5 Must-Have Products For Women In 2023
Alongside minority gun owners, women continue to be one of the fastest-growing demographics in the firearms industry. In 2020 and 2021, more than 5 million women bought a gun for the first time — equating to 37% of the 13.8 million new gun owners identified over that time period.
Unfortunately, however, at gun stores all throughout the country, far too many women still have a difficult time finding products that work well for their needs and lifestyle. If your goal is to better serve your existing female customer base and/or increase your reach with this growing segment of gun owners, consider adding these must-have products to your inventory.
1. Walther PDP F-Series
Released April of last year, the 9mm Walther PDP F-Series offers solutions to many of the challenges women face with other firearms that may be marketed toward them but weren’t actually engineered for them, including reduced trigger reach, reduced grip circumference and reduced force necessary to operate the slide.
Although the PDP F-Series was developed with the help of a group of highly skilled and talented female shooters and instructors, Vincent Mann, Walther Arms’ senior digital marketing specialist, said “It’s a gender-neutral tool. If a tool fits your hand … it fits your hand. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
“I had been carrying the 4″ PDP Compact for well over a year prior to the release of the F-Series,” said Mann. “I had a chance to shoot the F-Series quite a bit and I actually shoot it better than my PDP, so I bought the 3.5″ and it’s my EDC now.”
2. Phlster Enigma
When asked what products have been the most popular with her female clients, Avery “Skip” Skipalis, owner of Skip’s Tactical Training, immediately responded with the Phlster Enigma.
“I don’t want it to sound like I’m exaggerating, but for me, it’s been revolutionary,” she said. “It takes away needing a belt or an ulticlip and is actually one-size-fits-all.”
Skipalis has been a military firearms instructor for over 10 years, an NRA instructor for five years and a certified GLOCK Advanced Armorer since 2015. One of the things she stresses to those she teaches is if your goal is to carry every day, then you need to fit it into your lifestyle, not the other way around. Otherwise, you’ll always find an excuse not to carry.
The Enigma from Phlster is a high-performance concealment system worn independently of the wearer’s clothing, allowing her to fine-tune concealed carry in ways that aren’t possible with conventional belts or bellybands — meaning she can wear whatever she wants over the top. Its 12-way adjustable system allows the user to customize the fit for her unique body shape, making the gun hug close to her body.
Although not exclusively made for or marketed to women, the Enigma is an innovative solution to what Skipalis sees as one of the areas she’d like improved within the 2A community.
“We’re seeing more and more products that are ‘female cut,’ but how does one define what the standard ‘female cut’ should be?” she said. “People come in all shapes and sizes and carry their weight differently, not just women. What I’d like to see is more variation in materials and textiles to develop more affordable, size-inclusive options.”
While evaluating whether your store or range’s inventory meets the needs of female consumers should be a priority, it’s important to think about the bigger picture.
3. DSG Outerwear Hunting Apparel
For female hunters, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more inclusive brand than DSG Outerwear. The brand recently introduced several new apparel items, including the Breanna 2.0 Fleece Pullover and Drop Seat Bibs.
Like the rest of the DSG Outerwear apparel line, both the Breanna 2.0 Fleece Pullover and the Breanna 2.0 Drop Seat Bib are made for women of all sizes and shapes. The Drop Seat Bib incorporates an adjustable snap inseam (from 28.5″ to 32.5″), a drop seat feature allowing for easy access when nature calls, a large, zippered thigh pocket and an easy-to-adjust suspender system to ensure the perfect length.
Both the Breanna 2.0 Fleece Pullover and Drop Seat Bib are available in the popular Realtree Edge or Realtree Excape camouflage patterns, as well as black. Together, they’re the ultimate mid-season apparel set for women.
DSG also released an update to its bestselling Bexley line. Made with warmer climates in mind, the new Bexley 3.0 Ripstop Tech Shirt and Pant are perfect for early-season hunting when summer temps are still blazing and staying cool is vital to success in the field.
Comfortably worn in temps 55 degrees and above, the Bexley 3.0 Ripstop Tech Shirt and Pant are made from breathable, Ripstop fabric that’s been DWR-treated to help shed water off the surface and allow for moisture to wick away. The shirt features a hood with soft elastic binding to keep the head covered, while comfort-length sleeves with thumbholes give wearers extra protection from the elements.
Like the Drop Seat Bib, the Bexley 3.0 Ripstop Tech Pant incorporates an adjustable inseam (33″ to 29.5″) along with an elastic waistband for added stretch. Jeans-style pockets can be found in the front, plus a roomy back pocket provides even more convenient storage.
The Breanna 2.0 Fleece Pullover, Breanna 2.0 Drop Seat Bib and Bexley 3.0 Ripstop Tech Shirt and Pant are available in sizes XXS–5XL.
4. ETS Speedloader
Other products that have been game changers for Avery Skipalis and the clients she serves are speedloaders from Elite Tactical Systems (ETS).
“I’m not even sure why, but I resisted using a speedloader for a long time before realizing there’s nothing wrong with wanting to work smarter, not harder,” she said. “Becoming a proficient shooter requires a lot of hand strength, so why expend any more energy than you have to while reloading? Using speedloaders helps conserve your hand strength and maximize your time on the range.”
For Skipalis, who’s had people travel to Florida from as far as California, Delaware and Texas to take a course with her, the more effectively they can reload their magazines, the more time they can spend actually learning and improving their skills.
ETS currently offers four speedloaders — the C.A.M. Universal Loader for Rifles and the C.A.M. Loader for pistols, available in either 9mm/.40 caliber, .45 caliber or .380 caliber.
5. GTM Original “Instructor PreLoved Bag Program”
As for what she’s hoping to see more of in 2023, Skipalis said more off-body carry options.
“People have very strong opinions about off-body carry, but personally, I’d rather off-body carry than not carry at all,” she said. “As a community, I think we could do a better job of not shaming people for their choices. We each have different experiences, abilities and preferences, and are at different parts in our concealed carry journey.”
Based on analytics from The Well Armed Woman (2021 Blog) and Shoot Like A Girl (2021 Annual Report), concealed carry bags and purses are now preferred over on-body holsters, especially with new shooters.
Through GTM Original’s “Instructor PreLoved Bag Program,” certified firearms instructors across the country can order up to three PreLoved bags to use in their training courses, to aide in teaching how to carry firearms off-body.
The Bigger Picture
While evaluating whether your store or range’s inventory meets the needs of female consumers should be a priority, it’s important to think about the bigger picture.
“I don’t look like the typical instructor or fit the stereotype of what people assume the female gun owner looks like, but when I started leaning into the 2A lifestyle, I was more welcomed than I thought I would be,” said Skipalis. “Even still, I don’t often see myself represented in retailer or manufacturer marketing materials. And in a world where our community needs as many allies as we can get, it’s something that will have to change.”
