That is more a rant than anything, and a bit removed from the discussion of hiking, and hiking clothes for women. Yes I'd love to start out a clothing firm of my own which might even have it’s own “social mission” so to talk. Clothes companies aims are earning profits by concentrating on women. In the method the vast majority of clothing corporations make the world worse for women. It is as whether it is an agenda in opposition to girls. In all probability most women’s types are designed and conceptualized by men from the drawing board to the ultimate sewing collectively of the apparel item. The few women who are in the women’s clothing design business apparently are doing little or nothing to instigate a development toward better clothing designs for ladies who need practicality, dignity and perform in their clothes. And that's where the dilemma comes in for a variety of girls who don’t care about “Looking younger” or “Being girly.” Girls who simply need practical, snug clothes are truly underrepresented . Positive, a lot of people would say “Not so. Since a variety of low-rise or pores and skin-tight jeans, and cleavage-revealing shirts and crotch-size shorts, and tastelessly-quick skirts are the type of clothes that probably nearly all of girls purchase (judging by the prominence and availability of such clothes) , then it means those are the types that may continue to be manufactured and moreover these kinds of “feminine styles” will make their means into all kinds of women’s clothes, even the ones which are presupposed to be for function not trend. ” So their women’s shirts are designed with “princess seams” and curve-enhancing stitches and many others. It isn't the only clothing company that makes “active-women’s wear” that incorporates vogue into operate. It brings us back to the place we began. As quite a couple of ladies who posted here on “Hiking Lady” have said, they resort to men’s clothes for higher fit, better consolation, better freedom of movement and higher sturdiness. I might say that typically unisex sizing is one of the best way to go together with some features that will assist accommodate individuals who may need a bit more hip or belly (each men and women). The vast majority of women’s “active wear” simply don’t have it. ’s clothing. Men’s sizes are larger even in the case of “small” sizes for males. I doubt that is unimaginable. Usually, ladies can match into men’s clothes this manner. The scrubs were offered by the power. I recently was working in a research facility and was required to put on scrubs. I told her that relating to scrubs, a measurement small pant doesn't match me and it's strange because most small-dimension men’s pants match me. The availability particular person stated she thought a measurement small would match me. The supply particular person mentioned that it's as a result of women have hips and men don’t. I advised her that plainly lots of small-sized males would find it laborious to slot in most small-sized scrubs too. What a lot of people appear to neglect is that some men do have fairly-distinguished hips and the majority of men’s clothes are meant for men with completely straight hips. In reality when males get older, in their 40s they very often develop larger hips. Years ago, I recall a radio business for a particular sort of Levis denims which have been meant for older men and it was mentioned that the features had more room within the hip and thigh. But men have a better deal with regards to clothes. Women’s clothing is always made to incorporate vogue relatively than function. EMS and REI and Sierra Trading Submit, and Moosejaw, and Cabela’s and Sportsman’s Information, and numerous other such shops, or on-line shops have a few of the higher sorts of clothes meant for hiking and different outdoor activities. Manufacturers similar to Ex-Officio, Arctryx, The North Face, Sherpa, Marmot, Mammut, Mountain Hardwear, Columbia and numerous others. These manufacturers are inclined to have the very best materials, and the very best options. They've the most effective mixture of fabrics so as to be lightweight as potential for scorching days and which may protect in cold days with out a number of bulk. They tend to have SPF in-built to protect the wearer from the sun’s rays. I had to use a large dimension to have room for my shoulders and arms but then the a part of the jacket that was beneath the waist bellowed out and just was uncomfortable to put on and simply had a very awkward look to it. Yet, I've seen such absurdly-lower jackets for women by The North Face. It was “merely” meant to reinforce the female kind while being “useful” for out of doors activity, or that's what the designers had in thoughts and but I need to marvel what they were thinking by making a jacket like this. It felt tight and limiting when i moved. I don’t know how it ever obtained manufactured and probably hundreds were made and it gave the impression to be a waste of time and materials and it seemed as if the “quality control people” missed some major design flaws. I want I wrote down the model quantity in order that perhaps I might discover a link to it within the internet and maybe you all can see for yourself. There are different women’s energetic put on that might not be as extreme however which nonetheless have sufficient lack of operate so that almost all lively girls simply can't use them. The Hole and Previous Navy are usually not particularly for lively put on but they have small line of such clothes. I believe that they are terrible in material and design. The Hole, Previous Navy, Modell’s, Goal, Ok-Mart and other such stores, essentially solely have clothes made from cotton ( with a few exceptions). Modell’s is purported to be a “sports store” however it carries exercise clothing for women which is made by Nike, Addidas (and so forth) and though these are nicely-known brand names, I discover that they really put an excessive amount of fashion into clothing on the expense of function. They went out of enterprise years ago however they also had clothing for girls that I found to be impractically designed. In New York Metropolis the place I reside there's one REI and two EMSs and one not-as-nicely-identified retailer in decrease Manhattan which sells all kinds of outside/camping/hiking gear and clothes. There used to be a retailer in NYC called Herman’s and one other known as Robbin’s. Removed from it. I've seen ladies in these shops talking to gross sales associates and saying that they've looked all over the place for extra practical designs . There may be an organization that a lot of you in all probability have heard of called “Title 9.” They strictly make women’s active wear. There are various Modell’s and one Sports activities Authority, and a few Previous Navy’s and It would appear that there are numerous shops that may have something for each lady. Guess what? It doesn’t work. The majority of their types are meant to “enhance figures” and make the wearer “look feminine” whereas taking part in sports or engaging in rugged out of doors actions. Why do I all the time discover that the clothes that come the closest to being functional and rugged and sensible are those which are discontinued and replaced by those that aren’t? sports bra shorts set Their women’s bathing fits are actually ineffective. They are meant for girls who have perfect figures , even who're skilled models and the bathing fits are sexist in my opinion. They may continue a sure type for a number of seasons or they could replace the fashion and by no means revive it. Why ought to any bathing go well with be “hi-cut” or like a thong and the highest be meant to reveal cleavage? Title 9 has had sure sorts of designs referred to as “Grab and Go” which means that the clothes are so practically designed you could just seize them, throw them on, and walk out the door to exercise or do anything else. Are you going to go swimming or browsing , or are you going to work in a “gentleman’s club” ? I wish that it was as marketed to be. Throughout my life I have gone from retailer to retailer throughout sure instances of the year on the lookout for one of the best rugged and useful clothes for winter or summer. It's all the time hard to find anything near what I need. It usually goes for shoes and slippers and different footwear too. I often must take no matter comes closest and that's often in the men’s part. There are designs which I'll go to my grave scratching my head over relating to why they were made the best way they were.. I once discovered some snug slip-ons made by Teva. But the absurd factor was that the soles had been designed with fairly-deep grooves that have been very closely spaced and so they have been all over the sole . Just why aren’t sneakers and footwear made to be cleaned? They're the main piece of clothing that might be touching the ground and going by means of all sorts of disgusting stuff. I have had a fantasy of designing shoes that are meant to be cleaned and are straightforward to wash. I can’t for the life of me understand why such a design was made. To enable climbing on rocky or uneven surfaces, and yet it doesn't work on any sort of foot put on like it really works on a Jeep’s tires. I do know that hiking boot soles are made like a Jeep’s tires are made. Why hasn’t any clothing manufacturer observed this? With footwear, small rocks and mud and leaves and branches (and many others) get stuck in the grooves of hiking boot soles. With a Jeep’s wheels, the fixed and intense rolling of the tires implies that quite a lot of the debris shall be hurled off. No human can create that sort of bodily pressure to repeatedly power the mud and pebbles and debris to be hurled out of the shoe’s soles. The way in which that the grooves are designed it solely makes the soles exhausting to wash. It signifies that the grooves on the soles of hiking boots shall be stuffed up with debris and wouldn't help much in serving to the wearer to successfully climb; that is if the grooves on the soles of hiking boots are actually meant to enable the wearer to climb. It seems to me that if the soles are product of rubber there isn’t a need for such elaborately designed grooves that only gather dirt. I ponder why there aren’t chemists and clothes technicians engaged on a better kind of rubber that grips on all surfaces or grips better on rocky surfaces or wherever hiking shoes are used, and it might make it pointless to make grooves on the soles of footwear. I have noticed some unusual designs that do not contribute to perform. It appears to me that grooves are just put on the soles of shoes for trend purposes. This goes for sneakers too. Lots of sneakers which would be good in design in other ways, have very impractically designed soles. As far as sweatpants , scrub pants , and different such kinds of pants, there are those which have “elastic waist” or “comfort waist” and there are these with drawstrings. After all I'm not an expert in making footwear or shoe-soles and that i could be wrong , however I am sufficient of an skilled in carrying shoes meant for active lifestyles and I feel that plenty of shoe manufacturers are specializing in the wrong thing. I'm wondering why any pant is designed with a drawstring when an elastic waist would make it pointless . Now-a-days a majority of drawstring-waist are made in order that the drawstring is stitched into the again of the pants waist space. I hate anything with a drawstring waist. I think it makes the drawstring less efficient and it defeats the purpose of the drawstring. Underwear: I have been in stores equivalent to K-Mart and Goal where there are a big variety of women’s underwear. It is difficult to search out the type of briefs that almost all of our grandmothers used to put on, not “hi-cuts,” not ” boy shorts,” not thongs. All are horrible in my view. I choose consolation, sturdiness and simple-care. All that does not speak for me. Anything that gets caught you-know-where is unacceptable. I have been in the underwear part of shops and other stores (I need to admit I by no means appeared in Victoria’s Secret however I don’t expect to search out anything practical there), and I've seen older women trying to find one thing that is age-applicable and dignified and , once more, practical. There is little other than these hello-cuts. See one of many hyperlinks below for an article concerning the historical past of women’s underwear. Even “briefs” should not modest enough. It seems it has at all times been about physically limiting girls. That’s the way in which I have a look at it. Also one of many hyperlinks below result in an article about how there will likely be a women’s like of clothes which might be inspired by “Barbie.” Isn’t this 2014? It signifies that the elastic is sewn into the “hem” of the legs and waist. The closest I've found to what I desire is a certain Jockey brand temporary “Elance.” It has “banded” legs and waist which is the better kind of design to get. Elastic that is merely sewn ONTO the waist and legs tends to be less rugged and the stitching can come undone extra simply . I have to order a measurement bigger than I usually would in order that the waist would not be too tight. One main flaw with “Elance” is that the waist is designed to be tight. And, I don’t understand the real goal of “athletic bras” the way they are designed. I positive don’t care about “standing out.” ( I actually don’t in any case, and that i don’t care). Bras meant for active lifestyles should hold them in, nothing more. I've heard of bras meant to “lift and separate.” I've seen some female runners who seem like top heavy and nonetheless they are very fast but I'm wondering if they'll develop back problems later in life. I do know that I may not be addressing the needs of girls born with certain sizes, or who have special needs akin to after surgical procedure, but sport bras ought to be made to have enough snug tension to prevent bouncing. There may be a need for bras that do what some jock straps are speculated to do. I wish to design shirts and vests with tension constructed into the appropriate area that will make bras pointless. It would be fantastic for warmer weather and for simplicity, so you don’t need to hassle with attaching a bra after which a shirt. Simply keep “them” from transferring. Simply slip into your shirt (and other clothes ) and you can go out to walk , jog or whatever. Why isn’t there such a thing? I feel I discussed in one in all my earlier posts that Coolibar had a reasonably good pant for ladies called Solar Pant. I am positive quite a lot of ladies would want such kinds of clothes. I then installed an elastic band to provide extra tension since the waist band could be a bit too massive otherwise, and the pant is practically a dream. I did have to change the waist myself by taking out the drawstring which concerned chopping into the back of the waistband space because the drawstring was sewn into that area. It is very sensible for lots of actions. It is not so long that the hem drags on the ground. It is not for very very popular weather but that can rely on your own capacity to tolerate scorching weather. It is of a cloth blend that's not like cotton. All pants should have pockets, but typically the way the pockets are designed make them ineffective anyway. I find it's a really particular person thing. That is how most hiking pants ought to be designed. It's a teensy bit too dense for very hot weather very much like the unique Coolibar Sun Pant. It is meant to be used with a belt but I discover that I don’t want one to wear this pant. I discovered a pant on Cabela’s that's for men, however which suits nicely and it is named “The utility Pant” (see one of many final two hyperlinks under). It stretches a bit so it does not get tight while you bend or move. After all not everyone has the same figure as I accomplish that others might need a unique opinion. But normally this is an efficient kind of pant . If you do prefer it you should write to the corporate and tell them to hold on these pants. One flaw with this pant is that the front pockets are designed so as the openings are slits almost utterly parallel with the waist. I think they are going to discontinue it so you might want to offer it a attempt. The fabric stretches so it isn't as unhealthy as if it had been with denims with these kinds of pockets. It's an impractical design and that i don’t know why clothing designers make pant pockets like this. With these kinds of pockets it's a must to maneuver your arms in a extra unnatural approach and even elevate the hem of your shirt to put your fingers in your front pants pockets. It needs to be for type, nothing else. Pockets must be a line down the thigh, or a diagonal line is sweet too. It's a good suggestion to have zippered pockets. Anybody who has ever gotten his/her open pocket caught on a door knob or the handlebar of a bike whereas passing by too shut will know what I mean. However typically zippers can cause scrapes to the back of the hand when you place your hands in. There's a have to design zippers of non-scraping material for this objective. There can be another men’s pant from Columbia. I think I mentioned them earlier than (see one among the 2 hyperlinks under). Why aren’t any clothes designers engaged on this? They are of a good materials for hot days, but for me, I discovered myself eradicating the belt and sewing an elastic band within the again of the waistband space in order to make the belt pointless. I journey a bike. I hardly ever use shorts even after i jog. However again, I have to settle for whatever comes close to what I want. I got here across a running quick called Brooks Sherpa IV. I have a tendency to just go to clothing stores to look at designs and supplies . What I did like about it was the lightweight materials. I just puzzled why common long pants usually are not made from such a cloth. It could be glorious for a hiking pant meant for extremely popular weather. The material was very much like a very very lightweight softshell. There may be one from the North Face referred to as The Prolix jacket. I love softshell clothes. It is rather lightweight, not excellent for chilly weather by itself however you can put layering underneath it. It is flexible and suits excellently and allows freedom of motion. But softshells are made for winter, spring and fall, not summer season. Additionally , why aren’t there any actually actually virtually-designed vests? The Brook’s Sherpa IV would make an amazing summertime softshell. There must be a vest for touring. I find myself wishing for such a factor. It does not exist. Why not make one in all lightweight and stretchy materials? I know that I have said to much on this put up. I'll cease for now. I hope I did not bore anybody. I have numerous ideas for the higher design of clothes and I'll most likely put up again with my concepts unless I am told to not. I could have been a bit political too.