Assessing Functional Needs of Outdoor Climbing Pants

Abstract

<p>An exploratory study with mixed-methods to gain in-depth understanding of functional needs of climbers for climbing pants by investigating fit, mobility, comfort, protection, and donning/doffing utilizing the functional category of Lamb & Kallal's (1992) Functional, Expressive, Aesthetic (FEA) Consumer Needs Model. Study results revealed climbers have only mild satisfaction with pant fit, slightly satisfying mobility that was impacted by the climbing technique, were uncomfortable after climbing and current pants only somewhat protected their knees, seat, and crotch.</p>