Walking with Rebecca Dawson, rambler

Meet the plus size outdoor gear champion who’s helping every body get outdoors

Rebecca Dawson on a solo wild camp

“As a bigger body person, you're pretty much excluded from most ultralight outdoor gear because it's made for people in small bodies. Sleeping bags are really skinny. Ultralight clothing isn’t available in my size. From a gear point of view, I find that really, really frustrating.”

That’s just one of the challenges Rebecca Dawson has had to overcome in order to enjoy outdoor activities like trail hiking and wild camping. And it’s these barriers to access that motivated her to do something to change the story for tens of thousands of other people.

Rebecca and I met at a CampWild community campout. Over a campfire chat and some paddle boarding I discovered that she’s the owner of plus size outdoor gear store Vampire Outdoors, a former Chair of Trustees for the Ramblers and co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, a community action group fighting for clothing, gear and representation for plus size bodies in the outdoor movement.

Representation matters – in all walks of life. But for people with bigger bodies there are numerous hurdles to getting into outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, cycling, paddle sports and camping. From finding gear that fits and overcoming self doubt, to experiencing stigmas like body shaming.

Rebecca’s changing all of that. Acting as a champion for people of all body sizes and challenging outdoor brands and leaders to design products and experiences that work for everyone, together with improving representation.

Having bought something from Vampire Outdoors already (hello Kula Cloth!) and having followed Every Body Outdoors and their work for a while, I was thrilled to meet someone in person who I find so inspiring through their social media. So when we saw each other at the National Outdoor Expo I asked if she’d chat with me for The Writer’s Walk – and was honoured when she said yes.

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Hi Rebecca, thanks for chatting with me – please tell our readers about yourself

Thanks Sarah. My name is Rebecca Dawson. I grew up in a village in Surrey where I spent a lot of time in the countryside, and now I live in South Cambridgeshire, in a rural village, with my two lovely Burmese cats. I work for myself and run two businesses – Spadeworx, a marketing business focused on farming and agriculture, and Vampire Outdoors, an online shop that specialises in plus size outdoor gear and accessories for everyone, including some outdoor hygiene products that are specifically focused towards women. I'm also, on a voluntary basis, a director of Every Body Outdoors, a non-profit community interest company.

Have you always been a walker?

No, I haven't. I've always been outdoorsy, and loved nature, but I was a horse rider when I was a child, so I spent a lot of time outdoors, experiencing the countryside, but on horseback, not on my own two legs. And actually, I really hated walking! When I was a child, I used to moan when my family would drag us for a walk. It wasn't until my early 30s that I discovered that I actually liked walking. I went through a marriage breakup in my late 20s and suffered with depression, and as part of recovering from that my GP advised me to do some walking, but I didn't really know where to start. I was like, oh, I don't really know where to go. I knew a bit about footpaths and bridleways from when I was a rider, but I was now living in a completely different area that I hadn't really explored.

So I did a bit of walking locally, then a friend suggested I do the London MoonWalk with her and some friends – that’s an overnight marathon walk in London to raise money for breast cancer causes, and you walk in decorated bras. So that was just absolutely madness and right up my street. So I said yes, having never walked any significant distance at all, and I started training, because obviously this was a thing I needed to train for. I'd never walked 26.2 miles before. So I started training with local friends and in the evenings we'd go out for a little walk around the villages and pound the pavements overnight. I started exploring a little bit further, finding footpaths that were sort of connected together to increase my mileage. I did the MoonWalk, but it was very painful as I was injured beforehand, but I finished it.

Then another friend said, do you fancy walking the Hadrian's Wall long distance path with me, as a holiday? And I was like, I don't know what that's about, but yeah, sounds good. So again, I had no experience. I had to buy hiking boots. I had to find a backpack that was big enough. We didn't camp. We used a baggage service and carried a day bag and stayed at B&Bs. It was a good introduction, but we had to do it in a really short period of time because of our individual commitments, which meant we had to do huge mileage each day ­– 20 to 22 miles a day, which was massive. But I really enjoyed that walk. That long distance path was pivotal in creating this sort of feeling in me of being more connected to the outdoors, of really enjoying long distance walking.

Where it all began in 2012 – Rebecca training for the Hadrian’s Wall walk

I did the MoonWalk again the following year. Then I decided that if I was going to keep doing these mad challenges, it would be better if I found a walking group, so I could walk more regularly. And it took me quite a long time to find a group that I felt comfortable with. I didn't want to walk with a bunch of older people because, at that time, I was single and didn't know many people in the area, and I wanted to make new friends who were my peers. And I kind of resigned myself to having to join the Ramblers because I couldn't find another walking group. But then I found a young walkers group, with people in their 20s and 30s. That’s what propelled my walking hobby and it led to a lot of other things.

I’m guessing one of the things it led to was your role as Chair of Trustees for the Ramblers – can you tell me more?

So the Ramblers is the nation's walking charity. Not only does it have a lot of walking groups – we're up to around 600 now – around half of its work is on protecting and expanding the places where we can walk. The Ramblers is a statutory body that has to be consulted on any changes to the path network – things like getting new or improved access and maintaining paths. We have about 25,000 volunteers and just over 100,000 members. We are the voice of walkers in Great Britain, and I’m pretty passionate about it.

My involvement came about after joining the Stag Walkers group after years of looking for a group I wanted to walk with. It was a very small group and the person running it had been doing it on her own for many years and had asked people to help but no one had, so she was on the verge of closing the group. And I thought, oh my god, I have just found this group, I really don't want it to shut down. So I said to her, I know nothing about the Ramblers and nothing about walking groups, but I have a background in marketing, and if I can help keep this group going, then let's do that.

So within months of joining, I was running the group with the help of the lady who'd been there before and I ran it, effectively as Chair, for eight years. At the start, I didn't know what I was doing, so I reached out for help and got to know Paul, the Chair of a young walkers group in the Chilterns. He was really helpful and encouraged me to go to my Ramblers Area Committee, which is where all the groups from a county work together. So I went to those meetings, which no one from my group had gone to for donkey's years, and started learning more. Paul also encouraged me to go to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) as a way to learn more about the organisation. So I went as a visitor, rather than a voting member, and I was baffled by the whole thing, to be honest. But around two years later, after Paul’s encouragement, I decided to stand as a trustee because I’d learned a lot more about the Ramblers by then and had strong opinions around what younger people who love the outdoors or walking would benefit from.

And, you know, it was very bad. It was non digital at that time. And I was frustrated, as a person in my 30s who worked in marketing, and felt it was madness that we were not doing this, that and the other. So I stood as a trustee in Southampton, and was elected at the AGM in 2016 and joined the board. I’d never been a trustee before and it was a huge learning experience. I was a trustee for seven years, doing a three-year term as an ordinary trustee before being re-elected and spending nine months as Vice Chair. The current Chair, Kate Ashbrook, kept encouraging me to stand as Chair, so in the end I did, was elected, and did three years as Chair of the board.

It was a huge time of change. I led the organization through a complete strategic refresh, where we looked at our 10-year revenue strategy and appointed a new chief executive. We'd just come out of COVID then, but we were starting to realign ourselves and think about our future. And it was just the most incredible experience being a trustee of a charity like this. We had a whole digital transformation programme as well, which happened during my tenure as a trustee, and which has revolutionised the organisation – although it wasn't easy, it was really difficult.

And it's things like this you don't get to do when you're self employed, despite the fact that I've worked in-agency and in-house before, you don't get to do these sort of things unless you are sitting on the board of a company. So I got to do things that I don't get to do all the time in my professional life, but I brought all of my skills with me. Then there was skill sharing. I learned loads of skills as a trustee and Chair at the Ramblers, and I've brought them into my professional life where they also lead into the work that I do with Every Body Outdoors.

Rebecca bagging her first Munro during a winter skills training course

“The Ramblers has totally changed my life for the better. It really, really has. I'm ever so grateful for that, which is why I will continue to support the organisation forever.”

Having seven years in governance of a national charity fired up my understanding of how inaccessible the countryside and nature is for a lot of people, and how difficult it is to do the things that a lot of us take for granted. And honestly, the Ramblers, not just the time I was a trustee, but as an organisation, has totally changed my life for the better. It really, really has. I'm ever so grateful for that, which is why I will continue to support the organisation forever.

You co-founded Every Body Outdoors – can you share how you met your co-founders and why you set it up?

Yes, so I am one of five co-founders of Every Body Outdoors. It started during lockdown, when one of the other directors, Steph Wetherell, brought us all together. We were all ranting on Instagram about not being able to get outdoor clothes that fit us, all that kind of stuff, so she connected with us all individually.

I was really fired up about doing something about this anyway, but because I then became Chair of the Ramblers, I just didn't have time to do it myself, and so Steph brought us together. We started off as five angry women who wanted to make a difference to plus size people who wanted to take part in outdoor activities, be that walking, hiking, outdoor swimming, climbing, mountain biking, paddle sports, all of those kinds of outdoor sports. All of us have a particular interest and we cover a big range of activities that we really like doing. I'm obviously more on the hiking and the camping side. Kumbi Kariwo is a climber and Emily Williams is really into cycling, wild swimming and paddle sports. Sara Huws does a bit of everything – swimming, hiking. Steph is into hiking, camping, cycling and a bit of swimming.

We set it up thinking that we were just going to really be trying to influence brands to make things in bigger sizes. Like doing reviews and helping brands out with fit testing and that kind of stuff. And that's kind of what we were working towards. And we thought it'll be lovely to have group walks and stuff, and have a community. Steph had already created a closed Facebook group, which was more about the kit side of stuff, so we launched an Instagram account and within 48 hours we had 1,000 followers.

And we were like, oh, that's interesting. There's clearly more people than we thought that were also really passionate about this. So we quickly discovered that there was a big community out there and the community element of what we do – the group walks and hill skills, courses specifically for plus size people – had to happen a lot sooner than we thought it was going to, which was amazing. Now our work is very much split between our community work and our work with brands. We’ve got 26 volunteers across the UK who run walks for plus size people. We have courses on hill skills, navigation and stuff like that. We've done climbing taster events. We're going to do some mountain biking stuff. So all of these things are part of what we do now, alongside the work with brands and the advocacy piece around raising plus size voices in the outdoors.

Rebecca at Ingleborough summit in the Yorkshire Dales, during her first solo long distance trail along the Dales High Way

I’m guessing that you’ve personally experienced stigma or prejudice. Could you share an experience with me, how it made you feel and what you did to overcome it?

One thing I will say, is I very much benefit from size privilege. I am the smallest of the Every Body Outdoors directors in terms of body size. When I first started I was size 16, and now size 18, and I'm still the smallest. So I definitely benefit from size privilege in that there are more things for me to buy. Maybe they don’t fit very well, and I obviously have much more choice than others with bigger bodies, but I still find it really frustrating.

Because I love long distance walking, I’ve been trying to find kit that’s as lightweight as possible. And what you find is that, as a bigger body person, you're pretty much excluded from most ultralight outdoor gear because it's made for people in small bodies. You know, sleeping bags are really skinny. They don't fit me. The really ultralight clothing isn't available in my size. From a gear point of view, I find that really, really frustrating.

In terms of prejudice and stigma, the thing I struggled with a lot was that I'm quite slow, and I find hills difficult. Even in my walking group I would often be at the back, and it would make me feel embarrassed and ashamed that I couldn't do it and I often felt left behind.

I think people don't appreciate they need to pay attention to other people in the group. We find this a lot with our community members who tell us they've been on group walks, and they find themselves being left behind or being stigmatised for being slow. And people having to wait for you, and then when you get there they don't give you a chance to get your breath back. You know, they've been stood there for five minutes and feel ready to go again, but they don't give you that opportunity. And that's frustrating and upsetting. So I've definitely experienced that.

Other things that happen on the trail is stiles being too narrow. It's still difficult to get through kissing gates and gaps and stiles. It's embarrassing, you know? It's really embarrassing. And for people who have bigger bodies than me, it's completely impossible. Sometimes I've had to climb over walls to get through a gap and it's not fun.

But I've done a lot of work on myself with therapists, and recently I have found a lot of peace with my body and with what I'm capable of. There's an element of gaslighting yourself and I'm still working on it because it's hard to stop the negative talk and telling yourself stories, which are not necessarily true. So I'd say it's an ongoing piece of work, but I definitely have felt better about myself for the past few years.

Rebecca on her Hill and Moorland Leader training

What’re the positive things to have come from your work with Every Body Outdoors and Vampire Outdoors?

The real positive is seeing a movement of people who share a passion and a desire to make the outdoors more accessible to more people, and to people who face specific barriers to access. And in the case of Every Body Outdoors and Vampire Outdoors, that is predominantly people who have bigger bodies. And it's also, not deliberately but quite predominantly, women. Although Every Body Outdoors is not biased towards gender, we have a majority of women in our community. We do have some men, and it seems that men face some slightly different challenges, as well as the gear problems that women face. But I think a lot of women who are plus size and want to get into the outdoors also face a significant confidence issue, and that's something we try to help them with – with the courses and group walks and all that stuff. It’s where they can walk in a non-judgmental space and really explore what it is they love about the outdoors without fearing being left behind or being shamed or made to feel like they're not welcome.

And that obviously crosses over into Vampire Outdoors, because in enabling people to buy the clothing that they need, and that fits them – and feels and looks great – they feel more confident, because they feel like they fit in. One of the bigger issues is that if you can't find something that fits your body, and you're making do with something and see other people in the outdoors who have got all the gear. I'm not saying you have to have all of the gear to go into the outdoors, but there becomes a point at which it is critical. Like having a decent waterproof if you're going into the hills, having a backpack that fits you and doesn't rub and cause you pain. There's a safety element when it comes to things like climbing harnesses and personal flotation devices (PFDs) for paddle sports. There’s actually a very real safety risk if you don't have the right gear. And I should say, I don't do climbing harnesses or PFDs at Vampire Outdoors, but it's one of the things I'd like to do in the future.

Being able to access gear that fits you makes it not only more accessible, but also more comfortable. And if you're more comfortable, you're more likely to enjoy it, and if you enjoy it, you're more likely to do it again. And I think that is confidence building in people who either weren't sure that it was for them, or they maybe used to do it when they were younger or in a smaller body, and then they just didn't really feel like they could do it anymore. But through the community they see other people doing it and realise that it is for them. And that, for me, is one of the most wonderful and hugely validating things.

Can you share some advice for plus size people who want to get into outdoor activities but might not know where to start?

I think the trouble is that we see people on social media doing the Wainwrights, climbing big walls and going on Epic Adventures, and while that is obviously super inspiring, it can also be overwhelming.

So the trick is to start small. If you want to start hiking start going for small walks. You don't have to go to a national park – we are blessed in this country with a myriad of footpaths, bridleways, byways and so many places where you can go for a walk in the countryside. And often you don't have to travel too far.

And if you're in a city, you might only have to go to the outer edges of it, where the greenery starts, and you'll start finding beautiful places. Finding a local walking group is good way because you haven't got to worry about navigation. You can get books with routes in them that are often well signposted and you can get routes off different apps. Start by doing an hour, see how you get on, and it will start building your confidence slowly.

The same thing applies to cycling. Road cycling can be accessible because you can literally do it from your door. There's a cost in getting a bike, but you can get second-hand bikes or go somewhere where they do bike hire and follow a set route. And remember, you don't have to cycle all of it. So if it's your first time, you might not be able to go for an hour cycling, because it might be too painful on your bum, but you could cycle some of it, and then you could push the bike for a bit. Take a backpack. Take some food. Stop multiple times. Have a snack, have a picnic. Sit down and enjoy being outdoors and don't make it all about the activity.

With paddle sports, you can hire paddle boards, canoes and kayaks and what I would say is, talk to the hire provider in advance. Tell them your weight. Telling people your weight might be quite triggering, but it's really important, because they need to be able to find the right board or the right size kayak or canoe that's going to work for your weight. And it's really important, particularly paddle boarding, as they come in different sizes. Do it somewhere safe, like on a lake, and have a little introductory lesson. There’s also some great plus size paddle boarders who post on social media and share tips. And you can make it fun by doing it with friends.

Camping is so accessible. It's fantastic. And you don't have to wild camp or backpack. You can buy a cheap tent that you can even stand up in and book a campsite and just spend one night if you're not sure if it's for you. When it comes to things like sleeping bags and mats and stuff, just buy an inflatable mat that you would use as a spare bed at home and take a duvet. If you're just going for one night on a campsite and you're going with your car, you don't need ultralight stuff. You can get away with trying stuff out. I used to camp in a big five-person tunnel tent that I could stand up in, with a big mattress and my duvet about four years ago. I wasn't into wild camping or camping in a small tent. I would only go to campsites with a massive tent with my car full of stuff. And you know what? That's perfectly valid. And I still love camping like that. You don't need to go ultra-lightweight or try and follow what other people are doing. Just go and try it out in your own way.

And what advice would you give to people who run outdoor businesses – like outdoor leaders, gear and clothing brands, campsites and so on?

My main advice would be to think outside of your own perception of what it looks like to be somebody who enjoys the outdoors. I find a lot of people who work in the outdoors are surrounded by other people who look like them – you know, pretty fit people who scale mountains or do loads of climbing or are very adventurous. Sometimes we forget that we all start somewhere, and that people who have bigger body sizes are just like us – they love the outdoors or want to spend time in nature – and that the experience of those people who have bigger bodies is as valid as the people who are in smaller bodies, have high fitness levels or who look more outdoorsy. So whether you’re a mountain leader, run a campsite, or hire equipment, look at what you’re doing and the people you're excluding.

I would say that bike hire is one of those things that excludes a lot of people because of weight limits on bikes – when you can get bikes that will take bigger and heavier people. It’s the same with wetsuits. If you’re a water sport business and hire wetsuits, you really have to think about what you offer and a lot of them do not offer plus size wetsuits. And they are available.

And for outdoor leaders, if you've got plus size people in your group, it’s about really thinking about that person's experience. Mountain leaders should already be trained to manage groups properly, but unfortunately, it doesn't always happen. And if you're joining a group walk and you're worried about it, talk to the leader in advance, because they're more than likely to be able to reassure you.

And clothing brands need to make stuff in bigger sizes. Half of the female population are a size 16 and above, and the average size of a UK woman is 18, according to data from Mys Tyler. Not only are you excluding people from the outdoors by not allowing them to get the kit that they need, you're also missing a massive trick in terms of income. You’re ignoring a huge amount of income because you refuse to see plus size people as valid customers for your brand. So make stuff in bigger sizes, please. Thanks!

“Clothing brands need to make stuff in bigger sizes. Half of the female population are a size 16 and above. Not only are you excluding people from the outdoors by not allowing them to get the kit that they need, you're also missing a massive trick in terms of income.”

What’s your walking style?

• Happy Hiker

• Reluctant Rambler

• Sunday Stroller

• Wild Weekender

I would say I'm a happy hiker. I love walking, and I find joy in just going for a walk. And it doesn't have to be a massive walk. I sometimes go for a very short walk in my village if I'm feeling really overwhelmed or I just haven't got time for a long walk. I’m also planning a week's long-distance trail in June, and those are equally happy things for me to do.

Headphones on or head in the clouds?

I never wear headphones. I'm actually deaf in one ear, so I feel really vulnerable if I cannot hear in the outdoors. And I would say my head is not in the clouds, I think it’s in the trees. I'm pretty present and I like to observe as I'm going around. So I love listening to the birds, and I love watching like the landscape change. I like listening to the sounds of nature.

“I would love to go for a walk with Dolly Parton. I am a huge fan of her music, and love her altruistic approach. She fights for the things that matter without getting political, like the support she's given to healthcare, to children, to education, which I find really inspiring. I'd love to just be in her presence.”

What’s your most memorable walk?

That's a really difficult question to answer. There's so many. But I’ll share a walk that I felt was really profound in a few different ways for me. I did a long distance trail called the Affric Kintail Way that runs through Glen Affric into the Kintail mountains. It's a sort of valley walk, not a lot of elevation, and is 40 miles. I did it over four days with a friend, and it was my first time walking and wild camping. In fact, we wild camped for two nights, but we camped at a campsite, then we did a wild camp, then we stayed in a really, really remote youth hostel. It was the first time I'd done a long distance hike carrying everything. I’d done very little walking in Scotland and it was just the most incredible landscape. It was awe inspiring. I was quite deep into my therapy journey at the time, and really learning to reconnect with myself. That time spent in nature with a friend who was super supportive and just lovely and never, never judged me, was a really validating experience. Both the incredible landscape and the emotional journey that I went on through that landscape, and how I learned more about myself. I learned what I'm capable of. I learned what it was like to spend four days in the wilderness, because it's really, really, really remote.

Rebecca on the Affric Kintail Way

“Walking the Affric Kintail Way was really profound in a few different ways. Time spent in nature with a friend who was super supportive and just lovely and never, never judged me, was a really validating experience. Both the incredible landscape and the emotional journey that I went on through that landscape, and how I learned more about myself. I learned what I'm capable of.”

If you could take a walk with anyone, real or fictional, alive or gone, who would it be?

I'm not very good with celebrities because I don't really know who they are, to be perfectly honest. But do you know what? I think I would love to go for a walk with Dolly Parton. I am a huge fan of her music, and love her altruistic approach and as a business woman, as well – she's an incredible business woman. She also fights for the things that matter without getting political, like the support she's given to healthcare, to children, to education, which I find really inspiring. I'd love to pick her brains. I'd love to just be in her presence. And I think she would love a walk. She comes from the Smoky Mountains and I think she would love to go for a walk and talk about stuff. And I'd love to do that with her.

One word round

• One thing you always take with you on a walk?
  Water

• One word to describe how walking makes you feel?
  Alive

• One word to describe how you feel about inspiring people to get outdoors?
  Proud

Catching up with Rebecca at her stand at the National Outdoor Expo

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Thanks for chatting with me, Rebecca, and for sharing your walking story and the work you’re doing to make the outdoors accessible for more people.

If you want to follow Rebecca’s outdoor adventures check out Vampire Outdoors on Instagram, where you can also follow Every Body Outdoors.

Happy walking and writing until next time,

Sarah

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More from The Writer’s Walk

If you enjoyed learning about Rebecca’s story and work, you might also enjoy my interview with Hana Sutch, Co-founder of walking app Go Jauntly, who’s helping to break down barriers and improve access to green space.

Walking with Hana Sutch, Co-founder of Go Jauntly