It’s not been very long since outdoor clothing for women really hit the market and even now, it’s limited. There is far less on offer for women than men, colours are fairly drab and if you are remotely curvy it makes the issue twice as hard. It is something that actually causes my inner self to scream when I’m on the hunt for something, particularly trousers.
Of course, I can’t grumble too much, I must remind myself of the attire that women used to hike in. Long skirts, petticoats, hats, jackets, so fanciful that they actually looked more like they were going to dinner than up a mountain. Lise Wortley aka Woman with Altitude, is an historical explorer on a quest to discover what it is to explore, hike and climb mountains as women used to do. For Lise this has meant doing it in the authentic clothing too. She recently featured in The Great Outdoors Magazine discussing her attempt to summit Mont Blanc in the clothing of the period, celebrating the achievement of Henriette d’Angerville who was the first woman to summit unaided in 1838, and the extra perils that were afforded women due to the inappropriate clothing.
However, we are not in the 1800 or even 1900s anymore, things have moved on. Women are, as we know, all different shapes and sizes and therefore one size really does not fit all.
If you are anything like me, you may own a pair of hips. My hips have always been the wider part of my anatomy. This proves to always be a real pain when it comes to choosing trousers and, to some degree, a jacket that might fit over my hips. Backpacks have also been a bone of contention with them originally being developed for the male figure, ie. missing any modifications for straps cutting across boobs, weight distribution, possible narrower shoulders and potential wider female hips.
Add to this the growing number of Muslim women who are also finding enjoyment being outdoors and hiking, travelling and climbing. There are very few mainstream outdoor shops stocking hijab or appropriate clothing, however I did spot one lone hijab today in my local Go Outdoors (hopefully that means that lots have been bought and this was the only one left!)
Some of the brands I use and have return to if I need a new item are:
Peter Storm: I like their fleece lined trousers, they are still slightly tight on the hips but have give in them. I do size up, however. I like the fact I can move in them without feeling they are cutting in, but they are equally not ghastly and baggy. I also have a Jack Wolfskin pair of trousers in a kind of softshell fabric. They are a little less flexible by design but are just as comfy. However, I bought them years ago from an outlet and of course, they haven’t done the same ones since!
In summer I tend to walk in leggings and have a couple of pairs of North Ridge leggings that wick well and don’t slip or cut in my waist.
Revolution Race has been another brand I’ve found success with for jackets fitting over my hips. They have adjustable waists too. Again, I nearly always go up a size with jackets knowing I’ll be putting many layers underneath. They also do some brilliant colours. I do get irritated with women’s jackets that either stop just before your hips (I get cold there!) or if they come further, the colours are so depressingly dull. I don’t want to walk about looking like a neon beacon, but I do like some vibrancy.
One magazine I care not to mention, featured outdoor down jackets this month that were modelled by men in all bar one photo. One of the jackets couldn’t even be purchased for women! I find this quite astonishing in the current day and frankly, come on chaps! You can do better than this, and outdoor type magazines need to be more equal in their representation.
Craghoppers often score well on polls for curvier women, but I find they are so short on me I avoid them.
My waterproof over trousers are by RAB and I like them because they not only fit, they have zips so I can take them off and on over my boots AND they don’t make me look even bigger round the waist due to the elasticating.
Gaiters, on the otherhand, I have a silent special curse word for the makers of women’s gaiters. Women’s gaiters are worn (generally) over trousers or leggings, they then fasten to your shoe and you can pull your waterproof trousers over the top. The idea is that you then get less issue with wet feet in boggy conditions. However, this (along possibly with trousers) is the one thing that are NOT made well for women. They are designed to fit a ‘shoe’ size, like socks and then are categorised in Sm, M and L. What they do NOT take into account are the width of a woman’s calf. If, for example, you have small feet, you would, following the majority of guides, go for the Small which tends to fit up to a size 5 UK. However, your body size may be totally different to the guess work or the assumptions that the makers have. They assume that small feet = skinny legs and calves It is utterly ridiculous. If you walk, the likelihood is that you will have slightly muscular calves, so this immediately blows the theory out of the water. Most women in this instance go for a L in men’s. The alternative I’ve found is ankle gaiters. Do I actually NEED gaiters that go up to my knees. If I am in trousers and then waterproofs over the top, the part I need to protect is the top of my boot where there is more likelihood the water will get in. Ankle gaiters (albeit still the same price as many full sized ones of course *insert rolly eyes*) are definitely the way forward and they won’t then overheat the rest of my legs as a third layer!
With my backpacks I went into a shop and asked for a proper fitting with a women’s specific pack. Most places are really brilliant with this, but if you are a keen hiker or backpacker and are likely to be wearing it a LOT, go somewhere with a lot of choice from different brands. A well fitting rucksack makes a huge difference. My larger one I wore for six consecutive days when doing Hadrian’s Wall and will be wearing it for seven doing the Northumberland Path this year. It is a 60L with a smaller 20L that I can remove if I wish. My day walking pack is a Mountain Warehouse 30L Pace bag, I think this one is unisex.
So here are a few links to some of the good brands that seem to do kit to fit curvier women. Please let me know if you find others so I can add it to the list:
Peter Storm – Trousers seem to go up to size 22, but it is limited choice, however, there are varieties in length something I find lacks with a lot of women’s wear. It is often assumed that women are between 5’4 and 5’6 so those of us taller or shorter struggle getting the size AND the length. Jackets also seem to go up to size 22.
North Ridge – particularly like their leggings with a nice wide waistband that doesn’t curl or cut.
Revolution Race – Jackets and trousers go up to size 22, but I couldn’t find a 22 for all items. Some fun colours in the trousers.
Alpkit – goes up to a size 20.
Vampire Outdoors is a plus sized outdoor clothing company in the UK run by women. They stock clothing from sizes 16 – 30. Be aware, the sizing is in European format, but there are helpful conversion charts dotted over the website.
Trekmates have just started creating wind and waterproof hijab and niqab, so whilst not strictly anything to do with curvy women, it is a problem for Muslim women wanting to hike in the outdoors. It is their ‘Amira Collection’.
