Playing outside is a priority for me. No matter what season it is, you can find me wandering around Colorado's public lands. Hunting, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, backpacking, you name it; I've got outdoorsy adventures on my calendar year-round. As a result of my many outdoor hobbies, I've got an entire wall in my shop dedicated to gear storage. Camo, decoys, backpacks, firearms, freezers, and more are stashed away there. With all of this gear, you'd think I've found an easy, discrete way to use the bathroom outside. That wasn't the case until this past summer when my first pair of Gnara Go There™ Pants came into my life.
Gnara is a women-owned and operated apparel company with its headquarters in Gunnison, Colorado. Its co-founders, Georgia Grace Edwards, Bianca Gonzalez, and Charlotte Massey, started the company in their Middlebury College dorm room in 2018. Today, its award-winning technical pant has been worn in 50 states and 15+ countries and is available on its website, gnara.com. Its Go There™ Pants have been recognized in Gear Junkie's Gear Guide and won the 10 Best Readers' Choice Gifts for Adventurers for 2022 by USA Today.
Women Can Now Pee Worry-Free Outdoors
If you were assigned female at birth, you know how humiliating it can feel to drop your pants to pee outside. It's also a pain in the butt to untuck all your layers and expose your body to the elements when using the bathroom in the cold. To avoid exposing myself to strangers on the trail or at camp, I've tried everything from those odd-looking pee funnels to building a small blind to hide myself in. I've even held it in for too long because there was no safe place to go, especially while ice fishing on frozen lakes without a shelter. Meanwhile, every man I've seen urinate outside is almost proud that they just have to turn around to relieve themselves.
CEO Georgia Grace Edwards said, "The problem is not our anatomy; the problem is our pants. And that's where Gnara comes in." Its technical pants feature an elongated patented zipper just below the typical fly one uses to zip up pants. Its front-to-back design allows wearers to relieve themselves without pulling their pants down. Wearers can also open the zipper as much as they'd like; you don't need to unzip them fully to pee. I've even worn my Gnara pants in typical bathrooms, using the lower zipper to keep cold toilet seats off my behind.
I've worn my Go There™ pants during low-friction activities like hiking, rock climbing, camping, hunting, and fishing. I've also worn them during high-friction adventures like riding horses and biking. I have yet to feel discomfort from its trademark zipper, no matter what I'm doing outdoors. Going to the bathroom is now as discrete as squatting down to pick something up off the ground. Sunlight no longer bounces off my bum. I can pee on the side of a dirt road while a truck zooms by; the driver is none the wiser.
High-Quality, Functional Pants That Are Built to Last
Gabriela Zaldumbide
Gnara's flagship product isn't amazing solely because of its zipper. They're also fantastic, high-quality pants. Features like the built-in drawstring keep them from falling down if they're a little loose. Snaps at the pant legs allow wearers to roll them up to their calves. They also have cinches at the cuffs to turn them into a jogger. Zippered pockets, flexible, DWR-treated material, inclusive sizes, and four gorgeous colors are a few more features of this impressive technical pant. Don't believe me? Just read their 150+ five-star reviews.
Gnara's construction is the best of the best. The fabric doesn't rip or shrink in the wash. The zippers don't get stuck or break. The threads don't come out. Gnara's products are built by manufacturers that pay their workers fairly. From construction to functionality, these pants blow competitors out of the water.
Where I Hope Gnara Will Go
Gabriela Zaldumbide
Gnara isn't going to fall by the wayside. It has significant plans for the future, including launching two new products, establishing licensing deals so other companies can use their patented zipper design, expanding into wholesale and brick-and-mortar channels, and more. I'm excited about the new Gnara products coming down the line.
While I'm unsure about its plans to expand its product line, I have my hopes and dreams about where this company will go. As an avid ice angler, having access to snow pants, bibs, or waders with this zipper would be an utter game-changer. Not only would I stay warmer in the winter, but my bare bum wouldn't glisten like fresh snow on the ice for all to see. I'm sure skiers and snowboarders would appreciate this, too. As a hunter, expanding their line to include a khaki color and to be compatible with baselayers means I can use my Gnara zipper year-round. Right now, Gnara's Go There™ Pants are made out of high-quality, breathable material. Although this is fantastic for spring, summer, and fall use, come winter, it's just too cold in western Colorado to be outside for very long without a base layer.
Additionally, designing overalls with this zipper design would truly be a dream. I cringe every time I unbuckle my work overalls at the shoulder, pull them to my knees, inevitably pee on the straps, and pull them back up. Having a pair of Gnara overalls would make working outside with a team of men less embarrassing. Maybe someday they'll collaborate with Dovetail Workwear.
Whether you're an avid outdoorswoman or shopping for one, you can't go wrong by picking up a pair of these pants. Check out its website for the sales it may have going on. You're supporting a women-run business and ethical manufacturers by shopping with Gnara. Treat yourself to a one-of-a-kind piece of outdoor gear; you deserve it.
"It's time to rethink women's outdoor pants from the ground up," said co-founder and COO Charlotte Massey. "Everyone deserves to pee comfortably and safely while spending time outdoors."
