Fit for the female athlete
A generation ago, women’s sports products were basically small-sized men’s gear in pastel colors. Today, as female participation in sports and fitness activities soars -- about 70 million women are involved in outdoor sports, according to industry figures -- hand-me-downs no longer cut it. Fitness apparel and equipment companies are churning out an increasing number of products that take women’s physical differences into account. Here are six examples loaded with women-specific features.
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Tenacity lacrosse stick
Women’s lacrosse is a different game from men’s -- a no-contact, ball-control game of shorter, more precise passing with shallow-net sticks. Because the ball falls to the ground more often in this type of game, Brine’s Tenacity stick is designed with a quick pick-up scoop and a pocket that breaks in quickly. The handle is narrow to fit female hands, as shown above by Torrey Pines High School lacrosse member Rachel Lary. The X-shaped reinforcement on the pocket places the ball higher for quick release. $109. (508) 478-3250; www.brine.com.
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Grommet Girl rock-climbing shoe
Little girls can easily wear the same shoes as their brothers, because differences in young feet aren’t pronounced enough to merit gender-specific designs. But girls still want to look like girls, hence Montrail’s Grommet Girl, which has the identical design and sticky Gryptonite rubber as the regular (boys) Grommet, but comes with a pretty lilac-colored upper and flowered velcro strap. For ages 3 to 8. $40. (800) 826-1598; www.montrail.com.
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Dolce road bike
With a relatively shorter torso and longer legs, many women are too stretched out on bicycles built for men. Bikes with female-specific geometries, such as Specialized’s Dolce line, feature a shorter and taller frame and short-reach brake levers for smaller fingers. Designed for comfort, the aluminum bikes all feature shock-absorbing, carbon-fiber forks and seat posts, gel handlebar padding, and drivetrains ranging from 24 to 27 speeds. $800 to $2,400, depending on component group. (800) 722-4423; www.specialized.com.
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Valkyre backpack
Designed specifically for a woman’s lower center of gravity, Mountainsmith’s Valkyre is shorter than backpacks designed for men, with a shorter torso length, contoured waistbelt and narrow shoulder straps. Big and burly enough to handle week-long back-packing trips, the 4,100-cubic inch pack is made of the same lightweight, tear-, UV-, and water-resistant fabric used in high-performance sail lofts. $229. (800) 551-5889; www.mountainsmith.com.
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Incline bench toning package
Contoured and narrow to fit a woman’s back, this space-efficient weight bench from Danskin includes stylish elliptical tubing, champagne-colored cushions and a built-in rack to organize weights. The package includes 32 pounds of dumbbells, wheels and a cargo box to roll it away. $179.94 (shipping included); (800) 704-5561; www.danskinfitness.com.
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Gold Series 13 snowshoe
The way women walk dictated the unique teardrop shape of this snowshoe. Because women’s feet land more in-line than men’s, their snowshoes can overlap unless they widen their gait, leading to hip-flexor irritation. Crescent Moon solved the problem by tapering the heel-end, allowing for a natural, in-line stride. Helping matters is the shoe’s innovative single-pull loop binding; it not only captures the complete foot from size 5 to 12 and eliminates cramping, but also is easy to tighten with your mittens on. $219. (800) 587-7655; www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com.
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-- Roy M. Wallack