by Andrea Gabbard

Here’s an accepted fact: Women and men are different, especially when it comes to body types.

For years, outdoor women have had to settle for wearing men’s clothing and using men’s gear. This works for some women, but for the vast majority of the female population, it doesn’t. This is because, in general, women have narrower shoulders, shorter overall body length, shorter and slimmer arms, a fuller chest but a smaller back. Women’s waists are narrower than men’s, but hips are fuller. Women’s inseams are shorter, but the rise is longer and more proportioned.

"Unisex" is a word that has crept into performance apparel in the past couple decades. This is clothing supposedly designed to fit both active men and women. Harrumph! There is no such thing, it’s a marketing term–unisex is men’s sizing. For example, a woman who normally wears a women’s size medium is supposed to wear a men’s (or unisex) size small. But when a medium woman wears a man’s (or unisex) small garment, she will swim in the upper portion of the jacket while the bottom will be snug. The man’s (or unisex) small pant will be too long in the leg, big for her waist, and tight through the hip. It will be too long in the front rise and too short in the back rise.

Although some women can wear outerwear garments sized for men, problems often arise when they layer underneath those garments and discover that the extra fabric in the shoulders, sleeves and legs becomes big, bulky and restrictive instead of "fashionably oversized." It’s best to confine oversized garments to streetwear, not performance active wear!

Many major outerwear manufacturers are now making performance garments styled and sized for women. These manufacturers include Arc’Teryx, Helly-Hansen, Juno, Lowe Alpine Systems, Marmot Mountain, Moonstone, Mountain HardWear, Patagonia, Sierra Designs, The North Face, Wild Roses (Juno and Wild Roses are women’s-only lines).

Gear is a different story. We can accept that there is no compelling reason for a tent to be "sized" for women. But, how about sleeping bags? We already understand how women are built differently than men. Did you know that it’s a scientific fact that women tend to sleep colder than men?

There is presently one company that is addressing both differences: Sierra Designs. This company offers a line of women’s sleeping bags that are contoured to a woman’s shape (narrower at the shoulder, fuller at the hip and shorter overall) and to a woman’s need for more insulation (the insulation is beefed up in the torso and foot areas). A few other companies have come out with "women’s" sleeping bags, but the only perceptible change they have made, so far, is to shorten the overall length. Generally, most men’s (or unisex–there’s that word again!) bags come in two different lengths, to fit men up to 6’ or approximately 6’6". Why should a 5’4" woman carry the unnecessary weight of a 6-footer’s sleeping bag up a mountain when she can now get one more suitable to her height?

We are also beginning to see more women’s-specific backpacks and hiking boots, both long overdue.

And, we even have canoes and kayaks for women! Several companies (including Perception, Dagger, We-no-nah and Mad River) make boats for "smaller adults." They don’t call them "women’s" because their marketing research has shown that small men probably won’t buy a girl’s boat. On the other hand, small men love the performance they get out of these smaller boats! And, surprise of surprises, many larger men also like their responsiveness.

Go figure.