What women (and people) want to buy is influenced by marketing.

We are bombarded by advertising telling us what we want to buy.

They wouldn't do this if it wasn't effective.

I like to think it doesn't affect me! It probably does, on some subconscious level, though.

I fully agree. I just went on a back packing trip and I love my new pants but I wish i had more pockets like my husband's pair same brand but he has a knife pocket he has other loops for things and other things.. just nice for backpacking. I was never into fashion but always love the extra pockets. More times then not you can shop in the boys section and get the same stuff for a bit less with more pockets.
I'm tiny so it's hard to find anything that fits adults to fit me..
My issue is the pack size. EVERY single pack is to large for me. the one that I was sized for is still to small.

So whem pay more for backpacking gear, for less of a multi use.. How many times does your male friend ask you to hold on to something for him. yet they have more pockets.
I find old navy and meijer have great selection on "cotton" pants but they are nomrally to heavy for me on trail. so yes i'm stuck with my wonderfully nice name brand with a pocket that a pack of smokes could almost fit in!
Still have no place to put my knife. maybe they want me to run with it! lol Joking!

"Why are outdoor companies sexist towards women? Do we not like cool stuff too, do we not like sales on preferred items too? Clothing in boring colors I don't mind, but pockets so small as to not be functional? Have great brand wide sales sure, put the equivalent women's item on sale too, no. Fail, they all fail.

End rant, Jess"
Jess,

I will have to disagree with you. Whenever I go to the columbia store or mountain hardwear, the style in the women section is 100% better than the one in the man section.
Women also have better deals out there.

Edited by akatsuki_the_devil on 08/09/2011 14:00:23 MDT.

That has to do with the fact that we only take note of what interests us .

Ever noticed you hear a word that annoys you all the time ?
Funny thing is that people that use that annoying word probably don't know that they do....

In other words , if you were a 6'2" male looking for a shirt with pockets in the material you like, you will also note how everything else is on special except for your shirt.
Franco

For me the bottom line is fit and function. I don't want cutesy colors or designs. I'm not so sure that I would wear lavender or chartreuse for my street, work or other play clothes either for that matter.

But I do find it amusing that even in this day and age that when I go into a shop with outdoor gear, or a car lot for that matter, that some moron will try and sell me something based on it being a "girly" color.

As a side note, after a career in a SAR agency, I do like to have some piece of gear in international orange, just in case.....

>"some moron will try and sell me something based on it being a "girly" color"

I've noticed in the last few years, all the gun shops now have pink-handled revolvers, pistols and rifles (at in .22). So some moron must be buying them. An ex-governor comes to mind.

Amen on fit of women's outdoor clothes that actually serve a purpose. I have a 24" waist and 33" hips, and cannot for the life of me find any kind of hiking pants/shorts that fit. Kids sizes are too short or straight through the hips and don't zip or button up, the smallest women's pants I have ever found were still several inches too big. It's getting to the point that I'm learning to sew garments just so I can have something that doesn't snag on everything, get caught under my boots, or make me look like I'm wearing a potato sack.

Example:
I'm doing a dayhike tomorrow and grabbed a hiking skirt I got a while back but haven't worn yet... it's a size 0 and has about 4-5" around the waist that don't need to be there, so I have to alter it. I'm not super picky about my gear so long as it is functional, but what I mostly want is for it to *fit me*

FIRST> I agree women need more options for backpacking clothing. No question.
It seems that Patagucci, REI, TNF and Eddie Bauer or even LL Bean do attempt to do this to some extent.

SECOND> Part of the problem is quantity sold v.s. men's backpacking clothing. As mentionsd before, the women's market in this niche may not be large enough.

That said when companies DO design women's outdor clothing they need to design in functionality with fashion. **Those two things are not mutually exclusive.**

Another part of the problem may be, as a buddy of mine once said, "Men buy clothes, women buy 'outfits'!" Tough to wear that avocado green WPB parka with your pink fleece. Just sayin' ;o)

Edited by Danepacker on 09/22/2012 18:39:46 MDT.

I think that part of the problem might be that people (of all shapes, sizes and genders) vary an awful lot. It's hard for a clothing company to create a pant (or shirt, or jacket) that suites everyone. What works for one body type doesn't for another.

I'm a tall, slim and downright gangly (male, but it doesn't really matter for this) with long arms and a relatively short torso, I had pretty much given up on shirts that fit in all dimensions. Then I realized anything off the shelf should be treated not as a finished product, but as a place to start. About ten dollars a shirt to a local tailor (and I'm sure many of you MYOG people could do it yourself) and they actually fit.

As it is though, I have a lot of trouble finding something that fulfills my criteria for functionality and isn't hideous. Maybe the men's side of the store needs some of the extra fashion from the women's.

"That said when companies DO design women's outdor clothing they need to design in functionality with fashion. **Those two things are not mutually exclusive.**"

Absolutely correct. As a woman, I often buy men's outdoor gear because in my experience women's outdoors gear (particularly outerwear and boots) are sub-standard in terms of construction. Sure, they're pretty, but they don't offer the same protection from the elements as the corresponding men's gear. I am not willing to give up functionality for attractiveness. My goal is to stay warm, dry and alive- not to be a corpse in a pretty pink outfit.

Location might have something to do with it as well. In Colorado, the various REI stores stock things quite differently.

@Greg... /end thread