Why Plus Size Outdoor Gear Keeps Disappearing – And What We Can Do About It
Until I started Vampire Outdoors, I had no idea the hoops you have to jump through as a retailer to find the right products for your customers – my previous experience of procurement was limited to buying print, advertising and promotional items for my marketing agency clients (I can tell you now, accidentally becoming a plus size retailer has been a wild ride!). But as a plus size person (size 18) who loves outdoor activities I knew EXACTLY how hard it was to find the clothes and equipment I wanted to buy, because they didn’t exist in outdoor stores.
So, I wanted to share with you a little about the challenge of finding plus size outdoor gear, and how YOU can help, because honestly it is a constant battle - against brands, distributors, importers, shipping agents and more.
Photo of Rebecca in August 2020 wearing a badly-fitting Decathlon waterproof jacket in the largest size, and a home-made rain skirt because there were no waterproof trousers that fit her.
The Struggle for Sleeping Bags
Many months ago I asked folks in the Every Body Outdoors Facebook group whether they were interested in some wide sleeping bags that had just been launched in the US but weren't going to be available in the UK... the answer was an emphatic YES!
Therm-A-Rest's new Boost 650 down sleeping bag is a bit of a revolution in comfort - with ARM HOLES!! (yes, really) and a middle expander zip that increases the warmth of the bag if you do it up - and more importantly perhaps, gives you more space if you un-zip it!
**gamechanger**
But...the wide version of these bags wasn't going to be available to retailers in the UK - only the US. In fact, the UK sales agents didn't even know there was a wide version because it had never been mentioned by the brand. I was annoyed (putting it politely).
Photo showing a female plus model in a Therm-A-Rest Boost 650 wide fit sleeping bag, next to a male model on the left, in the standard width version.
This isn't the first time this has happened. Several US brands making plus size gear fail to recognise the UK or wider EU as a market. And part of the problem is because there aren't enough outdoor retailers selling plus sizes, so when the brand sets a 'minimum order quantity' to be reached for the UK/EU market, we just can't reach it. And even where we do have access to plus size gear, we often get a very minimal selection to buy from, or they are quickly discontinued if sales aren't sufficient.
I am constantly battling to get brands to see UK plus size adventurers as worthy of investing in, and every time I go to the trade shows to meet the brands, I push to get even small quantities here, to demonstrate the market.
Backing Extended Fit Backpacks
Osprey Packs is a good example of the disparity in plus size gear availability in the EU/UK vs the US. If you look at the range of Extended Fit packs available in the US and compare to the UK - you'll see there are SO MANY more colours and bag styles available in the US, and all we have in the UK now are black and we don't have all the bag options.
Not only that, but the Osprey EF range has been stripped back with the Sportlite EF and Raptor/Raven MTB EF packs discontinued. The only good news was the release of the Talon/Tempest 33 Extended Fit pack in spring 2025 (which is the size we’d been asking for, and it’s brilliant!)
Image showing a selection of Osprey Extended Fit Backpacks which are either not available in the UK in these models or colours, or have been discontinued.
But, the worrying news for plus size backpacks continues, and since I first wrote this blog as an email, I’ve heard from Osprey that if sales don’t pick up over the next year or so, there is a real risk we could lose the Extended Fit line in the UK. The team I work with don’t want this to happen, but its all driven by numbers.
And this is the problem...if not enough plus size product is sold, the brands stop making that product in plus sizes (and I also struggle to afford new stock if it's sitting here in my storage unit).
Aside from the Osprey packs situation, there's a reduction in plus size items available from Outdoor Research this coming autumn – and as I’m about to put my orders in for Spring 2026 (yes really!) the bad news continues, with OR further stripping back their range of plus size products. Ferrosi shorts and Freewheel shorts, the beloved Freewheel t-shirt, Alpine Onset merino tops, the incredible Superstrand jacket, Cirque Lite pants, the wonderful Vigor grid fleece, and the 5L bumbag…all gone. I nearly cried when I opened the brochure and saw how little there was on offer.
The only saving grace is a new plus size waterproof jacket for spring 2026 that’s at a lower price point, and a few more men’s products going up to a 3XL. But that doesn’t make up for the loss of what has been the backbone of our high quality, genuinely inclusive, plus size outdoor gear range.
Image showing Outdoor Research products that are being discontinued in plus sizes from either Autumn 2025 or Spring 2026.
Plus Size Outdoor Gear: Buy it or Lose it
This is where I need your help. Vampire Outdoors is often a 'test case' for new plus size products - particularly with Outdoor Research (OR) but other brands too - because we're the only UK retailer bothering with more than a waterproof jacket and a pair of hiking trousers in true plus sizes. I stock nearly the entire range of plus size gear from OR, and a vast range from German brand Maier Sports, and all the plus size backpacks from both Osprey and Gregory. Not to mention seeking out smaller brands like Alpine Parrot (and I'm talking to 2 more small US brands!).
You can help by buying the gear. That's it, that's all we need to do as a plus size community. The plus size outdoor clothing and equipment we offer is higher priced than cheap online fashion, because they're made from high quality, technical fabrics and will last you a long time (I have tried to find more lower priced outdoor brands but there is very very little available in plus sizes, the quality is poor and the ethics of production is terrible, and goes strongly against my values).
It would also be wonderful to see more of a second hand market for pre-loved plus size outdoor gear - passing on something you no longer need and helping others on lower budgets, or just starting out and wanting to start with pre-owned. Please do consider selling your old plus size gear - through the Every Body Outdoors Facebook group (plus size only), other outdoor gear Facebook groups, charity shops, second-hand reselling websites, and even donating to Kit Squad.
Getting outdoors should absolutely not be about what you're wearing, or feeling like you have to have the latest gear to fit in. But you also don't have to make-do with ill-fitting jackets, uncomfortable backpacks, and chilly, wet legs in the winter.
Photo of Claire, one of our ambassadors on holiday in Scotland wearing Outdoor Research and Alpine Parrot clothing, and a Gregory plus size backpack. At a size 28, Claire had been forced to make her own outdoor clothing until the plus size products from Vampire Outdoors became available.
And thankfully Vampire Outdoors is not the only option for plus size gear. Some of the high street outdoor retailers are dipping a toe in - But most are not buying the really good quality product in bigger sizes from the US or EU - and most of the brands commonly found in outdoor shops don't go much above a women's size 20. The guys are also lacking in options, with most retailers still stopping at 2XL if you're lucky.
If you're still reading this...thank you. This ended up longer than I expected, but I wanted to share just how hard it is to get the gear that I know makes a difference to you. I'm just one woman trying to keep a small business afloat and I appreciate every one of your purchases. Every email of thanks, every review, every share on social media really does make my day. I didn't set out to be a retailer...I started this business because nobody would bring these products to the UK, and perhaps I could.
And maybe one day this business won't be needed because all outdoor retailers will have inclusively sized clothing and gear. But sadly I don't think that's going to happen for a while. Until then - please buy the gear - so I can continue to demonstrate that it's needed, and continue to help plus size adventurers get outdoors.
So anyway...back to the Therm-A-Rest Boost sleeping bags...I showed the UK sales agents that I wasn't insane *cough*...these wide versions really did exist and I sent screenshots of the website where I'd found them for sale in the US. Luckily this sales agent is an absolute gem (and also quite used to me asking for the impossible!) so I asked very nicely...and he asked very nicely...and Therm-A-Rest said I could import ONE BATCH to the UK if I put my order in by Christmas.
AND NOW THEY'RE HERE! So go check them out.
Rebecca holding up one of the Therm-A-Rest Boost 650 sleeping bags in wide fit.