View Full Version : Do women need to buy gear "made for women?"
Just how important is it for your gear to be "designed for a woman?"
I am a new hiker. While I want to buy the best gear I can afford, I don't want to buy items that are made for a woman, when any other would do.
This article brought my attention to important issues to consider when buying gear:
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22338/27224/?CMP=KNC-DC_YSM_6
Any one else have other items to add? Or items to subtract?
Just how important is it for your gear to be "designed for a woman?"
What's important is that your gear works for YOU. The best way to insure that is to go to an outfitter that has a good bit of stock and people trained in fitting it. It's painful, physically and financially, to get a pack, boots/shoes, and sleeping bag that don't fit.
The beliefs and prejudices of the person/people you talk to will often be presented as gospel, when they are actually just personal preferences. For example, I have run into people who have been told by someone in the shop that the very best stove is an MSR white gas stove. They then fork out quite a bit of money for the stove, fuel bottle, special wind screen, etc. The poor suckers are then astonished to get out there on their first hike and find that 1) they can't get the thing to work and 2) most of the hikers around them are using cheap Pepsi can stoves.
Frankly my advice is to start cheap, do some hiking with cheap gear, then replace with more expensive pieces as you see what's out there that would work better for you.
For example, go on hikes which are not considered to be terribly difficult and just wear your running shoes. If you don't have foot problems, stick with running shoes until you're faced with a situation where they simply won't do. By then you'll have some ideas of what might work better for you because of your foot type, the weather and terrain you are hiking in, whatever.
Check this out:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?p=206678#post206678
I realized I haven't given you a very good answer to your question. Maybe I'm prejudiced because "designed for a woman" things don't usually fit me. I'm on the edge of the bell curve. I pick and choose and experiment. It's fun, as long as you keep it cheap enough that you don't feel stuck with some piece of gear or clothing because it was so expensive that you can't afford to replace it.
Happy hiking!
Marta/Five-Leaf
Programbo
03-27-2007, 20:51
Just how important is it for your gear to be "designed for a woman?"
I think it might depend on the equipment..For most things I can`t imagine a difference needed for a male/female..BUT..Just to give you an idea of how a piece of equipment can vary from the standard model to the "women`s" model, consider a "woman's" external frame pack...Because of the way a womans hips/rear flare out more the frame would have less curve at the top so it doesn`t tilt forward and strike her in the back of the head..The shoulder straps and hipbelts have extra padding near the body and are curved to better conform to a womans hips/breast area etc..The frame is shorter in length to compensate for the shorter distance between a womans hip/shoulder area...The pack is designed so the bag sits at the bottom of the frame instead of the top again to compensate for the center of gravity being off because of a womans shape (However since even most women seem to prefer externals where the pack is at the top it allows for it to be moved there)..Then they have smaller things like a detachable fanny pack since even hiking gals don`t like stuffing things in their pockets and the fanny pack can double as a makeshift purse when she wanders away from the pack for whatever reason.....Plus (I know this might sound to girly) they come in brighter colors :p
Almost There
03-27-2007, 21:00
This is your own choice, I know my wife is more concerned with comfort than being "girly" on the trail, I say this because she doesn't like the way some of the tops and jackets are cut to accentuate her hips, so if she does by women's tops she tends to go a size up so everything isn't as tight on her and she can layer underneath. That being said, in addition to packs, I know her sleeping bag as most women's bags is made with extra insulation where women tend to lose more heat such as in her chest and feet, does it make a huge difference...depends on the woman, also the bags are made smaller as women tend to be shorter than men, so there is less room in the bags.
It's a "to each her own" philosophy, trial and error has always been the name of the game, the only piece of gear I still carry from two years ago is my stuff sacks, food bag, and my sleeping pad, everything else I have changed out as I have seen what people like on the trail and experimented. Marta's post is a great suggestion. Good Luck with your gear choices!
Well if you are a plus size hiker like myself it's of no concern. Women's clothes and gear don't usually work especially the clothes. Go with comfort.
Footslogger
03-27-2007, 22:31
My wife (BadAss Turtle) isn't logged on but if she was I'm sure she'd mention the importance of tapered shoulder straps on backpacks for women.
'Slogger
RockStar
03-27-2007, 23:51
I hope my Divacup comes in Womens sizes. ;)
willyhog
03-28-2007, 07:04
It really depends on how you are built. Many women's items assume narrower shoulders and waists, and broader hips, as compared to a men's size. They also assume a more slender overall build, of course. If that's your general configuration, then the women's stuff is for you. I wear mostly women's clothing, but haven't bought women's sized athletic shoes or boots for many years... those are way too narrow for my feet. If there isn't a big price difference, I'd say try both and see which one will give you the best fit and look and features.
Jane in CT
Programbo
03-28-2007, 07:58
It really depends on how you are built. Many women's items assume narrower shoulders and waists, and broader hips, as compared to a men's size. They also assume a more slender overall build, of course. If that's your general configuration, then the women's stuff is for you.
Yes thats a very good point..Generally "Women's" gear (Packs,etc) assume you are the stereotypical curvey woman..But alas most gals aren`t that shape..But then again aren`t quite male shaped either so they have to find something that works..If the outfitters or places you buy gear are worth anything they`ll load up the packs for you with a dummy load of gear and let you see how they feel and where the weight sits fully loaded
Frolicking Dinosaurs
03-28-2007, 09:14
My experience: I have large hips & 'girls' and a small waist (when I lose weight :D).
Packs designed for women often have the ability to move the sternum strap further in both directions than men's models - a nice feature if you dodging a pair of mountains - not so necessary if you have smaller hills.
While men's hip belts work well for women with narrow hips, women's packs often allow you to adjust the top and bottom of the hip belt separately so you can fine-tune the hip belt to your curves.
As for shirts - if a man's shirt fits over the mountains, the shoulders are going to be too large. In pants, the crotch length is too short in men's pants to cover the junk in my trunk.
As for shoes / boots - men's shoes are wider.
I agree with what everyone else has said - it depends on how similar you are to the stereotypical design base for women. In some items you may want woman-specific gear while other available items may not work for you.
sleeping bags - If you're 5'4", then a woman's sleeping bag can save you some pack weight because the average unisex(men's) bag will be designed for people at least 5'8".
socks - If you have a smaller foot, socks sized for women can have less extra material (in my experience) and provide fewer oportunities for blisters.
packs - With a short torso and narrow shoulders, the average woman can get a better fit from a pack designed to ride well on a woman's body. However, if you're tall for women and have nice broad shoulders, a unisex(men's) pack would work better probably.
Good luck!
Laura
I know of a guy who is quite short. He has multiple packs, and used a women's small to thru. When a short guy tells you this you listen to everything else he says...
I have a pair of large W fleece pants that fit better than medium M. Longer stride... After that revelation, I'm open to most anything.
Beware the marketing, and buying stuff sight unseen.
I know of a guy who is quite short. He has multiple packs, and used a women's small to thru. When a short guy tells you this you listen to everything else he says...
Thank you for this advice! I am not tall, so maybe a woman's pack and gear is the way to go.
I hope my Divacup comes in Womens sizes. ;)
LOL!
I think Men's or Kids sizes ( depending on how you're built) can be used just as well. I bought a pair of smaller sized men's boots once, they fit much better and were actually less $ than the women's size, and a cooler color.
I'd have to agree, as for packs they are really starting to get them to 'fit' women, sort of....
with the exception of my pack, my bra, my shoes, undies and skirts all my gear is men's: t-shirts, sleeping bag, thermals, pants (though i think i've permanently switched to skirts) etc...
I have never found the need for womens gear nessesarily, however, being that I am of a smaller size (5'-3") it can be usefull. I do have a womens pack, however my boots are boys sized (a womens 7 is rougly a boys 5). Also many of the pants and shorts I wear hiking are boys. I find that through carful shopping of both the womens, mens and boys departments I can find products that fit me well. :)
The only piece of women's gear I have is my GG Vapor Ki backpack. To tell you the truth, the GG Vapor Trail fit pretty good, but the Ki fit a little better and had some extra pockets at the top. I believe, as everyone else has said, that its a matter of body shape and personal preference.
I found a great difference between men's boots and the womens. I haven't gotten blisters since I changed to boots made for women.
I have noticed a tremendous amount of difference in using women's equipment. I am 5'6" and 150 pounds, about a size 10 or 12. The big thing for me is that the proportions of women's gear suit me much better - the distance from shoulders to waist, waist to crotch, and waist to ankle, not to mention sleeve length and shoulder width, are different on women and men (and different from person to person). I would say go to EMS, REI, out on the trail, etc and find the salesperson whose body looks most like yours...and ask them what they use.
I think Isis does the best job getting things right for me.
LizHobart
08-08-2007, 18:20
Removed SPAM
Nightwalker
08-08-2007, 22:44
I hope my Divacup comes in Womens sizes. ;)
They make pills to stop the whole issue now.
My wife had a hysterectomy before we met 17.67 years ago, and she says that's one part of being a woman that she really doesn't miss. :)