Do you run like a girl? If you're one of the nearly 17 million women across the country that participate in outdoor recreation*, the answer is likely a proud “yes.” You also ski, snowboard, bicycle, backpack and climb like a girl — and the outdoor industry is taking notice.

A survey conducted in February 2004 for Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), a national retail cooperative providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, shows a majority of women who enjoy the outdoors want gender-specific outdoor gear. In fact, 36 percent believe such gear designed specifically for women can enhance their performance. Although 90 percent of both men and women polled were aware that bicycle designs are gender-specific, far fewer knew about gender-specific designs for sleeping bags, hydration packs and other outdoor equipment.

REI's line of women-only gear and apparel was recently expanded to include a new yoga collection as well as hydration packs and backpacks. To further accommodate its female customers, the co-op is experimenting with women-focused outdoor recreation clinics at several of its retail stores, and recently launched the Women's Gear and Clothing section of REI.com, an online shop developed to help women find the gear and information they need to pursue their outdoor activities. The site also features women-only adventure trips offered through REI Adventures.

“The survey validates the direction REI has taken. Our women's gear department has really taken on a vibrant life of its own,” said REI COO Sally Jewell. “Fueled by passionate employees, and most importantly, enthusiastic feedback from our customers — we've moved into truly exciting new terrain. Our new women's gear fits better than ever, it performs better than ever and it looks great.”

REI's new hydration line offers gender-specific designs for optimal performance and carrying capacity. The packs have padded ergonomic shoulder straps and a cut-away waist-belt for increased comfort and maximum ventilation. Appropriately placed sternum straps are designed to adjust to the female physique.

REI also found that 70 percent of women practice yoga to improve performance in other activities, such as backpacking, hiking and rock climbing. REI's new line offers stretch and wicking fabrics, a vibrant color palate and a variety of fits and styles to accommodate women's differing body types and preferences.

REI's new gear and apparel lines fit and mold better to a woman's hips, waist and shoulders. For instance, the REI Venus pack offers anatomically angled and curved shoulder straps to fit a woman's shape.

The nationwide telephone survey was conducted by Western WATS Market Research on behalf of REI and included 832 American adults, 18 years of age or older, including 500 women, who participated in outdoor activities at least four times in the last year. The margin of error is +/-3.6 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Some findings:

  • Seventy percent of women surveyed see yoga as a way to improve
    performance in other activities; 59 percent of men say this.

  • About half, 49 percent, of the women surveyed, say they have tried yoga
    within the last two years and are likely to try yoga again within the
    next 12 months. About 25 percent of men say the same thing.

  • More men, 56 percent, describe themselves as “very confident” when
    making outdoor gear purchases; 44 percent of women say this.

  • Ninety percent of both men and women are aware of gender-specific
    bikes, while awareness of hiking poles, sleeping bags and pads, and
    hydration packs drops to about 35 percent for both genders.

  • Slightly more men then women are aware of gender-specific gear. For
    instance, 33 percent of men knew about sleeping pads for women, but
    only 27 percent of women knew of them.

  • Thirty-six percent of women say gender-specific gear would improve
    their performance, with 14 percent saying that gender-specific gear
    would likely increase their frequency of outdoor activity.