Prescott shred gal Sonya Johnson said she's fed up with guys's gear.
"Most stuff is made for men, by default," she complained. "You would actually have to start from scratch to make things fit my body."
Since Johnson is lanky, but still has feminine curves, she said nothing ever really fits her right on the trail.
She added, "Backpacks are never really comfortable - they're too high, too wide. My feet are more narrow than men's, so I need to find running shoes made for narrow feet. I'm always cold when I sleep in sleeping bags, even when my boyfriend is just fine. It's frustrating. I wish I could tell people how to make these things right for women."
A League of Our Own
Susan Fecko, media gal for Sierra Designs, agreed that savvy outdoor chicks need gear lines of their own.
"We do not have the same bodies or metabolism," she began. "And there are so many active women these days. Our products reflect that and we test them really well. I use the Luna pack myself and I love it. Luna pack's shoulder straps curve better around a woman's contours, and the straps are narrower and closer together. Our womens' hip belts are canted differently. Another thing: women tend to like to have more pockets and be more organized, so we notice things like that in our designs."
She added, "Our women's' clothes are designed from a completely separate design department, headed up by a woman. We make really innovative clothes, really specific for the female body. The Williwaw Jacket makes a great story."
Urging me to test it, she listed its feminine virtues, mainly, the higher collar and lower pocket.
She said, "Women need a higher collar because they like the extra warmth. Collars have always been lower because of men's Adams Apples - a high collar would be irritating. And we moved the pocket down, too, off the chest, so you can actually put something in the pocket and it won't keep smacking you in the boob."
The jacket lived up to its hype. It felt right. I never knew I wanted a higher collar, but I loved it once I wore the thing. It was snuggly. The lowered pocket is considerate godsend - for once, I was able to put my keys and lipbalm somewhere handy.
