Dear Outdoor Clothing Manufacturers:
Believe it or not, women go outside. We hike. We camp. We fish. We hunt. We ski. We do all kinds of things in the outdoors. The one thing we are unable to do, however, is find a pair of cargo pants for women that actually have POCKETS. You know - those AMAZING things they put on MEN'S PANTS that actually CARRY STUFF!?! Just because I carry purse to the mall doesn't mean I carry one in the woods. I would like to have a pair of hiking pants with deep, exterior pockets that can hold a reusable water bottle (that's full of water!), a personal first aid kit, a whistle, a cell phone, and a knife.
Why?
Because if I fall off the edge of the trail, and lose my backpack/daybag, those are the things that I most need to have ON MY PERSON to assure my safety.
Why do you, clothing manufacturers, think that I don't need functional clothing? Is it because you still believe, in some antiquated version of women in the outdoors, that I will have a man with me who will be carrying all my gear? Or do you think that I prefer form over function? Maybe it's because you haven't actually ASKED women who go outside what we want in our clothing? Well, here's what I want - all the same things you provide for men, except with a cut that fits a woman's body type. Why are you able to make men's cargo pants with pockets that can carry a water bottle, first aid kit, whistle, cell phone, and knife; but you are only able to put pockets on women's cargo pants that can't even carry a cell phone?
Do you truly believe that sales of your currently available merchandise is a reflection of what we want in outdoor clothing? Have you considered that we can only buy what is available for sale? Give us more options, and see what we buy. I know plenty of women who suffer through uncomfortable men's cargo pants (which, by the way, are a little roomy in the crotch for women, if you know what I mean) just to have functional pockets. Why do we have to do this? Why can't the clothing manufacturers provide what we NEED??
Ladies - it's time to start a movement. Let's petition options like REI's Force of Nature initiative to start providing FUNCTIONAL outdoor gear for women! Not just backpacks and boots, but shirts, pants, socks, underwear and the like. It's time we banded together and pushed for functionality in our outdoor clothing! Who's with me?
-BSITO (Be Safe In The Outdoors)
Colleen