Marketing is Funny!

Some advertising agency had been working overtime getting those words spun together.

–B.G.–

Are they strong enough for a man, but made for a woman. Cause that's a different story. ;)

An outfitter owner once told me that all the poles marketed here in the USA as "ultralight" are marketed elsewhere as "women's" poles. They are shorter, thinner, etc., which here can be marketed to the UL crowd as a feature.

I'll stick with my "man" trekking poles. Two 5-foot sections of rebar.

Seriously though, that's pretty funny.

That's because people are funny! The more companies can carve out ever-smaller subgroups (and convince folks what's for one subgroup just can't work for another) — the more people will "fine tune" and spend accordingly.

Be they packs or pads or whatever — methinks fine tuning or even customizing can make a significant difference for those whose physique or needs differ widely from the norm — but almost by definition — most of us should be just fine with gear "off the shelf".

But noooo, marketers will tell you that YOU are different and YOU need to customize and YOU are worth the added expense…

Ken:

REI's Peak UL poles and Peal UL Compact poles are Komperdell's men's and women's models respectively.

Travis – "Manly Rebar Poles." Funny stuff.

Yup, and when I get tired, I take out my cast iron sit pad!

+1 rebar…LOL. The imagery is priceless

>The imagery is priceless

Yeah, you should see them double as fly fishing poles. Tenkara ain't got nuthin' on these bad boys.

Actually, that would make one mighty sturdy pole for all the Hexes and Mids out there… We here at BPL are only concerned with pack weight, right?

Would it be inappropriate to post a picture of the handle for these lady poles?

hmmmmm……you're right. And they'd be a good trail defense weapon, and used as a trowel, a campfire poker….

Wow! Who woulda though rebar is such a multi-use item!

Don't laugh! I went on a canoe trip last year with my brother, a paramedic and a great guy – but he insisted on bringing three (yes, three) knives – and not just pocket knives. A multi-tool, a serrated edged sheath knife, and a full-on survival-knife thing. Plus a camp saw and an axe. I have a slight suspicion that if someone pointed out that carrying a rod of rebar could help you fend off a bear, that would have come too!

You can imagine how well my fancy feast alcohol stove went over :)

There is a piece of rebar at the outfitter at Neels Gap in Georgia that someone carried from Maine as a hiking stick. The hiker's trailname was, naturally, Rebar.

How do you come out with a line of equipment targeted to women? "Shrink it and pink it!" right?

I'll go ahead and say it: I've used women's gear and it's been just fine! I bought both a women's sleeping bag and a women's pack for my wife a couple years ago. I didn't buy either because they were "women's" – I bought the bag because it was a bit warmer than the men's version, and the pack because it was waaaay cheaper. She's gotten some good use out of them, but I've also borrowed them when they better fit a situation than my gear, and because I'm just 2" taller than she is, they worked just fine. Heck, I even have a pair of women's shoes – hot pink pumps, I mean, Vibram Five Fingers (they were on sale, and they're brown).

Other than clothing (and this is only true sometimes) I don't think there's any substantive difference in most backpacking gear. Just find the color you like and the size that fits. I can't wait to see to see a line of carabiners come out that meet "a woman's specific feminine needs."

On my last trip to Vancouver, I forgot to bring my shaver. The small convenience store where I stayed was fresh out of manly BIC disposables — but they did have the women's version in hot pink. "The only difference is the color", swore the store clerk. OK. Bought the six pack — used one — and tossed the rest. Wasteful, yes, and bad for the environment too — but no way I would carry pink razors in my carry-on backpack back to LA!

I think you missed a real opportunity for growth there, Ben. I feel like some time alone with a pink razor would do any man some good.

Can’t remember this guy’s trail name – ran into him at Snoqualmie Pass this past late summer while waiting for a couple thru’s I was picking up.
His hiking staff was rebar ;-P

As for gender specific poles….uh? Leki has had lady poles out for YEARS! I know, I have them! They are blue with flowers, UL and shorter than mens.

Nice picture! Did you take it solely because he was carrying a 4 foot piece of iron? :)

On my last trip to Vancouver, I forgot to bring my shaver. The small convenience store where I stayed was fresh out of manly BIC disposables — but they did have the women's version in hot pink. "The only difference is the color", swore the store clerk. OK. Bought the six pack — used one — and tossed the rest. Wasteful, yes, and bad for the environment too — but no way I would carry pink razors in my carry-on backpack back to LA!

[Fight Club]But, when a suitcase vibrates, then the throwers gotta call the police. Nine times out of ten it's an electric razor, but every once in a while…it's a *****. Of course it's company policy never to, imply ownership in the event of a *****… always use the indefinite article a *****, never your *****.

Travis,
When I saw his hiking staff I HAD to have a photo. We did a lot of trail angeling last year and I often took photos so I could remember a face to a name.

This was a photo I really liked. They were a couple on the home stretch – from Bellingham, Wa.

I had parked a table and chairs on a remote section of the PCT in Washington, down the trail. It was a lot of fun that day. The couple was honestly so happy you couldn’t help but feel good.

My other favorite area is Gov’t Meadows in Washington – loitering at the 2 story cabin there with lawn chairs ;-)

Two of our close friends were thru hiking last summer :-)

How's this for non-gender specific gear :)

A few years ago I was looking for the lightest possible base layer to use under my VB. I ended up trying a number of different types of pantyhose…yep, I went and bought pantyhose…and a bunch of different ones too.

Here's a snapshop of my gearlist back then.

And here's the link if you want to buy a pair.

http://www.hue.com/legwear/tights.aspx

Work great.

Sounds like a good time! I really do live in a crappy part of the nation for backpacking and its related activities :(