I think that the major problem is that a large proportion of women’s “ outdoor” clothing is sold for “campus casual” rather than for hiking or other outdoor uses. For this market, fashion plays a much larger role than does actual utility.

There are two outdoor stores I visit in my part of the world. REI and Summit Hut, both in Tucson. In both stores the woman’s section is the largest section in the store and the selections are huge and apparently so is the market. I’m sure that if there were a significant demand for more utilitarian women’s outdoor gear, and an entrepreneur or so were aware of it, it would be there.