Welcome to Women Afield!

I'm sure I'm not the only woman out there who enjoys hunting but gets more than a little bit frustrated at the lack of women's hunting clothing out there.  I was at Cabela's tonight with my husband and kids trying to pick up a few last minute items before the start of the rifle deer season this weekend.  Amidst a sea of every kind of men's hunting clothing you could possibly think of, there was a large sign, proudly displaying in purple letter's "WOMEN'S."  I eagerly rushed over only to be disappointed by a mere 2 small racks of items for women.  Really, just 2 racks?  And then a few racks of kids clothing tossed in there because retailers have this crazy idea that women's sizes and kid's sizes are interchangeable.  They think the same thing when it comes to guns, too, by the way.  I don't know how many times a salesperson has suggested that I purchase a youth rifle or shotgun.  There's no way a youth gun would fit my arm length.  But I digress.  

In my opinion, hunting retailers are missing the boat when it comes to women afield.  While the number of men and youth purchasing hunting licenses has declined in recent years, the number of women has increased.  And yet the retailers still haven't figured out how to cater to them yet.  The small number of items actually made for women, rarely fit well and rarely actually meet the needs of the woman in the field.  Don't women always like to look nice no matter what they're doing?  I'm not saying I want to dress up and wear my nicest clothes out in the field.  But I do want appropriate field attire that leaves me recognizable as a woman.  I don't want to look like a man while I'm out hunting.  I want boots that fit and are extremely functional, I want pants and chaps cut for a woman, I want a coat and a vest made for the field that can stand up to the thickest cover and yet fits my body like it's supposed to.  Buying a men's small just doesn't cut it.

The goal of this blog is to offer meaningful reviews of the limited clothing that's out there for the huntress.  Ultimately I'd love to start a company that really understands the female hunter and offers products tailored just for them.  But until that day, my goal is to help women find the best gear possible by offering reviews of clothing and gear that I've personally tested in the field for function, fit and form.  The first two items I'll be reviewing for you are the Women's Upland Jacket from Filson:

 and the Cabela's Women's Polartec: for women:

I'll be testing them for the first time this weekend during rifle deer season.  I can't wait to give you the report on Monday about how they held up to a real life hunting situation and equally as important, how they fit.