TEAMING UP FOR INCLUSIVE SIZING
by Ali Gray
M
egan Banker and Rochelle Murphy, both Mazamas, are two of six advisors working with gear and apparel brand Outdoor Research (OR) on a new product line. The line will feature technical outdoor gear in inclusive sizing: XS–3XL in fall 2021, followed by 1X–3X and 16W–24W in spring 2022. Our interview with Megan and Rochelle discusses the need for inclusive sizing in the outdoor industry and their involvement with the project.
Tell us a little about yourselves. How did you first get interested in the outdoors? What's the main way or reason you get outside now? Megan Banker: Hey! I’m 32 years old and grew up in Central California. I used to go car camping with my family growing up, but never actually did much hiking or other outdoor adventuring. I moved to Portland from Dallas, Texas, after grad school and joined Meetup to find people to hike with. I met some wonderful women through a women’s hiking meetup and went on a midnight climb of Mount St. Helens. After that I was hooked! Getting outside now is a way to get back to myself. I’m a chiropractor and own my wellness clinic, so I’m always busy and taking care of others. I Above left: Megan Banker. Photo: Tommy Corey. Above right: Rochelle Murphy. Photo: Unknown.
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love serving my community but I also need to take time to ground myself. I also deal with a lot of anxiety, depression, and panic disorder, so getting outside is a form of therapy for me. Rochelle Murphy: I grew up in Portland, so started experiencing the outdoors from a young age. I did the environmental camps and outdoor school and all that, and went camping and fishing and hiking with my dad. I dabbled in rock climbing when I was in undergrad, then I moved to England for 12 years and didn’t do much outdoorsy stuff. After my divorce, when I found myself back in Portland, I took to the mountains to rediscover myself and move past that difficult phase of my life. It became my therapy as well as my playground. Now I mainly get outside to
clear my head and find the balance that I’m lacking in my daily life. How are you involved with the Mazamas? MB: I’ve been pretty involved with the Mazamas since I first took BCEP in 2017. I’ve been on various committees and am currently working on finishing my Leadership Development work to become a climb leader. RM: I was volunteering with the youth outreach program before COVID. I have yet to return, although I’d like to. I have a young child and my mom has been in chemo, so I’m being extra COVID-cautious, but hopefully once we turn that around I can go back to volunteering. I really loved watching the young generations discover
