Female point of view: I want colors that blend into the landscape, part of Leave No Trace! No reds, oranges (except during hunting season), or my two most hated colors, "bink and burple" as I call them. Just try to find browns, tans, dull greens or dull blues in women's sportswear! Although recently I found a tan shirt and pants, something I always wanted when Hysson-of-the-Perpeturally-Shedding-Hair (see my avatar) was alive.

There are exceptions, mostly based on price. I am willing to put up with my pale pink cold weather base layer (Patagucci Capilene 4, bought on sale). At least they are normally hidden by outer clothing, or by the sleeping bag at night. The nearest to a nasty color for external wear is my 2 oz. Montbell wind shirt, which, as I've often described, is the color of wine vomit. It was 50% off (discontinued color, for obvious reasons), which, considering Montbell's regular prices, overcame my prejudice against purple (although it's more like burgundy).

As far as pants go, in these days of the dropped waist for women, resulting in my shirt's always being untucked with resulting bug bites, and, worse, the pants waistband directly under the pack's hip belt (ouch), I avoid "hiking pants" altogether and just find something in synthetic that has the waistband at the natural waist. Such pants are unfortunately getting increasingly hard to find, whether in hiking pants, dress slacks, or jeans. For those of us females whom God has blessed with wide hips, those dropped waists are torture. Forget fashion; I wanna be comfortable!