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sdb
Feb 14, 2004, 12:09 AM
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Registered: Jun 19, 2003
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do you ladies like the style and fit of the various clothing brands targeted at women? are there some that are doing a better job of meeting your needs than others? what's hot and what's not? my wife has trouble finding stuff that is functional as well as stylish, and a quick survey at the gym seemed to confirm her experience. what's the deal, iyho....
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rvega
Feb 14, 2004, 12:32 AM
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Being poor and practical I stick with PJ bottoms or cotton capris ($8 old navy) and a long sleeved loose fitting t-shirt during winter.
For summer time climbing I have a cheap and reliable Target sports bra/tank top ($12) but I splerged for Prana shorts with the elastic waist band ($40 ans seem to be indestructible). The fewer zippers, buttons, ect to rub between your skin and harness the better. I also recently bought a capaline long sleeved shirt for climbing and its great too, but pricey.
I have nothing against the big fashion brands like Prana or Patagonia; I love to have all that fancy comfy gear but I just can't afford it when what I really need is more hardware. Think about it....1 pair of Prana pants = 1 camalot, or 8 dovels, or 5 lockers, or a resole for each pair of shoes, or a brand new harness. :wink:
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moabbeth
Feb 14, 2004, 2:29 AM
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Registered: Oct 22, 2002
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Yep. Prana's women's climbing clothes fit me really well. I don't even have to try them on, if it's a size small I know it will fit and be comfy.
Only drawback with Prana pants is they're not ram tough like Dickies or Carhartt's when you use and abuse them a lot outside. But if she's only climbing in the gym, they'd be fine.
Oh, the other drawback is they can be pricey. But thank god their warehouse is only 2 hours south of where I live so twice a year I go down to their blowout sales and stock up on pants for $15 each and shirts for $10.
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missedyno
Feb 15, 2004, 4:54 PM
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Registered: Nov 21, 2001
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can't say i'm fashion-driven when it comes to climbing... i like clothes that fit, and that are comfortable to climb in...
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oceannas
Feb 16, 2004, 1:24 AM
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Registered: Jan 14, 2003
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I really like climbing clothes cause most of the time, it's very comfy! I just have to say that I have a little difficulty wearing patagonia...clothes are so nice but more fit on women having more boobs even a small....I mean all the top fit but not on the boobs.... a lots of my friends agree with me...are you? I also agree with crazylikeafawkes...it's over expensive most of the time!!!
(sorry for my poor english....I speak french!!!)
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rock_diva
Feb 16, 2004, 4:19 AM
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I like the brand Sickle for capris and shorts... Prana for tanks. If I can find non-brands at a thrift store I'm happy, but I'm not opposed to paying a little more for something that fits, is comfortable, and is stylish. I look for off-season sales or buy at special events (like the Phoenix bouldering contest, where vendors sell last years' clothes for screamin' deals).
As for sizing, the different brands seem pretty consistent (i.e. I can buy the same size no matter what the brand and they fit).
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keste
Feb 16, 2004, 8:49 PM
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Registered: Mar 24, 2003
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If I could have it all, I'd definitely want fit/comfort/fashion/inexpensive. I generally like prAna gear because it mostly fits, mostly fashionable.. However, its expensive and often assumes you're working out in a Bikram style yoga sauna. Dunno about y'all, but my patootie freezes off real quick.
I like Mountain Hardwear's womens gear better than Patagonia because that fits me better, but YMMV. Mountain Hardwear is nifty. Really, really nifty. And it fits.
Btw, does anyone else have a problem where the waist and thighs just don't hit that celestrial conjunction? Bleah.
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climberterp
Feb 17, 2004, 12:11 AM
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Registered: Jun 16, 2003
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In reply to: I really like climbing clothes cause most of the time, it's very comfy! I just have to say that I have a little difficulty wearing patagonia...clothes are so nice but more fit on women having more boobs even a small....I mean all the top fit but not on the boobs.... a lots of my friends agree with me...are you? I also agree with crazylikeafawkes...it's over expensive most of the time!!! (sorry for my poor english....I speak french!!!)
I had the same problem with a patagonia top, size small and there was still too much space for boobs even though i'm not particularly flat chested. I haven't tried much else in the way of climbing specific clothes, mostly I like cheap stretchy little tank tops from Target and stretch pants/capris.
Now that we're heading towards summer I'm having a hard time finding good shorts for climbing that meet all my criteria (maybe I'm too picky :? ). I want them a little stretchy and not too loose so no one can see right up them while I'm bouldering, but not too tight like bike pants. Sigh. My dilemma. Any suggestions?
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climbhigh2005
Feb 17, 2004, 1:02 AM
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Registered: Jun 14, 2003
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I love Prana and Patogonia, etc.. but I cant afford them either.. columbia is good and fairly cheap (compared to the rest) and all my others are free climbing shirts I've gotten in competitions and stuff like that... I have one pair of northface pants my bf got me for Christmas thats it!
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bigevilgrape
Feb 17, 2004, 3:23 AM
Post #10 of 18
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Registered: Nov 4, 2001
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i like parana but its $$$ i wear mens shorts to climb because they fit under my harness well.
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crazygirl
Mar 2, 2004, 4:26 PM
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Registered: Aug 27, 2003
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prana tops are made of polyester which i hate. for comfort, i think patagonia gemini tops are the best. they have them on sale sometimes, so its not necessary to shell out lots of cash. but again, you can get a tank top at the gap or old navy for $10, which works just as well
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jsh
Mar 2, 2004, 6:32 PM
Post #12 of 18
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Registered: Oct 24, 2003
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IMHO ... "climbing" clothes are a waste of perfectly good $$$.
After all, whatever you wear climbing gets ripped, scraped, and rubbed in dirt all day long. The next day, too. These are clothes that you buy to abuse, and usually end up throwing away much sooner than other clothes. There is just no point in paying for market targeting.
I look for cheap, durable, and roomy/flexible enough - "stylish" just doesn't figure in there.
That said, I've spent the past few years in those Gramicci pants (you know the ones) - the seam in the butt usually rips out within a year, but I can sew. They're roomy, and the material is fairly beefy. You can usually find "last season's color" on sale somewhere for ~ $20, which is cheap enough.
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jsh
Mar 2, 2004, 6:32 PM
Post #13 of 18
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Registered: Oct 24, 2003
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IMHO ... "climbing" clothes are a waste of perfectly good $$$.
After all, whatever you wear climbing gets ripped, scraped, and rubbed in dirt all day long. The next day, too. These are clothes that you buy to abuse, and usually end up throwing away much sooner than other clothes. There is just no point in paying for market targeting.
I look for cheap, durable, and roomy/flexible enough - "stylish" just doesn't figure in there.
That said, I've spent the past few years in those Gramicci pants (you know the ones) - the seam in the butt usually rips out within a year, but I can sew. They're roomy, and the material is fairly beefy. You can usually find "last season's color" on sale somewhere for ~ $20, which is cheap enough.
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ladsquared
Mar 3, 2004, 3:35 PM
Post #14 of 18
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Registered: Jul 12, 2003
Posts: 72
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verve pants are awesome! i have the plum blossum yojimbo pants. they look like capris, but they're called pants. very durable and comfy. i like verve pants in general. but to repeat what every other person has said, climbing clothes can get pricey, so wardrobe really comes down to budget.
i really like climbing outside in the prana girlie tops, especially when the weather's really hot.
as far as most of my climbing attire, it mostly consists of old t-shirts and cut up trackies. it works.
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tonithegreat
Mar 3, 2004, 4:30 PM
Post #15 of 18
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Registered: Jan 22, 2003
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I'm consistently disappointed by the shoddy construction on ladies prAna clothing. The tops aren't too badly made, but the ladies pants seem ridiculously poorly constructed, especially when they go for upwards of 60 bucks a pair.
I still wear the cute little tops 'till they wear out, but for climbing pants, I either just buy mens' or use some ladies hiking shorts/pants that are more rugged. I love Royal Robbins and Columbia for this kind of thing, and sometimes you can get some good deals on the REI brand stuff too.
Toni
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mountainchick82
Mar 5, 2004, 1:50 AM
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Registered: Feb 20, 2004
Posts: 493
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I just baught some prana pants and a tank...I haven't had any problems but these that I just baught have been coming unraveled at the seams. UGH!
I usually wear capris and a tank no matter the weather...I'm hot blooded.
Cheers!
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climbhigh2005
Mar 5, 2004, 11:49 AM
Post #17 of 18
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Registered: Jun 14, 2003
Posts: 1500
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In reply to: i like parana but its $$$ i wear mens shorts to climb because they fit under my harness well.
I wear mens pants and shirts in mountain hard wear alot bc I like the way they fit and are loose... they are way more comfortable
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hyrejk6
Mar 17, 2004, 2:41 AM
Post #18 of 18
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Registered: Mar 14, 2004
Posts: 8
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I agree with many of the women here. Prana is good. Also, I like Stonewear Designs. Both of these companies make tanks that are well constructed and keep boobs out of the way. I wouldn't suggest Patagonia for tanks, although they are more stylish than Prana or Stonewear Designs. I tried one of their tanks and half the seams unraveled. However, Patagonia is awsome for capilene.
I've noticed that if I buy a Kmart tank with a built in bra, the support isn't as...well...supportive :D and the material stretches out faster.
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