to. Especially sports bras. One of the only ones I could find clamps my boobs so hard to my chest I get cramps if I run hard. But it’s the only one I could find!
If you can get past the glossy-lipped sexy-babe sales campaign, I’ve had success with Victoria’s Secret Knockout Front-Close bra. It’s a shaped-cup bra that snaps in front, topped with a fabric panel that zips over it. Good colors, varying backs (strappy, racerback) and every once in a while they throw a $25-for-one sale if you sign up for their email list. I’m a 32-34DD and have been told that the DDD will work with an F cup.
I tried one of those on as a 32 F and broke the zipper instantly.
I feel your pain. They’re an investment, but Chantelle sports bras are really great for larger busted ladies like myself. I’m a 38F. They have a good return policy, so you can order and try on and return if you need to.
Some nice bras have been mentioned in response but they all still look like friggin’ armor.
The lack of adequate sports bras for big boobs is a not-insignificant part of my reduced sportsing of late. 🙁
My first post! I highly recommend Decent Exposures for anyone with breasts. Their sizing is a bit odd, but their return policy is wonderful. And they do have bras for just about every body size.
https://decentexposures.com/
I find their bras to be very, very comfortable. Though I don’t spend much time upside down and can’t vouch for that, they may be worth checking out. I get the cotton/lycra blend, and I find them very supportive (I’m 40E).
I’m here to recommend Enell sports bras. 34GG here, and you can ignore the “sizing” info that Enell gives you because it’s shit. I wear their 2 or 3, depending on how tender my boobs are, and I do not move at all. Yeah, the bras aren’t cute, they look like armor, they’re on the pricey side, but if you want to run a marathon with a big chest they’re the way to go. And at least they come in a range of colors that include both functional and fun. And they last forever if you take care of them (hand wash, line dry).
Also 32F!
Moving Comfort makes a nice, “These ladies aren’t going anywhere” bra, as does ShockAbsorber (which used to be sold in Victoria’s Secret).
This is a little late, but the Elomi Energise is my go-to. It’s not glamorous, but it does keep things in place.
36HH approved!
I live in Portland, which is a great place otherwise for outdoor gear; but Nike, REI, Patagonia, etc, in all of those stores there is next to nothing in plus sizes. Columbia Sportswear is the only athletic apparel place I’ve found that carries a decent amount of plus size styles, and even then they could use improvement.
Totally agree.
The following is not helpful to most Toastfolk, but I would like to recommend Corinne Dennis Cycle Wear for UK-based people. Her stuff is very high quality and comes in UK sizes 8–20.
Wow, you are taking me back! I began bicycling in the 1980s when cycling clothes for women were apparently not invented yet (it was before the internet so I only had my town’s sole bike store to judge by). Fortunately for me, my body type was basically skinny Italian guy, so I could get by. I remember how weird it was to see cycling clothes for women for the first time. This year I bought a helmet that is specifically designed to work with a ponytail. I believe my exact words were, “Phhht, this is such a marketing gimmick OH MY GOD THAT’S COMFORTABLE!”
OH DANG what is the brand on your helmet? I’ve been cavalierly NOT wearing a helmet 100% because they hurt with a ponytail, and a braid or low bun is too sweaty (too many loose hairs to move out of my face).
I really need a helmet. One of the places I ride is known in the neighborhood as Dead Man’s Curve because cars fly through blindly and when it’s wet they skid (it’s also one of the steepest hills in the region, though that’s not saying much, it is Florida and all), and I would feel much safer if I had head protection. Not that I will bike that route if it’s remotely wet.
Specialized makes ponytail-compatible helmets!
XOXOXOXO
I’m looking them up right away!
It is a Specialized! It is so comfy. I had no idea how much discomfort I was putting up with until I got this one (looking at you, cute but uncomfortable Bern commuter helmet).
My Louis Garneau helmet accommodates a ponytail. The thing in the back that you use to adjust band tightness is on a hinge.
Ugh, yes. I do a lot of cycling and have had a broad range of experiences, but most of them skew towards being patronised. I did manage to buy a road bike last year (A Fuji Finest) that’s black/blue. The other colour option was grey/pink. I had to get the black/blue one online, and the guy in the shop was surprised I didn’t want a pink bike, but whatever.
About 90% of my regular cycling group are men, and about half over 50. Most of the younger dudes are latino or black but the old men are all white, for some reason. The older dudes are also the ones making comments that they think are encouraging, like “you ride well for a girl!” or comparing me to other women. They’re aware of the gender disparity and would like to see more women ride, but it also infuriates me when they treat me differently. Sometimes they ride with me most of my way home from a ride because they don’t want me riding home alone at 9pm, but I hate that too, although admittedly I’m a recent immigrant and tend to assume everywhere is safe because that’s what it was like where I was raised. But still, I’m on a bike! Who’s gonna come after me that I can’t just ride away from, other than the exact same dangers (i.e. cars) that all humans are vulnerable to?
But the thing that has made me maddest is trying to swap out some components on my drive chain and calling up bike shops in the area asking if they the parts I was after, and various mechanics assuming I have no idea what I’m talking about. I have to get so specific with various bike mechanic acronyms and terms to try communicate to these dudes that I know what I’m talking about. It’s probably the same problem women have with car mechanics, but I don’t have a car so it’s my first time experiencing it. I’ve been patronised to so thoroughly I’ve desperately wanted to do something about it, but ended up feeling kind of helpless. All I can do is try take my money elsewhere. I did have to give my cellphone number to a bike shop that was going to get back to me, and they texted me to say they couldn’t get the part, but maybe the problem was that I wasn’t good enough at riding my bike, and I could instead pay them to train me.
I don’t wear cycling apparel, and just ride in street clothes, and I can’t imagine how much angrier I’d get if I had to endure that sexism, too.
I have a custom-made road bike with a 62.5 cm frame. In order to make the bike for me, the lovely amazing bike builder measured every part of my body in every way you can think of and some you probably can’t. I am 100% certain that the frame/configuration/etc is the correct one for me. But when I went to get a regular bike for every day (like errands and to ride to campus, because no fucking way am I taking my nice bike even if I leave it in my office) the idiot dude in the bike shop COULD NOT BELIEVE that a woman wanted to start trying bikes that had a 62 cm frame and started explaining to me why I wanted something smaller. My favorite part was when he started going on about women’s short arms and legs. I was taller than the dude by at least 4 inches, and my legs are longer than my husband’s. My husband is 5 inches taller than I am. Don’t tell me about women’s little short legs, you fool.
Uhhhh I’m really sorry if you thought I was making proscriptive comments about the shapes of women’s bodies. My point was actually that the quote-unquote “women’s geometry” isn’t only applicable to women.
Oh no, sorry, that’s not what I meant at all! I’m more just generally complaining about dudes who work in bike shops not taking the time with their female customers that they take with their male customers, and then not believing their female customers could possibly know what they want or what bike configuration works best for them. And really, getting the guy to believe me when I told him that my inseam is 36″ took way longer than it should have. And the thing is, if I hadn’t had that custom bike made for me I would have had no clue and would probably have taken that dude’s advice. But once you’ve ridden a bike that’s built to fit you in every possibly way it’s really clear when something just doesn’t fit.
Oooohhhh gotcha, sorry I see now you were ranting at like, the general bike shop dude “you”! I am sorry for the crap the bike dude gave you. I wish all of you lovely toasts could come to my shop or another shop staffed by women. It’s just so incredibly frustrating. I’ve been cycling, mostly mountain biking, since oh, 98 (guys I had a Moral Stance against suspension forks for a really long time), and in many ways it’s not all that much better.
But let’s move on to the really important question– What type of custom bike did you get?
This is my bike! Winter Bicycles, run by Eric Estlund. He makes amazing bikes that are both beautiful and functional.
I work in a bike shop too (and run wom*n’s only DIY repair nights!) and I also extend an open invitation to any toastitos who have had bad experiences with Bike Shop Dudes to come on by! I still have those bad experiences myself in other shops (and with some male patrons of my own shop for that matter), where I’m forced to participate in some weird bike-knowledge dick-measuring contest in order to be taken seriously.
OMG the availability of bibs. Even though I’ve found a few pairs that I like, I am so, so sick of seeing brand after brand that doesn’t make women’s bibs. I get that they think there’s no/little market, but jesus christ give it a chance. ARGH.
STRONGEST AGREE POSSIBLE. I am a tall woman and I’m pretty much out of luck every time.
My climbing harness is magenta and also doesn’t fit. The clerk laughed when I asked if they had anything that would fit me but also run long.
My hiking pants lack the built-in belt and, yes, pockets the men’s model gets.
The only snow pants in the store that fit me are made of a fashion-y fabric and are also pink.
Indefinitely Wild asked commenters for suggestions for good gear for tall women and the answer overwhelmingly was, “Haha you can’t,” or, “Buy something very expensive and Scandinavian.”
Climbing harnesses fit so weird. Mine is a women’s harness (in teal, natch) and while on the widest buckle settings, it barely fits over my hips and butt, I have to tighten it to the narrowest setting for it to fit at my waist, and I’m not even particularly curvy.
“Buy something very expensive and Scandinavian.” That’s just solid life-advice, right there.
YESSSSS. SO MUCH AGREE!
I wear men’s packs because women’s packs are always too short. Always. As in, “stop arguing with me, helpy salesperson, because I don’t care about how it molds to big womanly hips (which you do not seem to have noticed I do not have). It is. Too. Short.” I have so, so much sympathy for women who have the height AND the hips because wow, it is bad enough with just one of those.
I have written so many letters to so many companies. Give me longer sleeves! Give me shirts that reach past my belly button! Give me pants that have long inseams, and for that matter, shorts too! Give me pockets! Whyyyyyy did you embroider butterflies and flowers all over a fleece jacket, compressing down the fleece, when you KNOW that takes away all the insulating ability??
I want to DO THINGS in my clothes. How hard is that to understand?
Longer sleeves! I want a women’s-fit long-sleeved cycling jersey that 1) covers my lower back when I’m in aero and 2) has sleeves that do not stop 4 inches up my forearms. First company that makes one will get all my money. For hiking gear, I can sometimes get away with shirts that have thumbholes, because then the sleeves come all the way to my wrists. (The thumbholes are obviously useless to me.)
Bear in mind that web site is run by a guy who was in such histrionics about his puffy coat looking unflattering that he had it taken in by a seamstress.
I can’t stand that stupid web site.
Thank you for this. My coworkers and I constantly lament the lack of women’s gear and the stupid colors it always comes in. I am so tired of teal and purple. Also women’s fit seems to be designed by men. They always forget things like boobs and hips.
In brighter news, Grundens, a supplier of commercial fishing raingear finally came out with women’s’ specific garments. They are the same bright orange of the men’s gear, just fit for women. They tested it on the many commercial fishing women around the US and now it’s on the market. So if the dudebro land of commercial fishing is changing, maybe there is hope.
Teal and purple! This has been the way at REI since the ’80s. At least those colors were Miami Vice fashionable at the time. At least as a middling-size woman, I had the option of buying men’s gear and making slight alterations (I sewed up the fly on many pairs of thermal underwear).
My first wetsuit was pink. And I could not find any waders to fit my feet back then; I wound up buying ones large enough that I could wear with shoes on underneath.
Waders! I forgot about those. Now, at least, Patagonia and Simms make so stuff that doesn’t make me barf.
I would kill for red, orange, blue, or green gear.
ORANGE. All I have wanted for the last two years is a gigantic, puffy, orange, down jacket. I found exactly two companies making orange jackets for women and on one the fabric was so sheer that I could see each individual feather on the inside and the other was so boxy that it made me look like Kenny on South Park. Can I please have some orange or lime green gear??
Buying waders as a woman with both hips and small feet was horrific. I’m still so thankful for the Cabela’s employee who spent an afternoon bringing me every possible pair to try on. I still didn’t get a pair that fit but I got a pair that “fit.” If they ever tear I’m going to cry.
Yup, from my experience the color options are teal/sky blue or pink/purple. So much that a friend & I frequently say “teal: the active woman’s pink!” Recently I wanted to buy a pair of casual bike shoes and my options were a) Chrome, a company that had run a campaign during NY fashion week with topless women handing out flyers (and they didn’t apologize/didn’t recognize the sexism in that campaign) or b) DZR, whose smallest size was still too big. I ended up getting a pair of casual-ish Giros but they’re still not quite what I wanted.
I have too many teal items because I don’t like pink and this comment made me laugh out loud.
I was also sitting here thinking about my running clothes and aside from a few black leggings, basically everything is either teal or purple!!! How did I never realize that before???
I like teal but I would LOVE a pair of outdoor sports shoes in a different color someday…
Saaaame….
Ahhahahahaha oh my godddd the teallllllll
My shop is a Specialized shop and it’s seriously just so teal. SO TEAL.
Wait, so is teal one of those girly things that we should be over by now? Dammit.
I am lucky in that I actually like teal (it is one of my Two Colors and I have things other than running gear in it) but oh my god everything I own is teal, it’s become a running joke and I totally did not intend that pun
running joke
ISWYDT
Yep, me too! which is the redeeming factor to me in all this I guess
Teal! All my climbing gear is teal because the only other option was purple. Between the teal and the velcro I feel like I’m wearing toddler shoes. (There are unisex climbing shoe options, but I have low volume feet.)
Ugh, yes to all of this especially: “As much as pink puffy vests infuriate me, I know they’re just the most visible aspect of harmful, pervasive attitudes that insist that women are less capable of handling themselves in the wild.”
I usually just buy men’s gear, and I’m lucky because I have a body type that fits into a lot of men’s cuts but it frustrates me to no end that I usually have to settle for second best or something that doesn’t fit quite right.
Also, outdoor/backpacking/nature magazines ALWAYS prioritize men’s gear/perspective to an infuriating degree. If you look at ‘gear of the year’ type editions you’re lucky to find 1/4 of the gear aimed at women.
It’s the same thing in surfing. Every time they run a “wetsuit” or “board shorts” issue, they should tack on “for Men” too, because there is nary a women’s option to be seen.
There is usually a picture of a shirtless woman, though. Because, y’know, that’s relevant.
Yeah, ofc women are only there as eye candy (*rage screaming*)
They did this with the new US Soccer jerseys, where the only fit you can get in a woman’s size is an incredibly deep v-neck cut b/c we all know what USSF/Nike/FIFA want from their female athletes
Aaaahhhh THIS. I love my sports teams, I love my sports apparel. But it does not seem to occur to the clothing designers that that women supporting their teams might not (a) be teeny tiny or (b) want to emphasize their boobs. I’m a curvy 5’4″, generally wear a size 8-10, and it’s not at all uncommon for me to need a 2XL in tops — seriously! What are all the women bigger than me wearing? (Oh yeah, ill-fitting men’s tees. That’s right.) Also it has a deep v-neck and probably lettering across the shirt designed to make my boobs look even bigger than they are. Don’t help me.
I’ve begun to suspect that some of it is an attempt to allay male consumer’s fear of accidentally buying women’s gear and thereby being turned into women themselves (which hardly ever happens, and even more rarely by accident). It’s got to be financially counterproductive–I would buy the hell out of some Marvel Under Armour gear, but the only comics gear for the UA sportsbra crowd is Wonder Woman schmattes–but enforcing the gender binary seems to be the rule of the day.
The exception, of course, is horseback gear: You can get sparkly pink stuff if you want it, but it’s not the default. Go figure: When women are perceived to be the default consumers, we get more options.
I saw Marvel workout gear at Kohl’s yesterday, but didn’t investigate closely enough to see the brand. FWIW. ETA: Please read “Marvel” as “Captain America”
Yes! I wore Cap leggings to yoga last night and it amused me greatly.
The Kohl’s line is from Her Universe, which is a great women’s geek gear company run by a Star Wars voice actress. And they also have a full plus-size line for the workout gear, I think.
They actually have Black Widow stuff in this collection too, which made me very happy.
A Star Wars voice actress whose husband used to be a scrappy baseball player! I didn’t realize her line had made it into a real brick & mortar shop!
Unfortunately, although I want to love Her Universe, their “plus sizes” are kind of ridiculous. According to the size chart for their cuter nerdy stuff, their 5X is smaller than most brands’ 2X.
Looking at Kohl’s site, it looks like the workout gear uses different sizing, where 3X is the largest size and is slightly larger than their usual 5X but still smaller than anyone else’s 2X.
WHAT WHAT WHAT !??? I would wear the hell out of captain america leggings!! Kohl’s, you say?
LOL at “hardly ever happens”
Yes. All of this. Outdoor work is part of my academic job, and all my field gear is men’s. Half of that reason is because I simply can’t find good women’s field gear. The other half is I get taken much more seriously and get way fewer gross comments when I’m wearing men’s gear.
Oh god yeah I forgot (had blocked out) the trials of trying to find some sort of sturdy pants/overalls that can accommodate hips/boobs, because the default Carhart that my company provided definitely did not.
Try doing your job putting out structure fires when your department only has men’s gear to give you. Not only that, but men’s gear made for a man 6″ taller than you and with a 7″ bigger waist.
the people who design women’s hiking pants have never seen or met a woman
Two monks design outdoor gear?
Gear Designer One: so do women… have muscles in their legs?
Gear Designer Two: Nope, straight from hip to ankle, no need to accommodate for anything extra
Gear Designer One: ok, so the hips should be very straight and the rise should be low
Gear Designer Two: Yep, you’ve got it! And cut the pockets extra short.
Gear Designer Two: And women love wearing thongs the best so make sure the back seam goes right up the butt. No more, more up the butt.
WHY IS THE RISE SO LOW!?!
Dammnit guys I need to hang a rock hammer off these things the waistband needs to be slightly ABOVE my butt crack
Gear Designer Three: You guys, I asked my girlfriend, and she says she’d go hiking with me as long as she looks cute. So we’re on the right track. All women only want to look cute.
..and suddenly a lightbulb went off in my head. That’s why my hiking pants are so tight in the thighs! I’ve never experienced the usual woman lifter’s problem of “oh noes these pants are too loose in the waist but too tight on my butt and thighs” because I don’t have a small waist or any hips to speak of, which is why I find the fit of my hiking pants so strange. This all makes so much sense now.
They also seem to assume we want either skin-tight yoga pants or grossly unflattering mom-jean-style high-waisted pants. No in between.
THAT SAID my favourite hiking/camping pants ever are the Monarch from Prana. They cost 90-goddamn-Canadian-dollars, but they are worth it (end of season sales, I’m lookin’ at you). I have the convertible ones and MY GOD THEY FIT AND FLATTER! The same can be said for no other convertible pant I have ever tried, and I have tried many variations of Columbia, REI, MEC, and North Face pants with the snap or button that sits right at belly height and REFUSES to stay done up and the hideously voluminous ass and leg area. I am over them forever.
They seem to have made the legs more flared in the most recent version, which isn’t ideal (I lost ONE of the zip-off legs for my perfect pair from like six years ago. They work as capris, but I’d rather have the option of pants). I’ve had good luck with Prana jeans too; I wear their skinny jeans to death because they are comfy and stretchy and not too tight but manage to stay up without a belt… I suspect they just secretly used me for their body model.
(I can’t speak for how they fit large thighs though, I don’t have those.)
I have large thighs (I row crew), and I am a short curvy lady, and those skinny jeans are BALLER. The waist is a smidge tighter than my preference and I do need to get them hemmed because I’m short. BUT DAMN. They are excellent and comfy.
Yeah they are on the expensive end of my pants-buying tolerance, but I just paid full price for a new pair after wearing a hole in the inner thigh/crotch area of my old pair because I wore them probably every other day for like two years. They fit me more perfectly than any other jean ever.
as a treat I once bought myself Prana climbing pants on sale for $50. I wore them at least 3 times a week, April to November, for climbing, gardening, and whatever, for SIX YEARS. The crotch wore through and I can’t for the life of me find another pair like them. I still can’t throw them away, though. I loved those capris.
Without exception I find that when I do locate a pair of pants I love that fit correctly and last a long time, the manufacturer stops making them.
YESSSSSSS. I gave up on convertible pants because they were clearly designed by aliens who had never seen a woman, and possibly never even a human.
And not just outdoor gear, obviously. I can’t tell you how hard I had to look for a pair of women’s grappling gloves that weren’t pink. I tried little boy sizes because my hands are pretty small, but the palm/finger ratios didn’t feel right. I finally found a pair (by Harbinger, if anyone’s in the market), but damn it took a while.
I need a new pair of weightlifitng gloves (the ones with wrist braces) and I’m dreading it. My hands are teensy.
I feel you – I’ve been trying forever to find proper protective gloves for sword fighting practice that allows me flexibility AND protects my fingers from, well, steel AND are not too large. We have the added disadvantage that there’s no company that sells specialized gloves for historical sword fighting, so the guys in my group (of course, they’re all guys) have settled on ice hockey gloves – but those, apparently, don’t come in women’s sizes. It’s maddening.
Thankfully, gear for horseback riding seems to be ahead of the curve here! You’re awash in a sea of technical fabrics that only come in navy, hunter green, or beige. It’s wonderful!
Has the ‘matchy matchy’ phenomenon crossed the pond to you guys yet? Here it is really taking off – having your saddlepad, horse’s bandages, the bling in your browband, and your gilet (which you *have* to wear, all matching, and your breeches matching with the contrasting trim on your saddlepad.
It is all VERY SERIOUS trying to figure out what to wear for a lesson.
Don’t be silly, the yanks invented matchy matchy and having your ‘colours’. They even buy fabric hangings for their stables at shows!!
YES the matchy matchy can reach insane heights! Not just your and your horses’s “clothes,” but also your trunk, your saddle/boot/bridle cover, your fabric hangings for temp stalls at shows, your parents’ windbreakers… everything! It’s absurd. Thankfully it doesn’t seem to be as bad for everyday lessons, although I’m sure we’re getting there.
I was going to say horse riding gear as well! The market is huge and lucrative and assumed to be female, to the point that I know male riders who complain about the lack of options for them!!
My only complaint about riding gear is that it’s designed for very petite women! I don’t think I’ve ever found jods over a UK 16! And most schooling tops/shirts and jackets are always cut too short or narrow for me, half the time the shirts might as well be tissue paper! When I was riding full time I just bought regular polo shirts and ski jacket.
Footwear and glove options are nice though!!
Tall boots for 16″ calves are thin on the ground, that’s for sure.
Try tredstep or ariat gaiters, much more options; I’m 15/16w and 18t with skinny ankles, I’ve never worn a pair of tall boots in my life and learned to make do with paddock boots and gaiters! Tbh these days I prefer them because you get a tighter fit on the ankles, nothing worse than baggy ankles!!
I’ve written this down for if I get back to riding again; thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m evangelica about gaiters, so many people don’t realize there’s an option between suede chaps and I’ll fitting tall boots if you’re not matchstick legged, and custom boots are a ripe off unless you’re a pro!
Tredstep have the most options for sizing, they do almost every combination of width and length, ariast do s/m/l tall/reg in various combinations that take some figuring out (I jsut got the close contact chaps, took me ages to figure out my size!). But tredstep quality is not the best lately so they don’t really stand up to a beating like multiple horses a day
If only I could fit in boys clothes. I’m a gnc human who generally wears men’s clothes but built to make my Scottish ancestors proud–men’s gear is frequently too big (I’m looking at you, boxy REI clothes!) and it is a struggle to find any “women’s” gear that doesn’t have a butterflies and flowers. Patagonia carries extra small men’s gear and has been my go-to outdoorsing brand.
Related: I went to a columbia store a couple weeks ago: I found a single mountain hardware jacket in navy that fit me. There was another raincoat I looked at that came in taupe, pink, pastel teal AND had only two extra-small versions of it in a dark blue. I think perhaps the market was telling them something, there.
This is what I don’t get. How do they see the dark colors selling out, the pinks go untouched…and then conclude, “well, clearly women didn’t WANT any gear!”
no, you just misjudged your market, and didn’t buy enough in the colors that women *actually* want, and so when they went to look they had nothing they could purchase!
This is a great article about an issue that hits really close to me as a female skiier. One of my favorite new startups is Coalition Snow. Their tagline is the best: “We make women’s skis and snowboards that don’t suck”
In the ski industry women call the method for designing gear “shrink it and pink it” which I feel like a lot of other active women can relate to.
I have a Girl Snowboard. I mean, I like it, and I don’t think it sucks, but it is very, very cute 😉
Same method in the bike industry, for the most part…
Not so helpful for runners, but for people working outdoors: http://redantspants.com/ Tough, comfortable, and fit well. Pricey (well, for me) but from the recommendations that led me to them (thanks biologist Twitter!), I guess they will last long enough to be worth it. Already worth it, because these pants don’t fall down while I’m working AND have plenty of pockets. 🙂
Running, I gave up. I hate pink, fuschia, etc. So I run in jeans or old school sweats (with deep pockets) and t-shirts, with various layers of hoodies and sweatshirts in the winter and men’s baggy shorts and tank tops in the summer and Chuck Taylor style ‘tennis’ shoes all year around. I’m not fashionable on the trail, but like I said, I gave up on women’s hiking/running/outdoor gear.
I do nothing that would justify owning those pants, but I WANT THEM.
Now that MLB makes us go through metal detectors and such to get into a game, I’ve taken to just carrying my phone, keys and a credit card. I have one pair of Kuhl pants with some cargo pockets, but these would be great too. So I bet you could come up with something that makes a $139 pair of pants necessary!! 😉
I swear I didn’t just start to tear up when I read the awesome desc of those pants and saw that THEY HAVE MY SIZE. Almost nobody makes 36-38 waists with a 35″ inseam, let alone in work pants built to fit my damn shape. I am bookmarking this for when I have money again.
Oh, wow, thank you for that link! Bookmarked! *wishing I made more money*
I saw their photos of women shoulder carrying their chainsaws on the front page, and I nearly cried. If I still did sawyer work, I would buy these in a second.
Plus they put on a pretty badass music festival every summer. (I have heard it is badass, I’ve never actually attended it, just looked longingly at the performer list.)
I need those pants and one of their very cute aprons ASAP.
I didn’t know I wanted an apron until I saw them.
I just had a friend recommend Red Ants Pants and I can’t wait to save up and get some. So exciting!
This also reminds me of the Kate Hudson work out clothes line that’s been advertised to Jupiter and back lately, and how it SO infuriates me. (Aside from the rumors that it’s another one of those scams that’s hard to opt out of once you start, which, that’s a whole other thing.)
There’s the one commercial where she’s doing all this badass running and the shaking ropes thing and hardcore work outs — and she just stops the production to say, “Can’t we just tell them how CUTE all the clothes are?”
And then the one where she says, “I think women will really like it because it’s all cute!”
And I’m like — being cute is not my number one concern at ALL TIMES, sometimes I’m more worried about whether or not this sports bra will keep my boobs in place, or if my shoe fits properly. IMAGINE THAT.
Aside from the company she’s working with being notorious scammers, those ads are just plain terrible. And the clothes! Not everyone who wants to work out wants to do it with their entire lower torso exposed, lady.
Well THAT was a terrifying read. Now I’m wondering about all those other hot new subscription services…
Those ads! There’s one that implies that women can’t find colorful workout clothes and like… everything on this page refutes that. If anything, I can’t find enough black/gray workout clothes, which are awesome because (a) no “gendered flourishes,” as the article so aptly puts it, and (b) sweat stains don’t show on black.
(BTW, I’ve had decent success with GapFit for reasonably priced, uncolorful workout gear)
One thing in defense of Fabletics- they are trying to market more towards like, lounge! yoga at home! than they really are towards outdoorsy, hardcore athletics. This month’s options involved a skirt.
my school made us do gym in a skirt. maybe they’re trying to tap into the nostalgia market? :/
AUGH.
I tried that because the first month was really cheap. It’s a pain to cancel, and the quality is unimpressive. That’s on top of the noxious marketing.
oh no! I tried it out this month because a friend of mine who I trust said that everything she’s gotten from them has been great quality :/
“being cute is not my number one concern at ALL TIMES” — I have wanted to get a custom gym shirt made (one that fits my arms and chest properly, and isn’t skin-tight but isn’t man-shirt loose?) and write on it “NOT HERE TO LOOK PRETTY”
I can look pretty later. If I want. Or not. For now, gettin’ shit done.
I want that for everyday wear.
The last time I went for running shoes, I sat awhile contemplating whether it might be OK if I buy these black and neon yellow totally rad-looking shoes that totally did not support my feet right. So, I got the ones that fit, because I love my poor feet and would like to keep them. The shoes are black, pink, purple, and teal…
Yeah, you can pry my Brooks from my cold dead feet, but.
I’ve long been an Brooks Ariel girl but dude. I hate the colors so much. Why can’t we have neutrals? Ever? Black or brown or even gray or silver would be so welcome.
yep, between my teal Brooks and my pink Mizunos, I’m just like… ………
I don’t know what you’re talking about, my Mizunos are. . . bright green and pink. Hmm, that “bright green” is probably teal, isn’t it?
Ah, yes, the Mizuno’s “Atlantis” color. You’re not fooling anyone, Mizuno! 😀
Oh man. The only shoes I can find that fit my weird flipper feet are…gray. My previous pair was…gray. What’s a girl who wants minimalist shoes in bright colors to do??
I have made my peace with running shoes, and have had over the years some really fugly shoes in colors I’d never care to choose for myself. Comfort is key.
In the store trying on Brooks, found the ones that were perfect…except it looked like someone threw-up a rainbow on them. I asked if they come in other colors and the saleswoman looked at me startled and replied “well they come in a gray/silver scheme but i would have to order them and that will probably take a week.” Thanks, I can use my old ones for the week.
Weirdly Nike make the shoes that fit my feet best and my current pair are white with silver. I am dreading replacing them
MEC has traditionally been a bit better than most places about practical non-pink women’s outdoor clothing, at least for the stuff they manufacture themselves. I haven’t bought a lot from them recently, because I don’t go camping much these days and also they don’t carry plus sizes, so I can’t guarantee that they’re still good, but they might be worth checking out.
The new CEO fucked everything up, MEC brand is terrible for pinkifying. And they made the sizes smaller. I’m a broad shouldered afab person, but still pretty slim, and when I worked there I had to wear a men’s uniform because I couldn’t fit into the women’s large.
Patagonia and MPG still have good stuff though, I have a pair of slouchy running shorts from MPG that I love. The pockets have zippers!
Well, damn.
Apparently I will have to actually pay attention the next time they send me info about voting in their elections.
It probably wouldn’t have made a huge difference, the board of directors used to be a bunch of crunchy hippie people, but it got taken over by a bunch of credit union execs and they promptly changed the rules for eligibility so that only big business bros have a chance of getting elected. MEC is a sham, using it’s technical co-op status as a tax haven while they rake in profits like the big business they are. Unfortunately La Cordee is even worse, so they’re the best Canadian option :/
One vote wouldn’t make a huge difference regardless, but still.
To be “fair”, basically NOWHERE carries plus sizes for women. Because active women can’t be tall, or fat, I guess.
Of course not, everyone knows that it’s impossible to be fat unless you literally never move. Since you’ll become thin three minutes after taking one walk around the block, you don’t need activewear.
I just bought some Old Navy shorts for running. They aren’t plus size because Old Navy’s vanity sizing is ridiculous, but it looks like their plus size activewear is mostly the same as their non-plus-size activewear. So that’s great, as long as the only activities you’re interested in are yoga and running.
Yeah, and I don’t even need super high tech gear; I’m a recreational cyclist. I just need stuff that will give good wind protection for like 25 mile rides max; I don’t even really need padded shorts. Just someone give me a top that will cover my entire back without a gap at the waist!!! GAH.
JL Racing — I wear their shirts for crew and they cut the backs nice and long!
MEC’s store brand pants are always the worst fit. Every time I’m like “oooh, green or black sturdy-looking camp pants, and they’re on sale?” and then I try them on and am like “did they even put these on a human?”
I was *required* to wear them for the year I worked there, thank god MEC carries other brands.
I bet your calves are super muscular!
My sons both went through a major tall & skinny phase, when their overlong feet were super narrow, and I was surprised that even in the smaller mens’ shoe sizes that there weren’t a lot of narrow shoes available, so their choices were womens shoes that fit their shape or mens shoes that were too wide. Generally they picked the mens shoes, because they wanted navy or black or grey (they save color for their socks).
And then their feet got even bigger so the only things that fit their length were mens shoes.
So hey!, maybe manufacturers will start to accommodate stork-like 13 year old boys. It seems perverse that they would do something for such a small market segment when they won’t for the entire segment of women, but as biased as the available products are now, it seems like a likelier bet.
A lot of women’s outdoor gear doesn’t just look crassly gendered to me, it looks infantilised. Maybe it’s because of the relentless pinkification of products for girl children, but a lot of the women’s sports products look more like toddler or Barbie outfits than anything relating to grown women.
advertisers think that women who do “masculine things” like walking long distances and moving fast MUST feel ashamed of their crass lack of femininity and want to compensate by dressing like a 9 year old at a beauty pageant.
I am late to this article but I am lapping it up.
Infantilising is exactly what so much of this is.
A few years ago I saw scuba regulators with BABY BLUE and BABY PINK rings of colour on the outside of the mouthpiece. I queried their existence to the bloke behind the counter and he said they didn’t sell well because they had a compromised resale value, ie regs are totally gender-neutral and you could usually re-sell to anyone, male or female. He also said that women liked pink. I just said: “this is baby pink. Women aren’t babies”.
I talk to mainstream outdoor shops about this issue ALL THE TIME and the people on the shopfloor always agree with me (genuinely I think, not just pandering to the mad lady) – they blame the buyers.
As a long torsoed lady this speaks to me. I have a small collection of running shirts that when combined with my running shorts show off my belly which is not ideal. Is the assumption really that women only have short torsos (mind you, I’m not even tall–I’m only 5′ 2″, I just have a longer torso than most women my height) or that we want skimpy shirts to show off our tummies to any *~sexy~* jogger lads who run our way? I do not understand it and when I found longer running tanks at Target i rejoiced at the thought of not flashing oh-so-pale belly and blinding passersby when I’m out for a morning run.
Joe Fresh has some fantastic longer-length exercise tops (I am wearing one right now at the office) that were REVELATIONS for me.
I have a short torso, and yet i have a similar problem — women’s running shirts are all too long or two strangely proportioned, so they emphasize my gut, and I end up running in old cotton tees, instead.
Seriously. I hate the way a fitted, long top looks on me, because it emphasizes exactly what I’m trying to hide.
My problem is the goddamned CLEAVAGE. I don’t even have particularly big boobs, but jeezus every workout tanktop I ever try on is like HI HERE ARE MY BOOBS YOGA INSTRUCTOR, DON’T YOU WANT TO SEE MY BOOBS WHEN I’M IN EVERY POSE?!
Especially the ‘built in bra’ ones. Fuck ’em.
Built-in bras and every damned last tank is racerback style which does not work when you have significant cleavage. I want to cover them UP and not have them fall OUT, thanks very much.
“Built in bra” hahahahahahahaha. Seriously, those things don’t provide enough support for even moderate activity for anyone with over a B or C cup.
Obviously it’s a built-in reflective strip. High-visibility is important for runners!
I ski, and I remember asking the difference between men’s and women’s equipment when I bought my first skis about a decade ago, because I was starting to buy men’s clothes and shoes then. I can’t remember much of the details, but I didn’t get a very satisfactory response. One of the main differences was to accommodate women’s presumed lower centre of gravity. Well, I’m 5′ 9″, definitely not lighter than most men my height, top heavy (that’s where I pack on the weight), with fairly narrow hips and wide shoulders for a woman. Also, I have much longer legs than my male partner, who is about the same height. But despite standing right in front of them, I still got the “women have a lower centre of gravity” line.
I went to refresh my memory of the difference in ski equipment. Here’s one I read:
https://www.skis.com/Ski-Equipment-%7C-Men's…
Women’s skis:
-lighter, so “easier to turn”
-different construction to produce “softer flexing and easier to turn to compensate for a woman’s lighter weight”
-shorter turn radius to help “you control your speed better as well as making the skis easier to maneuver”, something only us ladies want apparently
Boots:
-fit based on women being lighter, smaller, more “delicate” (except our low-hanging calf muscles), having shorter legs, and not being as strong:
“Manufacturers realized that women are generally lighter than men and have shorter legs, making it more difficult for women to get the appropriate leverage to bend a stiff boot.”
-Also, the ladies need better thermal properties in their liners. Wanting to keep feet warm and toasty is a gender specific desire, I guess.
LOLsob ” Very aggressive female skiers often choose men’s skis because they construction styles make them stiffer and more challenging to ski. This is only recommended if the woman is confident in her skiing technique and always stays over the tips of the skis. ”
Then I read this one:
“http://backcountrymagazine.com/stories/womens-specific-female-focused-skis-necessity-preference/”
“… there is little biomechanical gain to be had from using a ski that is marketed as female specific, whether the skier is at a recreational or advanced level.”
““A lot of women’s skis are watered down,” he adds. “Companies assume women are not strong or skiing aggressively.””
Yup.
so interesting. comparing skis with snowboards, I really prefer using a woman-specific board – I’m almost 5’8″ but skinny, and all of the men’s boards I’ve ridden have seemed too wide – like the right length for my height is too deep, as if designed for much bigger feet than mine. same for boots – my feet are really narrow and mens boots are like giant rowboats on my feet.
that said, I have noooo doubt that all of these companies cheerfully alternate between ignoring/exploiting women.
ugh, gross, to sum it up: YEP “girls don’t do sports” and if they do, heaven forbid we treat them as seriously and take into account their bodies and their needs. even snowpants! even coats! dear god I finally bought a new snowboarding coat this winter and it was so hard to find something that fit/wasn’t hideous/had all the pockets that I wanted.
*sigh*
Ugh to all your quotes :-(. I have women’s skis and I’ve never really thought about it before – I have no idea how they differ from the equivalent men’s range and whether it’s in a way that actually suits me – like you, I’m not lighter than typical men of the same height, but on the other hand I’m really not an aggressive skier.
My new touring boots are men’s (few women’s options available, surprise!), and I have found the height a bit of an issue. The first time I skied them they fastened fine and the fit felt good, but when I got moving I just couldn’t activate my calf muscles – it was the weirdest feeling. It’s got better with adjusting the settings and as they start to pack out, but definitely something I’ll think about next time I buy boots.
Re ski boots – don’t be a woman with a wide foot, oh dear me no. My step-daughter wears men’s boots for this reason. I’ve had my Lange boots re-shaped to make them wider, but you can’t do this with all types of boot, and the ones that can be re-formed are usually the pricier ones.
“… but on the other hand I’m really not an aggressive skier. ”
I’m guessing there’s lots of men that aren’t either, or their confidence is way out of proportion to their ability, but I bet they aren’t being told to get women’s skis. So there’s a ski for every man, regardless of ability, but only women who have attained a certain level of skill should get men’s skis.
I’m a fan of short turns, because I like working on my skill over racing to the bottom. The industry makes skis for men with either preference. But it seems like women only get the short turn choice, so they’ve reduced the options for women. What self-respecting woman would even want to just point her skis down and go, leaving all the men in her wake, amirite ?
But are they *actually* watered down, or does the marketing just make them sound that way?
The teal and the purple! The excessive amount of purple outdoorsy clothing that I own (2 sets long underwear, vest, down coat, fleece, rain jacket, and too many socks to count) has made me hate purple. I now refuse to purchase anything in purple and it has become a running joke among my family.
I really just want some nice hunter green/kelly green/navy/charcoal grey/red/greyish blue clothing. Especially red. I love red and it’s super visible but do girls get red? No, we get salmon or coral or freakin purple.
Fuchsia. I would never, ever, ever voluntarily choose to wear fuchsia, but I have SO MANY fuchsia hiking things.
*sobbing* please, god, no more purple.
I have a deep red raincoat from Salomon from five years ago. It is my favourite. Also the fact that it’s a European company means their body model fits my long arms/large shoulders for some reason. Unlike those Marmot coats I love that come in a rainbow of colours with their too-short arms and too-narrow shoulders… Sigh.
Unfortunately the whole European company thing makes them hard to come by in any kind of range in NA. I special-ordered mine when I worked for an outdoors store.
Arc’teryx makes a nice selection of colours but they’re pretty $$$
Mentally running through my activewear right now – EMS’s house brand tends to make things in nice colors, or at least carry them in black (which won’t help you during hunting season, but is what I prefer for the gym). I don’t know how hardcore you are about outdoor activities, but for my day hiking needs I’ve been very happy with their stuff. I have a cobalt blue packable down jacket and a rain shell in a pretty sage green that are both from there, and both women’s sizes. LL Bean also does tons of red!
Hunting season is one of the reasons I have so much fuchsia, because god help you if you’re a woman trying to find anything in blaze orange that actually fits well. (Just for hiking. I don’t hunt, I hike in areas that are also hunting areas in certain seasons. So I can’t comment on the availability of actual hunting gear for women.)
You only get to have red if it’s for sexy purposes
I too want red, silver/gray, hunter green, navy FOREVER and never, ever pink.
A friend of mine recently posted on facebook about being sad about clothes without pockets. A guy posted suggesting the products from Scottevest. My friend pointed out she didn’t need 27 pockets, she needed one or two. I pointed out that Scottevest’s womens product line is much smaller than the mens———– and then he responded saying he basically thought the products were all unisex.
….. what?
no. no no no no no no no.
Most clothing is not unisex. only a dude would think that.
This entire entry + comments is great evidence for POCKETS IN CLOTHING. I have a dress that has pockets and imagine, it’s a great thing to wear when I’m on my period and I can throw a tampon in the pocket for the walk to the bathroom. Jesus wept.
All of eShakti’s dresses have pockets and I no longer buy special occasion wear anywhere else.
Many of Mata Trader’s do as well.
I have a Scottevest waterproof trench and yeah, I never use most of the pockets but it’s still a damn good coat. It’s scarlet it makes me feel like Carmen Sandiego
I enjoy the prior version of their men’s hoodie that i own in XS. But the chest pockets don’t work as well for me as they do my (male) partner. I wish they had a pair of pants for women that I liked.
So I guess this is the issue that finally gets me to delurk (hi lovely Toasties!).
As a size 18 woman who likes to cross country ski I cannot find pants that fit. Even those cute down skirts don’t come big enough- the one company I found that has an xxl size thinks that is a 16.
It makes me so mad because it feels like the companies think that someone my size has no place doing outdoor activities.
Size 18-20 here, and I can’t find cycling clothes that fit well. At least with cycling clothes you can kind of jam yourself into the pants because they’re stretchy, but it’s utter bullshit. 🙁
Have you tried Pearl Izumi? I’ve lost a lot of weight, but when I was an 18 bottom the Pearl Izumi XXL cycling bottoms (specifically the Sugar family) worked really, really well for me.
Yes to this! I’m also an 18 and have had the hardest time finding ski pants (fellow Xcountrier here) and hiking pants that are actually made for hiking. Usually I find pants that are made from a super thin material and aren’t ripstop or wicking or breathable or anything. And then they shrink in the first wash (thanks, Cabelas). I’m a sewist, so I’m planning on making my own outdoor gear over the next year, but I usually end up skiing in doubled-up fleece leggings :(.
Never mind the high performance gear for good athletes, I’d just like a comfortable pair of women’s workout shorts that have pockets and aren’t skin tight.
i am a very big fan of http://www.titlenine.com/; maybe try there?
I have these for cycling and I really like them! The pockets are nice and deep, and they have zippers so you don’t lose your keys
http://ca.webstore.mpgsport.com/p-1171-java-jogge…
As a woman who spends all her time hunting and fishing, this article hit me hard, especially this line:
“It’s a little reminder that the world doesn’t always consider me to be as strong and capable as I feel”
It’s SO HARD to feel comfortable in a male-dominated hobby as it is. Almost all the guys I meet in the field are either mansplainy or they will just talk past me, addressing only my boyfriend or buddies. I’ve been talked down to more times than I can count in tackle shops and gun stores- “you think you can handle that, little lady?” I feel like I constantly have to prove that I belong in the club, that every time I miss a shot it’s going to be chalked up to the fact that I’m a girl. It’s even worse that half the time I’m out, I feel like I’m a child playing dress up in her mothers heels! Nothing fits, my jacket is too big, pants too short, I look and feel like I don’t belong.
Finding hunting or fishing gear that fits, is warm, and is functional has become an almost Sisyphean task for me. Despite the fact that women are the fastest growing demographic for the hunting and fishing industries, I can’t just walk into a store and find anything made for a woman with the same quality and price point as the men’s gear. Cabelas is starting to improve their selection but it seems like the industry, as a whole, is insistent on making sure their women’s gear looks as infantile and poorly designed as possible.
What? You’re not a fan of UA’s MossyOak/hot pink women’s line?
Good lord does that women’s line piss me off. Hunting leggings!?!? (To be fair I do wear their 4.0 baselayer)
Have you heard about lawmakers legalizing hot pink as an alternative to blaze orange in order to get more women in the field?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160329…
I mean, on the one hand, yes let’s get more women into hunting/fishing! Bust up the boys club! …Ooooooonnnnn the other hand, UGH.
I think one of the women quoted made a fantastic point about the lack of funding for the “becoming an outdoorswoman” programs and how if people were really serious about getting women into the field, that would be the proper direction to go in. Like, if I have all the education and skills to go hunting, the color of my blaze is wholly unimportant to me.
I have the tops of my tarp stakes painted pink b/c I think it’s more visible than blaze orange, so as far as safety goes allowing pink seems pretty fine…buuuuuuuut…yeah.
I was recently at some meeting or gathering with a bunch of guy hunters who were all chatting about goat hunting, and I didn’t feel like weaseling my way into the conversation–and I had a brief moment of thinking “maybe someday i’ll be a real goat hunter like those guys” only to stop and realize that I probably have more goat hunting experience than half of them, having been on quite a few hunts up here in Alaska and being successful myself twice. But since I don’t fit the stereotype of a goat hunter (male, trains all year for a hunt, only talks about goat hunting, tells everyone about it all the time) not only do other people not think I goat hunt, but even *I* don’t feel like a “REAL” goat hunter. WEIRD! I want a posse of women to chat about goat hunting with. AND to go hunting with!! What a fantasy.
I forever swore off Cabela’s when I ordered XL insulated camo bibs from them and they were too small–I’m a size 10, and 5’6″! How am I too large to fit their entire line–and what exactly do they think other even larger women should do? Screw that.
I will say that First Lite is making a go at a women’s hunting gear line–so far it was only merino underlayers (and please let me know if you find a woman who really prefers to wear boyshorts as undies–that screamed “guys designing women’s clothes” to me) but their women’s merino hoody and the basic crewneck top are really great, and they are planning a women’s rain jacket and soft shell pant this season which I am terribly excited to check out. They are expensive but so far the quality seems good (my husband has a ton of their stuff, and I have quite a bit of the mens stuff too that I got on a discount). And the fit is good for me, at least. Plus I love ASAT camo. I hope women buy their stuff so they are inclined to make more of it!!
Oh my gosh, SO MUCH YES on not feeling like a “real” hunter! Even though I spend somewhere in the vicinity of 20 hours a week in the woods or water year round, anytime I’m talking to one of the “guys” I always feel like a total newbie.
I have this total pipe dream of starting up a women-only hunt club! I’m tired of feeling like I’m less of a hunter when I’m around guys. I’d love to go out with a bunch of like-minded ladies! My dream also includes apprenticing new lady hunters so women with an interest in hunting can learn without having a husband/boyfriend/father to initiate them. A misandrist paradise, if you will.
I’ve been dying to check out the first lite stuff, and have definitely been watching the evolution of their women’s line. I’ve become such a wool fangirl- I live in my orvis wool windbreaker- and once my UA base layer finally kicks it I’m gonna go all merino I think!!!
Completely unrelated, but I only wear boy shorts for underwear!
Ha, that is actually good to know. Most women I’ve talked to who wear them say they roll up on them–which is what I found. I actually bought a pair of the First Lite ones, but bigger than I figured I needed as undies, and I wear them as shorts to sleep in, or over my not-quite-opaque long underwear when I’m not by myself. I found them really good as an extra bum layer on cold days out, over my lightwear long johns but under my heavy fleece ones. But they are too loose to perform any sort of underwear function for me!
Everything in this article and in the comments– I want to laugh and cry because it’s so true.
And can I yell about pockets for a bit? This is by no means limited to activewear, but what does a girl have to do to get a decent pocket in workout pants? The only pockets that exist are in those super short baggy/crinkly running shorts, while my boyfriend gets pockets in all his shorts and sweatpants. I’ve resorted to shoving key/ID in the sports bra and it is not comfortable, nor does that work for ye old iPod.
Yep. I can sometimes find pockets in baggy, front-pleated (oh god) running shorts for women, but those look so awful on me, I don’t care what colors they do/do not come in, because I won’t be buying them. Zippered pockets, pockets deep enough to hold more than just a quarter. . . I have ONE pair of running shorts with an interior pocket big enough to hold a key. . . but it isn’t big enough to hold a hotel key card, so when I travel, I’m stuck with that thing in the waistband of my underwear (my boobs and therefore my sports bra are much too small to stick anything in there).
I literally was at Target this afternoon because I just really need a comfy pair of workout pants I can wear around the house or to the gym or on long car rides and it was such a tough and stupid choice between the women’s pants that actually were comfy and had space for my hips and butt, or the men’s pants that weren’t as comfy but had fucking POCKETS.
My kingdom for serviceable garments with pockets!
I’ve resorted to wearing a runners waist pouch (it’s a glorified fanny pack) for when I go on runs/long walks. I realize I look ridiculous wearing it, but I live in a neighborhood that’s mostly retirees so I know I’m not the only one rocking a fanny pack while out and about.
I have two of those and I love one of them (the other I tolerate because the entire thing is reflective, not just a tiny little stripe). I think they’re starting to become common enough now among runners that they’re no longer ridiculous. I like mine better than a pocket, even if it is hard to get my phone out without turning the pouch part to the front.
Many women at my gym wear them when they’re doing weight training, and most of the teenage girls (TEEN GIRLS) I know wear them to concerts, so yeah, waist pouches are cool for everyone now. I need to buy one myself.
I have a couple of these and wore one during a marathon, even: http://www.therunningbuddy.com/
Magnetic, stays put, and you can wear your shirt over it to hide or tuck your shirt in, still looks fine.
SportsSkirts does workout wear with pockets. Although as the name suggests, the skirt features in a lot of their products, you can also get tops with pockets and I think some plain shorts as well? The colour range also goes beyond pink. And there are POCKETS.
Can we discuss the issue of larger women? I love hiking and outdoors stuff. I wear a size 16 pant after having a kid. I walk at least 3 miles/day in addition to a hard run or elliptical workout 3 times a week. I want gear too! My Northface pants are a size 14, but fit like a 12. My Mountain Hardware rain shell? It’s clearly cut for a man, but sold in a women’s red — too big in the shoulders, too tight on the hips.
Every MH piece I’ve had was cut for a very skinny person, and a size bigger than I wear in most other brands. You might look at Columbia’s men’s pants. They run towards the baggy and some models have partial elastic waists (why don’t all hiking pants have partial elastic waists?). Plus, some have shorter inseams, if you need that.
OH GOD, YES PLEASE.
As a size 20/22, it would be super awesome to have some fitted gear that doesn’t require buying men’s stuff and tailoring it somehow. (My “somehow” being “using a lot of safety pins and hoping for the best”.)
Columbia’s stuff is the best option I’ve found, but it’s hard to find in stores. They do carry some plus size stuff at least. 🙁
Brands that I have found who make their pants sizes weirdly small:
North Face
Patagonia
Mountain Hardwear
All their stuff is usually too short for me anyways, but when I’m trying on pants from a big-name outdoor brand, I know to automatically size up at LEAST one size. And even then, it’s a crapshoot whether I’ll be able to get them over my thighs and be able to button the waist. And like, I am not THAT terrible at judging what size I am. (Funny how I can find the right size the first time I try in other brands….) It is that they are bad at making clothes for human women.
ETA: Marmot! How could I forget? Good God, Marmot, your pants are so damn small.
I think Marmot used an actual marmot to size their clothing. It always looks so good until you put it on. I did not meet a single person who Marmot clothing flattered in my two years at an outdoors shop.
(Their jackets are an exception; they look great on some people, they just don’t fit me. Much to my dismay.)
I am very happy to post about my friend’s company, which makes climbing gear for pregnant women (but not only them): “MOUNTAIN MAMA exists for a simple reason. Women who play outdoors should have stylish, functional clothing for all stages of life, including maternity. We combine innovative technical fabrics and design to create clothing women can wear comfortably on the trail and in town, before, during and after pregnancy.” Their perfect tagline is “Expecting Adventure”, they pay attention to workers and the environment, and the lovely clothes come in many colors. My friend is herself a climber, and started the company when she couldn’t find decent gear when pregnant. Full disclosure: I’m not an athlete so I haven’t actually worn any of these clothes. http://www.mountain-mama.com/
I got two of her items when I was pregnant. The black fleece hoody was worn every day of the last 4 months of my pregnancy, plus I’ve loaned it to two other women who loved it. And the crossfront, breastfeeding-friendly long underwear top was also great.
On that note, for pregnant women: a lifesaver is “Make My Belly Fit” which is a panel that you zip into your existing coats to make them fit over your belly. You tell them what zippers your coat has and they make it match (or I think you can get multiple ones). Look them up, they are awesome if you are someone that wants to wear your goretex or down while you’re pregnant!
Just shared with my pregnant climbing friend. Thanks!
THIS AND ALSO. Soccer gear! It’s just not possible to find more than one type of women’s cleats in any given sporting goods store, let alone anything more specialized like turf shoes. I’m lucky that I can wear men’s size 7-7.5, but stores usually don’t carry them that small, so I have to order online.
And then of course Nike released that BEAUTIFUL line of women’s shoes along with the World Cup last year, but they are all like $200. Even though I play twice a week, it’s still a hobby and I can’t justify that price tag.
OH MY GOD YES. I have had to explain really vehemently to salespeople before that no, I really don’t want the pink cleats, and in fact if they bring me anything with pink on it I will not even put them on my feet.
I have really small feet so I can wear boys’ cleats, but those tend to be not as good quality. The day I actually found a pair of Adidas Copa Mondiales in a (boys) size four, it was like angels singing. I happily paid the $140 or whatever it was, and five years later, they’re still in great shape.
Don’t get me started on the shorts though. How can it be so hard to find something that fits my ass properly?
I have long-but-narrow feet. So can’t wear boys OR men’s.
I usually have one option for cleats that is a neutral colour. I THANK THE LORD OF SPORTS if they have it in my size and it’s a narrower-than-usual cut (majorly lucked out and got my last pair on sale).
I am glad that I grew up in the era when cleats were black. with a white logo; maybe some red. Now, I can’t remember if any of said cleats were for girls or women–maybe in my college days? But they were all still black. I can’t imagine wanting to wear pink cleats.
Functionality is also a problem in the water. As a surfer I couldn’t believe how long it took for someone to figure out women need a pocket in their swimwear too. Pockets for keys are standard in all men’s and boy’s surf trunks, but while we’re struggling with whether on this particular day we’d rather drown on the inside or flash our tits to the entire lineup, we also have to find some secret spot to hide our car or room keys. Or we have to ask someone in trunks to hold them for us and then end our session when they do. Or just risk being robbed. There is one brand, KINDA FANCY, that figured it out. It’s strangely liberating to wear their bottoms and hold the keys to your own life right above your butt crack.
I had never heard of KINDA FANCY. I’m so excited! I love that they literally call it the Kinda Fancy pocket, like this is some big innovation 😀
“Pockets for women? That’s risky, but it just might work!”
As a boater, I used to love Immersion Researcher gear. What they make is still good, but they have scaled way, way down on everything and have maybe 1/3 as many women’s options as men’s. I miss all their old gear. But they make women’s board shorts that are long *and* have a pocket (on the side of the thigh).
Bummer they top out at a size 8 🙁
Rab is pretty good about having women’s stuff in primary colors and black. Their cuts aren’t skimpy, either.
La Sportiva (and some other Euro shoemakers) seem to enjoy making their men’s shoes as garish as their women’s so they’re harder to tell apart. Usually only the men’s come in black, though.
I don’t have much else useful to add, as 95% of my stuff is men’s and I’m incredibly lucky my biggest problem is inseam length, with slightly-smaller-than-is-convenient feet a far second.
I have a lot of Rohan stuff in nice colours (lime green, navy blue, 1970s deep yellow) but I find their trouser sizing very inconsistent. They also don’t go above UK 18.
Thanks for writing this! I also do field work for my job, and I’m cheap but also have what most companies seem to consider a very typical female form (except super short legs). This means that I have resigned myself to basically only owning pink field gear, as it’s most often on sale. My feet are too small for almost all men’s shoes, but I can make boys’ work. I have had more luck when I was living in Germany for suitable clothing. Some euro brands, mammut and so on, seemed to think outside the US brands constraints, but they’re much more expensive here.
And XC ski boots and cycling shoes are also such a problem! I generally can’t find the really competitive/higher end styles in my size! Plus, the last pair of skate boots that fit my feet wouldn’t zip around my ankles without cutting off circulation.
I’m also newly pregnant, and I want to do a backpacking trip this summer, and thinking about what to wear for it, let alone how to do the backpack properly is stressing me out.
On the positive side, I’ve put a gratuitous field photo in the reply, though!
My shirt matches the fireweed.
this picture is so gorgeous!
I’m out of comments to upvote. Moar comments, plz.
This has turned out to be a great thread. And there’s nothing like getting a comment in early to round up those thumbs!
Reading this thread has been extremely cathartic.
It’s so rotten that people consistently have trouble finding gear that fits properly in the colours they like, but the range of kick-ass activities and careers described in this thread is amazing. You guys are amazing.
I’m a scuba diver and wet suits are designed assuming that everyone is the same size on the top and the bottom. I have huge hips and tiny boobs so I wear a larger pant size than I do top size. At work I have to wear men’s suits (we can’t use our own gear b/c of the risk of cross contamination) that are too long in the torso because I can’t fit my hips into the women’s suits that are provided. I have a colleague who is designing wet suit separates that zip together in the middle to accommodate people who have different bust and hip sizes and she is an angel and I am desperate for them to hit the market.
Somehow I thought modular suits already existed and I’m gobsmacked they don’t. That’s terrible.
NOT TO MENTION what a pain in the ass it was to be stuffed into an ill fitting wetsuit when I was doing my underwater search and rescue training.
Please give your friend an uncomfortably lingering hug from me
Sincerely, a woman who hasn’t owned a wetsuit in ten years because every single one gives her a cameltoe
Worst Experience of My Life: Getting handed tiny wetsuit after tiny wetsuit on a snorkling trip and having to go back and say ‘no, it doesn’t fit’. Ended up with something that juuuust fit over my ass, and was about three sizes too big in the shoulders (OH GOD THE CHAFING). I have never done anything that requires a wetsuit again and I never will.
Please please make wetsuit separates happen soon.
The thing I find with scuba gear is that they assume you get taller as you get wider. Mares wetsuits actually cut their size 18 UK (16 US) for someone who is 6’2″ tall. Seriously. Not much good for those of us who are more like Hobbits.
Oh, I feel this, though not because I do much outdoor activity. I work on the fringes of construction, and personal protective equipment is routinely sized for men – safety boots, gloves, high-visibility jackets and trousers, overalls, and so on. Transport for London have recently developed their own line of PPE for women, but it says something that they had to do it themselves. I would love a winter high-vis jacket which actually fitted.
Women’s steel capped boots, where do you even buy them?!
Pretty sure Keen makes some, or did in the past.
Just checked mine, they are Red Wing Worx.
That’s what my sister uses.
THIS. The first time I had to get fitted for a respirator it was such a disaster. I was the only woman there, and they kept trying smaller and different masks, and all these giant men were staring down at me and my tiny, tiny jawbone. It took like ten tries before they found one that worked. Like, no big deal, it’s just ME NOT DYING.
And don’t get me started on steel toed boots.
Even my office’s lab coats are sized for men! There are only 2 I like to wear because they have elastic cuffs. The others all have such long arms I have to roll them which is less than ideal.
DMs do steel toecaps – they were my work-supplied PPE when I was doing my horsey exams.
Horsey brands also have plenty of hi-viz options, v-bandz and equasafety are the ones that spring to mind.
I have such mixed (in a good way) feelings about this because I’ve always been annoyed by this exact problem but I am personally an enormous gaytrans monsterbutch– such that I frighten men away from me if they see my shoulders– and as I’ve come to peel apart my internalized misogyny away from my genderweirdness I also have come to enjoy being the Trunchbull in magenta– it feels like a pride/power color now. If you like being scary and brightly colored this is a fun approach to dealing with limited availability IMHO. Still wish I could ALSO get green tho.
Yes to the internalized misogyny part! I struggle with that too. Like, I want to look like I “belong” outdoors which is supposed to be a mans world so I want to wear masculine colors? I don’t have an easy answer to that desire but I feel like the day where it is actually a CHOICE to wear pink outdoor gear is the day that it becomes empowering.
This is fantastic. “Trunchbull in magenta” is my new favourite mental image.
I personally like wearing the most pink gear when I do weightlifting for kind of that reason? Like, I want to be bright and feminine while doing deadlifts. It makes me feel a little bit like I’m messing with people.
THANK YOU.
As an active hiker / camper and a small gal who also happens to be allergic to red dye, I constantly have to buy little boys gear since everything is consistently some variation of pink.
I just wanna plug Red Ants Pants here, though it’s in a slightly different vein–it’s a Montana-based company that makes rugged workwear for women. Pockets for days! http://redantspants.com/shop/
oooh I’m going to check them out!
Aw hell yes. I respect that these are a little expensive because they do look like #1 work pants. I wish they came in black for the broadcast and theater technicians!
Ooooooh, I wish they came with a skinnier cut in the leg, those look almost perfect for me. I need a tighter cut though, I hate getting my pantlegs caught in bike chains
The flowers. The effing flowers. And butterflies.
Icebreaker is pretty bad at this. Or at least, what stores stock for Icebreaker is bad (I had good luck at their factory outlet in Auckland; the place dreams are made of). Men get greens, blues, greys, blacks with mountains or soundwaves or gears. Women get baby pink, baby blue, purple, bright pink with flowers or butterflies or arabesque shapes. Maaaybe some light grey, if you’re lucky. Oh and ok have some black, BUT just in case you thought that was too neutral, HERE HAVE A FLOWER ON IT!
And don’t get my started on backpacks. It is worth getting a women’s pack for straps-cut-so-boobs-don’t-get-in-the-way purposes. But what’s in the store is usually effing purple or pink or whatever with embroidery. Deuter even affixes a little plastic lei flower on theirs to make sure you KNOW it’s for ladies. Because ladies love flowers.
I bought several Icebreaker t-shirts last fall for an outdoors trip. I got a great deal on the price…but they all had a GIANT peacock feather printed on the front (ugh). The good news, however, is that you can’t see the feather anymore NOW THAT THEY ARE DYED BLACK LIKE MY SOUL.
Seriously, wool takes fabric dye like a champ. Consider that as a future option.
When the embroidery for the flowers and butterflies actually impedes the purpose of the product (like when it compresses fleece or becomes a whole bunch of little holes for water to seep through), that’s when it really gets maddening. As if it wasn’t maddening enough to begin with.
Geargals writer Morgan wrote an entire article on the flowers/butterflies/swirly shapes phenomenon. And the Deuter flower – ugh!
I bought my icebreaker gear 10 years ago pre swirl so i have an amzing hoodie in licorice green and a brown base layer. Nicely neutral. Their hiking shorts have a decent inseam length and still come in a grey option. I appreciate that there is always pockets at least.
My Osprey ladies’ pack is red!! <3
Backpacks -> Osprey. Definitely worth the price, they’re pretty much indestructible, come in lady’s fit, and are NOT PINK.
<3<3<3 Osprey packs. I haven’t worked in outdoors retail for years, but I am STILL 100% a shill for them. I love them so. My big pack is an Acteryx purchased before I learned the joys of Osprey. I do like my pack, and it’s pretty much indestructible, but man that J zipper on the bigger Osprey packs. Why don’t all packs have this?
The flower is ridiculous but easily removable and I do love my Deuter Pace 28 SL pack in fairly reasonable black/green colours.
So real. I backpack in oversized men’s hiking pants for the pocket space alone.
Try Duluth Trading Company. They address many of the problems noted in the discussion.
Of the 7 outfits on the scroll-y thing on their women’s homepage 3 have purple tops and 2 have teal tops (one is possibly light blue not teal but I’m counting it). Also one of the non-purple/teal outfits is a dress. I haven’t ordered from them so probably they’re great, they just really like purple and teal.
http://women.duluthtrading.com/
They do in fact love them some purple and teal, yes. And their outdoor gear is outdoor (i.e. the firehose pants), but it is not really activewear. (Definitely not athletic wear.)
duluth has some of the worst tv commercials known to mankind, though
Not gonna lie: I think those commercials are hilarious. Especially the one with the beaver, because one of my least favorite colleagues looks exactly like that beaver.
As a tall woman-person, I love that their pants run to 35″ inseams. These are the only jeans I wear any more because they *actually* fit me and cost around $50 a pop. And the size chart accurately describes how the jeans will fit. No more searching for super expensive jeans in sales racks just for the long inseams!
A bit of a tangent, I know, but can we also talk about race & outdoor gear advertising? Specifically how all the ads feature only white skin? I just want everybody to step it up immediately instead of waiting for ppl to recognize a multi-cultural consumer base.
Can I get more in between options for running shorts? Something between Short Shorts and Capris?
Or tank tops that aren’t ridiculously low cut?
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND “Bermuda” LENGTH ATHLETIC SHORTS. D:
Hand to god, I found 1 pair of Bermuda short length athletic shorts (compression style for my ample thighs), they were in my size, and weren’t on sale at Khol’s (wtf).
I grabbed those things so fast, I’m pretty sure they still smell slightly of smoke.
Yes! Check out Oiselle (oiselle.com). If you want something just above the knee, go for the Long Rogas. There’s even a side-zip pocket. 🙂
It can be a little hit or miss as to whether they work, but Lands End and LLBean sometimes have good options for longer running shorts and/or skirts.
This article and comment thread smooth my soul in a visceral way
I have a long torso and slightly broader shoulders than the average gal my size. This means I am not allowed to hike in shirts. Can’t do it, not for you. Yes I know they’re cool and sunproof but you can’t have them. Why don’t you look in the men’s section….. SYKE you have hips no deal
Edited because I realised it might have sounded like I was saying larger or taller ladies are oddly shaped. I wasn’t, you’re great and beautiful and you def should have all the clothes. I meant that I am (more or less) the size activewear companies advertise to and they still don’t fit. Many apologies.
YES. So much of the same thing for me.
I adore the look/fit of button shirts. I want to wear them all the time! but the same thing. The shoulders and upper arms never fit, or if they do, it’s uncomfortably big around my torso, and good luck finding something that buttons easily over my boobs (much less comes down to my waistband properly) because I’m long torso’d so the alignment is off. Oh, and then my belly and hips are like Ha Ha if it is long enough, can’t button the bottom buttons.
I can sometimes do sleeveless or short-sleeved shirts but the whole point of wearing a button shirt while in the woods is to cover my arms with loose-fitting fabric to protect from mosquitos (and sun). I’ve just been wearing a 2-sizes-too-big Hanes zip hoodie I got at WalMart for $5 last summer, but the fabric is all wrong and I really lust after those moisture-wicking ones I see at the outdoor store (not that I even know if it works as advertised, but surely woven is better than knit?)
OMG the shoulder/long torso thing. I have a belly. It’s pretty ugly after 3 kids. For pete’s sake, I don’t want my shirts to end up 2 inches above it! My 4 9″ daughter has a 24 inch torso already. I buy about 10 cotton tanks from target every year and deal with them until all the stretch is gone. It would be nice to have “sports” gear that does that, but you either get stuff for boobs (and not even good at holding them), or stuff that’s long but assumes you are flat as a board and have no variation from shoulders to hips. I just spent 10 minutes digging through the laundry to find something this morning—yep, it’s a 5 year old shirt from target. Cotton.
This article has made me think about why I have always hated wearing pink. Ever since the age where you start to know what colors and clothes you like wearing, I have hated pink. This, by the way, is NOT AT ALL the same as the age where you’re allowed to choose what you wear, which for me came many years later, so I was in some really unfortunate outfits as a kid, most of which were pink because my mom thinks Girls Wear Pink And Boys Wear Blue, And My Daughter Is A Very Feminine Girly Girl Based On This One Way She Posed Her Hands When She Was 3 Months Old. (Uh, nope, sorry mom.) I have a couple pink items in my closet now, but not many.
When we’re talking about gear, and particularly hiking/camping gear, I get even more uncomfortable in pink. I travel solo a lot, and nothing says “I’m a girl! Clearly, because of my gender I am interested in hearing all your catcalls and entertaining all your sexual advances!” like pink gear. It’s possible that pink/girly gear could call attention to my gender in a way that more neutrally colored and designed gear would not, and while being a woman is super cool, it is also kinda dangerous and I am in no mood ever to remind people that (to aggressors) I look like the Roadrunner looked to Coyote.
I’m also curious to examine my pink-and-purple hate.
I have never been a girly-girl and my mom specifically raised us to be NOT girly girls (and uhhh yeah because of this definitely contributed to my internalised misogyny. Lots of “Girls who spend time on their hair and makeup and appearance are bad and stupid and shallow and you don’t want to be like them” that she maintains to this day without realising how anti-feminist that can be). I definitely have pictures of young-me in pink and purple outfits, and can’t pinpoint the exact age when I stopped wanting that. But for most of my school years I refused dresses/skirts and hated traditionally girly colours. I still don’t like pink. But then, I also don’t like yellow, and that has no gender associations.
Where does this hate come from though? Clearly my mother had nothing against pink in my early years (though my girl-coloured outfits were typically of the funky/spunky shorts-and-shirts sets rather than dresses). Is it just a reflection of internalised misogyny? Is it a reaction to the perception that pink=woman=less tough than/less likely to want to get dirty/less capable, and not wanting to appear less tough or capable?
I don’t know, but I am here for these discussions!
THIS.
And I say this as a lady with hot pink running shoes. My problem is that when everything (EVERYTHING) is pink, it starts to look ridiculous.
But seriously, SERIOUSLY, I want outdoorsy stuff that isn’t pink, isn’t flimsy, isn’t shitty material, and has fucking pockets. I want to go hiking with my girlfriend and be comfortable and wear, I don’t know, gray or black or hunter green stuff that fits me.
Other complaint: I am a lady with boobs and hips. Can we please start accounting for boobs? I feel like I need to buy shirts and jackets in size XXL just so my tits don’t bust out of them.
Whaaa? But if your tops are tight over your boobs, it will make them look bigger which surely is what you want? Don’t you want to show off your boobs ALL THE TIME?
This made me laugh and then cry because it is too, too true.
What a great article! Thanks for the quote, Kate!
Reading these comments is so cathartic, because every single issue discussed is one we’ve written about on Geargals.com over the years. It’s maddening that these things are still a problem. Pockets, sizing, fit, gender-based details (flowers, swirls, etc), colorways, lack of technical options, the dreaded “unisex” fit…the list goes on.
For you equestrians, I was gratified to see your comments. I’m a rider as well, and years ago I thought to create the rider’s version of Geargals. However, I realized pretty quickly that riding gear for women is already very well done and didn’t need my advocacy. The commenter who said something to the effect of “when women are assumed to be the default customer, the gear is better” hit the nail right on the head. Women are assumed to be the hanger-on or the tag-along in the outdoors world, which is still just boggling.
Just visited your site, top work! But now might have to buy some Yak wool leggings…..
Thanks so much 🙂
I had had far too many experiences with things (rucksacks, harnesses, lifejackets) that are not designed with breasts in mind, rendering them impossible to fasten. (I will also never forget the embarrassing moment when, on a practice hike for my Duke of Edinburgh Award – which I never completed – the person in charge decided to use me as an example to the group of how to do up the rucksack’s straps. “Okay, you see how I’m tightening the waist belt?” I couldn’t; it was literally impossible to see over my breasts.)
I am also sick of “drawstring” exercise trousers in which the drawstring is purely decorative. My waist is smaller than my hips; I need some way of tightening things.
Yes, what is with the fake drawstring? If it isn’t functional, leave it out, people — why do I want a purely decorative loop of string hanging down in front of my crotch? I don’t — I want a functional drawstring, thank you.
“Yay, there’s a drawstring! Wait … pulling on it is doing nothing.” It’s such a disappointment.
I have a pair of smartish trousers for work which have fake pockets with zips, and I just can’t understand why they bothered. The zips do absolutely nothing; it’s such a waste.
I definitely agree with the whole backpacks/rucksacks that don’t fit over boobs/upper torsos thing. I have pretty small shoulders and I had to rig a carabiner/huge elastic band mechanism on the fly on a long hike to prevent the whole thing sliding off, since my backpack didn’t come with a chest strap at all. Apparently the manufacturers expect all the weight to just sit squarely on your hips??
OMG is THAT why I hate every backpack I’ve ever owned? THANK YOU for explaining it to me! I thought I was broken! seriously. never.occured.to.me. I thought I just wasn’t cinching the waist right. GRRR stupid male climber friends who just throw the damn thing on with 40 pounds on it and don’t fall backwards….because their backpack actually centers the weight lower….
That, and a lot of backpacks don’t let the sternum strap adjust high enough. Most people don’t know it should be up near the breastbone. It should NOT be strapped right over the boobs, either on men or women! It’s the first thing I check for when trying a new pack.
I can relate to the whole article and every comment: my entire wardrobe is black, teal, and that weird deep pink-ish purple. Not by choice; exactly… just picking the best choices out there–you all do remember the vibrant lime green trend that came for a while? Teal is much better than that for me.
I traveled for a work trip recently, to a big city from my small town in Alaska, and was on a mission to try on Arc’teryx bibs that I was interested in buying. I trekked half an hour from my hotel to the store in the pouring rain, only to be told that the store doesn’t carry the women’s version–but would I like to try on the men’s? Or I can order the women’s online. So then I asked about the top-of-the-line synthetic jacket, to try that on… but no, they don’t carry the women’s version of that in the store, either. Only the mens. WTF.
Then I had the perfect gore-tex shell pants, made by the gear-for-women comany Isis, who seems to have disappeared since ISIS took over the news…and I can’t find a similar pair of pants. Full-zip, with suspenders, and a waist–that fit my not-entirely-giant size 10 body (both Cloudveils and Marmot’s L are too small, and the XL are sold out).
And now my current quest is a 45+L ski and SAR pack… I hated my BCA men’s pack that recently blew apart (the waist belt padding barely came around to the front of my hips where the pressure points are), and just tried a Deuter but it’s far too small for my 5’6″ frame, so it’s going back.
Many more stories; not enough time to write them all. But oh, thank you all for all of your comments, they are so great to read!!!!
Oh, I wrote to Arc’teryx a few months ago and asked why they didn’t have a women’s version of the jacket I desperately wanted, and I got back a very nice but still infuriating answer of “hmm, sorry, we just don’t!” I want to love you, Arc’teryx, in spite of your prices. WHY WON’T YOU LET ME LOVE YOU?
I don’t even do Marmot any more, and they were a company I used to love too. Everything they make is too small and too short, and I just can’t.
I totally just fell in love with an Arc’teryx puffy vest this weekend; but of course it is available in teal, pink, or black. SERIOUSLY?? Could you not find one original color to offer it in???!!!
And actually, I just checked the website; the store I was in must have had last season’s colors. The website shows black (fair enough), orange (okay, doable, but not a favorite color by any means), and white. Who the bleep wears white outerwear? I was so hoping for a forest green or a nice navy, or even if the orange was more of a pumpkin and not just bright orange. Bummer.
I hear you on the white stuff. WHY WHY WHY? SO many white ski trousers everywhere, horrible.
Just a shoutout here for Haglofs – I recently bought a pair of technical shell ski trousers, very nice. Too long for me as I’m not Scandi, but that’s ok for skiing.
Hm. Back when I worked outdoors retail, we would get closeout/samples of Isis stuff. It all seemed very girly in colour and styling, so i was not interested. Kinda like Lole; I have a few things from them that I like, but they definitely fall into the “make the outdoors cute!” colour family.
Yeah I didn’t have much of their stuff, just black heavy duty goretex shell pants. But they fit–and the waist was adjustable too, so I could wear the pants even when 5 months pregnant! It was magic.
I liked their stuff, but was super annoyed at the “Goddess” note stuck in the pockets of all their jackets.
Going back up to read the rest of the comments in a sec, but it’s pretty fucking ironic that Outside Magazine ran the “No More Barbie Gear” article given that less than 1/3 of their seasonal “gear guides” is women’s gear. Men’s bikes get 10 pages; women’s bikes get…one page. With three bikes on it. (One of which is invariably a gigantic cruiser.)
This is why I let my subscription to Outside expire.
I was looking for a particular subject in the print archives for Outside and was struck by what a dude-centric mag it is. So rugged! Manly! With the occasional (pink) bone thrown to the ladies. That “No More Barbie Gear” article is great but ran only online.
Many of these issues boil down to the fact that the gear companies are largely run by men, and they don’t see a market for serious women’s gear. Therefore there won’t be one. It’s a giant snake eating its tail: few women’s products, no need for advertising, little money for women-focused stories, scarce inspiration for women to try hardcore sports, not as much money spent on women’s gear — and so back around again.
I, too, thought their publication of such an article was massively hypocritical at BEST.
P.S. Just today I was maddened by an Outside article written by a male who found it necessary to point out that his female subject was “beautiful when she was young.” Not only did he write that, but the editor left it in. It’s just the default subtopic when men discuss women: their looks. And an older woman can’t possibly be beautiful anymore to them, but they can give her credit for having been beautiful back when it mattered (to men). UGH UGH DOUBLE UGH, I hate that magazine with the fire of ten thousand suns.
Outside is REALLY pissing me off lately. Ever since that naked surfer article they’ve done nothing, nothing to bring me back as a reader.
I must have been long gone by the time they published that article because I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I think this is probably a good thing.
I was slowly becoming disillusioned with Outside anyway because, as much as I enjoyed the reporting on things like the dangers (and inherent abuses) of being a Sherpa or the re-release of water along the Colorado, the balance started to tip more towards “why don’t YOU leave your job and go trek around the world, you lazy ass?” As if literally anyone can walk away from a house, loan debt, a job, health issues, family, whatever and just go Experience The World without a care. The fact that pretty much everyone in those articles was a white male under 30 was a telling sign about their target audience.
I spent years searching for women’s hiking pants that a) had pockets that could hold more than an acorn and b) were made out of canvas instead of some kind of parachute material.ao when I finally found a pair of Horny Toads that fit the bill, I didn’t blink at spending $80. (Although now I’ve gained weight and they’re getting too tight on me, alas)
So when I took up running last year (and then lapsed, and am now back into it) I struggled SO HARD to find running gear with pockets. I would leave my house and then have to put my housekeys into my bra, where it would dig in and chafe.
After researching, I found SportsSkirt. THEY HAVE POCKETS. THEY HAVE COLOURS OTHER THAN PINK. Their size range goes into smaller plus sizes. Their stuff is comfy and wears well. I can carry my keys and money and my ipod in my pockets!
As the name implies, they do skew towards skirts, but they have non-skirt options too (pockets in tops, in leggings, a pocket belt…) Plus I love my skirt/short thingy and got a compliment on it in my very first race. I don’t like wearing shorts so the skort made me so happy.
Anyway I hope this helps other people.
This reminded me of the time I wanted to get a pair of knee-length MMA shorts, the kind I had seen all the guys at practice wear and that looked super comfortable. The only option for women that I found was one (mid-thigh) skort in pink or purple. Ugh. I ended up getting a pair of men’s shorts, but the fit isn’t quite right, and it still annoys me to this day.
Ugh shorts for martial arts, I feel your pain!! It seems all the women’s shorts in Australia – not just sports shorts, but all kinds of shorts – have been ridiculously short the past couple of years to the point that you can see your undies in them most of the time. Not great for kicking at men!!
Also: Sports clothes for fat people. I live in Europe, and I’m fat – you think I could get a decent pair of yoga pants? Nope. Us fat people are supposed to do sports, but they only make clothes for slim to slightly chubby people. It drives me bonkers! Yes, I practice Yoga, yes, I am in a group of fat women who regularly meet to do fitness exercises tailored to our needs, but I have to do then in baggy t-shirts and capri leggings. Not really ideal. I’m obviously too fat to do play any kind of sports. Bah Humburg!
As a taller than average cyclist, I end up wearing men’s clothing because women’s apparel is often too short for me so I get to bypass a lot of the pinked-and-shrinked design for women. It still bothers the crap out of me. On the rare occasions something isn’t too short/small the design (flowers, clip art ivy, birds) is nauseating. Even if manufacturers are too lazy to do market research All they have to do is read the comments section of an article like this and get all the input they need to design products women actually want (pockets, not just peach or purple colored, etc). I suspect it’s not merely an unspoken commentary by (most male dominated) corporations that women are somehow less capable, but that we should be decorated, made attractive to the male eye, because we are merely accessories to their active lifestyle.
These are my favourite cycling shorts, I think they make a long version also. I really like MPG
http://ca.webstore.mpgsport.com/p-1171-java-jogge…
I run TheSkiDiva.com,a forum for women skiers and this topic comes up all the time. For years ski gear manufacturers followed the “shrink it and pink it” theory of design: take a men’s ski,change the color to pink (of course),and make it a whole lot softer and less responsive for our weaker,less powerful bodies. The result was pretty terrible. Things have gotten better,though there’s still a lot of controversy about women’s gear. Some women feel that it still doesn’t accommodate stronger,more powerful skiers or come in sizes suitable for larger and/or taller women,while others are thrilled that at last there’s equipment appropriately sized for them. That said, almost everyone complains about girly graphics and agrees that the women’s market isn’t taken as seriously as the men’s. Women make up 40% of the skiing population and control millions of spending dollars. You’d think gear manufacturers would do more than just treat us as an afterthought.
For an interesting conversation about this, go here: http://www.theskidiva.com/forums/index.php?thread…
AAAHH YES THANK YOU! It’s not like I’m asking for anything special – just regular running trousers with pockets (with zippers, even?) for a minimum of keys + phone that aren’t somehow marked with some token pink code for “don’t worry, just being pretty”. You know, almost like I want to do practical things every once in a while, just like a real person/man. Why is that so hard?!
hahahah “don’t worry, just being pretty”
THIS!!!! SO MUCH THIS!!
Yep – try finding women’s shorts to play tennis in that have pockets that will fit a tennis ball… no dice. I ended up with some small mens shorts that don’t fit properly.
Also I love Icebreaker so much, and even I will admit they need to step away from the flowers/feathers/butterflies prints on their shirts.
Finally, high five to the person who mentioned the curse of lime green – I have a bad situation at the moment where the lime green on my Icebreaker jumper clashes with the dirtier but still lairy pea green of my puffer vest and the kind of bright mustard yellow-green of my backpack… it’s not a good look but I love all items too much individually to opt for one over the other! I’m resigned to looking like a giant mess.
Yep, I have been buying men’s athletic gear for a while now, so that I can have pockets and avoid the pink/teal issue. Also, I am put off by toiletries marketed to women (I don’t want to smell like flowers or like baby powder, thanks), so I get the stuff marketed to men, which generally has a clean, refreshing smell. And is usually cheaper.
So last year, because I have an androgynous name and coach a boys’ team, and I didn’t have leftover team apparel from high school to identify myself, despite being 20 years older than my co-coaches I was completely ignored by refs and other coaches. I’m the head coach, people. Yes, a mom. Now, about the game?
This year I determined to buy official lacrosse/team apparel so that wouldn’t happen. I now have to wear the most godawful fitted-for-men nike driweave polo–is there anything worse than a man’s polo when you have boobs, much less when you have boobs and shoulders wider than your 6 ft dad? Hello, 40 degree weather, thanks, I wanted wind to blow up my shirt. ANd have my stomach hang out as I sprint across the field. And why would I want a pullover sweatshirt that i could actually use my arms in? silly me. The CUSTOM TEAM APPAREL order site, which prints everything to order, didn’t even bother to have women’s ANYTHING at all. Even the damn cap–which I thought I could at least thread my ponytail through–has the cap too-shallow so the hole where it adjusts in the back is too high for my ponytail if I cinch it to fit my head. C’mon, people. This isn’t that hard.
My daughter can’t fit her ponytail under her helmet, so she goes running across the field with her hair streaming behind her. I’m just a teeny bit proud of that! Especially when she’s dusting her defender. 🙂
I really feel for the women that are tall or need larger sizes. What is with hiking or outdoor pants? Most of them are in a skinny jean cut. Omg. Who wants to wear tight fitting polyester clothing in the summer? I do credit arcteryx as they do offer some pants with baggier legs and articulated knees. The lack of of useful pockets in running clothes is another huge gripe. The color thing. I loathe teal and yeah I do get tired of the same teal, purplish, magenta, swirly, girly, graphics thing.
Oh another gripe. So, I get patagonia catalogs and I cannot believe how many of the images are men. Men, men, men. I even wrote to patagonia. got no response. I also would like to point out the lack of imagery of older women. I am 51 and still kicking it.
OH fuck yes. How DARE we be middle aged and kicking ass?
Good article! This is probably true of so many sports, it certainly is for rugby. I’m lucky to have big feet, because they don’t even make proper metal studded rugby boots for women, just shitty molded things you can’t scrum in. They are invariably pink. And the jerseys infrequently accommodate hips, a real problem for a sport that gives you a big muscle-y ass!
I don’t mind a bit of magenta — Barbie pink is a different story — but that’s not the main problem in my case.
I’ve been gear hunting online for a trip to Iceland in May (we’ll probably only be doing very light hiking, as my 75-year-old mother is coming along, but we’ll be outdoors most of the day and I need to be weather prepared.) I’m a size 48/US 16/UK 18-20.
I nearly faint when I come across a ladies’ windbreaker or shell pants in XXL, though it usually turns out to mean 46 (sometimes 44) and definitely unable to accommodate my hips and butt.
Men’s outdoor clothing goes up to size 7XL.
7XL.
7 Fucking X Fucking L.
I HATE THE WORLD
Love this! I am faithfully reading all comments.
I do have to, for the runners out there, recommend Oiselle (oiselle.com). Women’s running apparel that’s designed to be functional (pockets!!!). They are great at producing garments in a range of colors — everything from neutrals to saturated strong colors to pastels. Really rad designs, enough so that I wear their stuff often even when not running. As if that weren’t enough, they’re ardently feminist and not afraid to say so. The gear’s not cheap, but it stands up to heavy wear like no one’s business.
Sadly their largest size is XL, size 12. That’s pretty darned small.
Thank you for writing this piece! I have often felt I was the only one grumbling about women’s outdoor clothing and gear colors, or the fact that in women’s clothing, pockets are seemingly made only for the purpose of ejecting their contents. It is a nice feeling to know I am not alone in my frustration!
This is not as hardcore a sport,but one of my friends started a leggings company with the specific goal of providing a wide range of awesome prints and great fit for women of all sizes. I’m around a 20,give or take,and fit into her 2X and LOVE them. She goes up to a 5X in her normal line,but I believe she also does custom sizing if you need it. My favorite thing is that I’ve had my first pair well over a year,worn them at least once a week on the elliptical,and there’s no sign of my chub rub destroying them yet. http://lineagewear.com
Another problem is that women’s sports kit is almost always made in tiny sizes. Those of us who are not skinny or who are very muscular can rarely get sports clothes that fit. Shoes are made narrow so if, like me, you have short wide feet it is impossible to find suitable shoes. Then there is the sexism in shops, bike shops are particularly bad for this and more than once I’ve gone into a shop pushing my high end road bike, wearing lycra and cleated shoes only to be figuratively patted on the head, addressed as “girl” and spoken to as if I’m an ignorant idiot.
It is a Specialized! It is so comfy. I had no idea how much discomfort I was putting up with until I got this one (looking at you, cute but uncomfortable Bern commuter helmet).
Hiking pants are the worst! I have an hour glass shape and it seems like hiking pants are designed for women with very narrow hips and little curve in the waist. When I find pants that fit my hips, the waist is too big and the legs are enormous. Like I could tow a toddler in my pants leg. Why can’t they design hiking pants for women with bodies that curve?
I want that for everyday wear.
Yes! I’m also super annoyed that most outdoor companies totally ignore the existence of women above a size 12 or so. Apparently only smaller-than-average women go outside?
Plus-size outdoor gear seems like a huge untapped market! If someone started selling high-quality technical gear designed for fat women, I would throw so much money at them.
Some European brands have non pink options. RAB, Berghaus, and 66 degrees north, and RAB actually fits. I am a burley lady and this pink garbage for petite princesses serves no function in my life. Also, what’s a lady got to do to get a decently sewn crotch in her pants???? All of these hiking brands either sag to the knees, or give camel toe. This is a HUGE hindrance in my backcountry performance. Hiking up my pants or busting out my crotch, which happens A LOT is a pain in the ass. My legs are muscular, I’m built like a boulder, I would love some descent hiking pants, but I always default to performance leggings now…too many negatives. I’m fairly certain outdoor clothing designers have never even seen a woman’s body before. Let alone seen one perform.
Wow I love this. It’s something I’ve been struggling with for years in the outdoor community. And then—suddenly—I found myself wanting a periwinkle jacket. I recently wrote about it: http://www.mercurycsc.com/blog/2016/04/15/purple-…
It’s so refreshing to hear this perspective. Thank you!
Wow I love this. It's something I've been struggling with for years in the outdoor community. And then—suddenly—I found myself wanting a periwinkle jacket. I recently wrote about it: http://www.mercurycsc.com/blog/2016/04/15/purple-…
It's so refreshing to hear this perspective. Thank you!
I didn’t read through all 445 posts before mine, but I thought I would add, at least based on the color issue, apparel very often comes in non-pink/purple/pastel colors. But the person who is buying the apparel is choosing otherwise. As someone who has worked in specialty running as a merchandiser and buyer, I bought based on our clientele as well as looking at numbers and what sells. And while a black pair of technical tights will always sell super well, the pink ones don’t do too badly either. Consider vocalizing what you would like to see more of with the store manager (less pink, better fit, etc) – esp if you’re shopping local, which is always a good idea.