The Relationship Between Kit and Access to the UK Outdoors
Clothing can cause many barriers when trying to access the UK outdoors. We asked Steph Wetherell , the co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, to explain some of ways it can stop people getting outside, and explore some of the solutions that advocates and allies are discovering.
This article is also available through ATE Reads, audio versions of selected content from All The Elements - a nonprofit network for those working on diversity in the UK outdoors.
Listen to Steph read this article to you:
Or on your podcast app.
The audio recording is made possible with support from co-operative tour operator HF Holidays, who have been providing walking and activity holidays since 1913.Find out more at hfholidays.co.uk.
For many people, buying new clothing or kit for the outdoors is a relatively straightforward experience – visit a few shops, try on some options, maybe even pick the colour you like the most. It’s not unusual to have some grumbles if things are hard to find, out of stock, or if the fit isn’t quite right, but it’s not enough to stop you doing what you want to do.
For other individuals and communities, access to clothing and kit that fits and performs is a major barrier, making it difficult or uncomfortable, or even stopping them from getting outdoors entirely.
A sizeable issue
In 2022 I co-founded Every Body Outdoors, driven by my inability to get the clothing and kit I needed to engage in outdoor activities as a plus size woman. When we launched, the only places to get a size 20 waterproof jacket were Regatta or Mountain Warehouse, but as someone who regularly did multi-day hikes, I needed something more technical. As the group grew, the frustrations from our community piled up – the poor fit of walking trousers in larger sizes, personal flotation devices that didn’t fit larger bodies, climbing harnesses that stopped at a size 18/2XL, wetsuits that didn’t come in plus sizes – and this was just the tip of the iceberg.
Instead of walking into an outdoors shop, my outdoors clothes shopping involves me spending hours on Google, poring over size charts, emailing brands for information and ultimately often being left unable to access the clothing I was looking for. You have to wonder how many people haven’t gone outdoors because they haven’t been able to find something as fundamental as a waterproof jacket that fits.
Three years after we launched, things have started to improve. In a recent collaboration with Cotswold Outdoor, Rab expanded their sizing to offer some products up to a size 24 (men’s 3XL), brands like Mountain Equipment, Keela and Alpkit have increased up to a size 20, rucksack manufacturers Osprey and Gregory Packs have made extended fit packs with longer hip belts, Lomo have led the way on plus size wetsuits, and Palm have made a personal flotation device that fits plus size bodies. Alongside this, one of the Every Body Outdoors co-founders began importing plus size clothing and kit from the US market through her company, Vampire Outdoors, including the range from US brand Outdoor Research that goes up to a UK size 30.
Modesty in mind
For many Muslim women, finding modest clothing and headwear for outdoor activities has been really difficult. When I spoke to Amira Patel from the Wanderlust Women, she talked to me about how when she started hiking, there wasn’t anything modest for her to wear as a lot of the clothes made for the outdoors are very tight fitting – and how this isn’t just an issue for Muslim women as many women don’t want to wear tight clothing. For her, she needs something loose fitting that covers her chest and bottom, and that has been tricky to find.
Over time Amira has managed to find items that keep her safe and modest in the mountains, and the Wanderlust Women website includes a section of links to clothing and kit to help people find and access modest wear that works for them. She says that there is still much to be done though, and while sports brands such as Nike and Adidas now have a modest wear range, the outdoor world is still very behind. She wants to see brands working with changemakers such as herself to develop items and ranges to support Muslim women in the outdoors.
This is an issue that affects other outdoor activities too. The last few years has seen a surge of modest swimwear hitting the mainstream market, and even the notoriously lycra-loving cycling industry is finally starting to pay attention, with Rapha recently producing a longer and looser fitting top and padded riding trousers. In 2023, Amira worked with Trekmates to produce a weatherproof hijab and niqab, and Zahrah Mahmood, the Hillwalking Hijabi worked with Berghaus to create an outdoors hijab.
A need for adaptations
People with physical disabilities also often require adaptations to their kit. While a number of companies such as Equal Adventure specialise in adaptive kit, mainstream brands are beginning to launch programmes to make the outdoors more accessible. Following a spinal cord injury, Ed Jackson co-founded Millimetres 2 Mountains (M2M), working with Berghaus on their Adapts programme, the story of which has recently been made into a film. I spoke to Alice Sainsbury – a designer who lives with a chronic long-term condition – who works on the Adapts programme for M2M. She explained how it is led by people with lived experience of disability, meaning the gear is designed to meet the specific needs of people with disabilities – including challenges such as mobility, dexterity, bladder and bowel control, temperature regulation and sensory support. She talked about how people with disabilities have been excluded from outdoor experiences, and how this programme has gone beyond just creating adaptive gear, beginning to shift how we think about design.
Finisterre have also launched their Wetsuit Project, adapting wetsuits to make getting into the sea and ocean more accessible. This scheme is funded by donating 3% from the sales of their surfing wetsuits to fund the programme.
Affordable for all?
Many of us see outdoor clothing and kit as somewhat a luxury – we might save up for a new, better jacket, or wait until the sale to buy something. But for some people, the affordability – or unaffordability – of clothing presents a huge barrier. While a lot of clothing you will wear in the outdoors doesn’t need to be technical or expensive, certain items like waterproof jackets and waterproof trousers are important for staying safe and comfortable. Add in a pair of hiking boots and a rucksack, and suddenly the outdoors can seem out of reach to many, including kids.
After caring responsibilities resulted in her moving into social housing and receiving benefits, Fran Pearson discovered a love for the outdoors – courtesy of her dog, Honey – and realised how transformative the outdoors could be if you had access to the right equipment. Fran told me about how in 2020, in response to this, she set up Kitsquad, a charity that takes donated outdoors gear and redirects it to people on a low income to enable them to get outdoors. She explained that they are the only scheme that supplies directly to families and individuals, receiving personal and corporate donations, sorting them and matching the items up with applications from people in receipt of means-tested benefits. I asked about the most commonly asked for items, and she said most applications request full waterproofs, boots and a rucksack, but that they frequently run out of these items.
Where next?
There has been progress in making clothing and kit more accessible, but the truth is that a lot of this has come from key changemakers working tirelessly, setting up initiatives or campaigning for this to happen. These changes are also just a drop in the ocean of what needs to happen – for example, while technical outdoors wear is now available in the UK up to a size 30 thanks to Vampire Outdoors, this is only from one small online retailer – if you go into most outdoors shops, they still stop at a size 18 or 20.
The reality is that we need widespread change; for a wide range of brands to offer extended sizing, modest wear and adaptation services, and for the industry to take responsibility for or invest in kit redirection schemes to help remove the financial barrier for those who can’t afford new gear.
This is a snapshot of the barriers that exist to clothing and kit, but is far from comprehensive. If you struggle with a barrier not mentioned, you can share your experiences via the Have Your Say form below.
Thank-you for reading this article. Steph is an enthusiastic hiker with a love of long distance paths, and also loves bike touring and cold water swimming. She spends part of her time advocating for plus size inclusivity in the outdoors through the organisation she co-founded, Every Body Outdoors, where she works with the industry to expand the size offering of clothing and kit, as well as running courses and events to support plus size people to get outdoors. She has also worked as a freelance writer for the eight years, writing about farming, the countryside and the outdoors for a range of print and online publications.
You can find out more about Every Body Outdoors by visiting their website, everybodyoutdoors.co.uk, and read more of Steph’s writing on her Substack stephwetherell.substack.com.
Our thanks go to HF Holidays, who made the audio version of this article possible. HF Holidays is Britain's longest-running co-operative tour operator, with over 111 years' experience in organising walking and activity holidays worldwide. They connect like-minded people through shared outdoor experiences and have a community of 48,000 members who have a passion for the countryside. As a B Corp Certified business, HF Holidays is dedicated to sustainable travel and community-focused initiatives such as their Pathways Fund, which has been raising money to provide assisted holidays and preserve and protect the countryside.
All The Elements is a non-profit community of individuals increasing access and representation for systemically-excluded and underrepresented groups in the UK outdoors. We run events, offer one-on-one support, curate online resources, promote the work and successes of our community members, offer consultancy and more. You can find out more on our website, follow us on social media and subscribe to our Substack newsletter.
Things you can do next:
Check out the Every Body Outdoors list of plus size outdoor clothing, which gives information on which clothes sizes outdoor retailers stock and their price points.
Listen to Steph on the Finding Our Way podcast where she talks about sizest attitudes, why representation by brands and media is so important, and how clothes and kit can be made more inclusive.
Watch ‘The Making of Berghaus Adapts with Ed Jackson’, a film on the Go Outdoors YouTube channel that covers how Berghaus worked with Ed to create his adapted clothing.
Read ‘Kitsquad Bridge the Gap to Outdoor Adventures for Those in Need’ an article by Col Stocker on published by Alpkit about Kitsquad, which is the only UK-based scheme that provides donated adventure gear to low-income individuals.
You can donate to Kitsquad and they accept both gear and funds. Visit their website to see the gear they need the most.
Read ‘Outdoors – is it a privilege?’ a blog post on Curious School of the Wild that explores the arguments and issues surrounding access to the outdoors as a privilege.
Listen to “From activewear hijabs to peeing outdoors - why DO we need specialist outdoor equipment?” by the On The Outside podcast, where Zahrah Mahmood speaks with others about why we need specialist outdoors kit.
Let us know what you think - complete our feedback form!
We know that our community represents a huge number of people, and that the articles we share will never be able to capture everyone's experiences in a single post. That's why we wanted to create this form - to allow you to share your thoughts on the articles we're publishing. Whether it's feedback for us, comments to develop the conversation or ideas for future content, it's all welcome!
