On my first-ever hunting trip, a crossbow hunt for deer in the warm Georgia early season, I sat on stand in a pair of jeans and a maroon T-shirt, covered in camo bug netting. I didn’t know any better (and I killed a buck anyway). Next time out, on a frigid Pennsylvania stand in late November, I piled on layer after layer of Dad’s old castoffs. The sleeves on his bulky jacket fell past my fingertips, the hood was so large it obscured my vision with the slightest head turn, and the men’s wool pants were too snug in the seat and too long in the…uh, rise. I was in full-on Pillsbury Doughgirl mode, struggling to hoist my legs up each rung of the tree stand ladder. I stayed moderately warm (except for my feet, but we’ll get to that later).

I finally got my hands on some men’s UnderArmour, which is delightfully warm. But clothing designed to be worn skin-tight made the differences between a man’s and a woman’s body type crystal clear: The thighs were tight, the crotch was too long, and the sleeves had extra fabric where larger biceps should be. And it goes without saying that the chest was snug. It kept me warm, but movement became a little restricted because of the improper fit.

Through the years I picked up assorted items in youth and small men’s sizes, and some of it fit better than others, but none of it fit well. There have to be better options than this, I thought. And there are. I started looking at the offerings in made-just-for-women sizes, and to my delight, found more than I expected. Some of the garments you’ll find on the following pages are made by women-only companies, and some are women’s sizes made by big-name companies that do the bulk of their business in men’s clothing.

A few things you should know: Although I’ve been out waterfowling and predator hunting on occasion, I do most of my hunting out of a tree stand, pursuing whitetail. Most of the clothing in this review is geared toward that type of hunting. I also am a self-confessed wimp when it comes to cold weather, so I place warmth at a premium in everything I try on. Because July in Alabama doesn’t allow for much cold-weather testing, the warmth estimates here are based on my best predictions and how overheated I got in my air-conditioned office.

Also, I’m just a tad on the short side at 5’4” and wear a size 10 pant and size medium to large shirt in regular street clothing — just to give you a size reference for how the following items fit.