Built with premium materials, flexible sizing, and an adjustable weight system, The Carry Vest delivers on what hundreds of women say the industry has overlooked
Women are driving record growth in the weighted vest category, not through military-style challenges, but through everyday strength and longevity training.
Search volumes for ‘weighted vest’ on Amazon have increased 285% in the last year, and six out of the top 10 search terms included the word ‘woman.’ Studios are catching on with Orangetheory, Equinox and Peloton incorporating weighted vests into to their programming. Strava’s 2025 Trend report lists walking as the second most-recorded activity type, with community members requesting rucking be added to the platform since 2022.
After trying six industry-leading vests, co-founders Esther Sedgwick and Cortney Bigelow identified a consistent failure to serve women — prompting them to build The Carry, with partnership-led growth planned for 2026.
Why Traditional Weighted Vests Fail Women
When designing their flagship product, Bigelow and Sedgwick were focused on the frailty epidemic facing women. Only 19% of women strength train two times a week — the minimum needed to fight the muscle and bone loss that accelerates for women in midlife and can lead to debilitating disease. Weighted vests emerged as an accessible and effective tool for progressive loading. However, they all had significant shortcomings.
“The vests were not adjustable, not washable, rusting, smelled bad, or weren’t heavy enough and many were uncomfortable or embarrassing to wear,” said Sedgwick. “They didn’t fit larger chests, didn’t distribute weight evenly and had Velcro that would snag our workout sets.”
Esther Sedgwick and Cortney Bigelow (credit: The Carry)
Sedgwick and Bigelow drew inspiration from hydration vests and the baby carriers their kids had outgrown to design The Carry Vest — an adjustable, modular weighted vest that rethinks fit, load and wearability through a female-first lens.
What Women Actually Want in a Weighted Vest
Bigelow and Sedgwick validated their idea with a 200+ women survey to prioritize features.
“It became clear that comfort was the number one priority,” Sedgwick said. “If it wasn’t comfortable, they were out. We also knew it had to fit larger chests. Almost 40% of our recipients had a D or larger cup size.”
They launched preorders in three sizes with bust-friendly ergonomics, flexible bungee cinch systems and smooth performance fabrics. It required a larger, but worthwhile investment in the brand’s eyes.
“It would have been easiest to launch with just one size that fits ‘most’ but it was important to us to serve our growing community in all the health journeys they are on,” Sedgwick said. “We have women on significant weight loss journeys as well as petite women who have struggled to find something made for their frame and we want them all to find a great fit.”
credit: The Carry
The Carry Vest also distributes weight more evenly than others and primarily around the torso, making it more comfortable and less likely to injure women due to their lower center of gravity. Sedgwick noted that even men who tried on the vest noticed the difference.
“Designing with a female-first lens ended up delivering a more comfortable and functional product for everyone,” she said.
Survey respondents also wanted the vest to be machine-washable, made with non-toxic materials and with storage pockets for keys, phone or other accessories, all of which Sedgwick and Bigelow included. They made weights removable from the vests so users can rotate them with different colored shells.
“Women can have multiple colors without having to buy the weights again,” Sedgwick said. “It’s more like functional fashion you can customize to fit your personality and your life.”
They also prioritized adjustable loading for users with different goals by making the weights in half-pound increments.
“We have cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomies and reconstructive surgeries that can choose not to load weights anywhere that is touching those areas,” Sedgwick said. “We have women who are concerned about posture who will load slightly heavier in the back. We have women who want to ruck with 20-pounds but do box jumps and incline pushups with 10-pounds. Our adjustable system supports all these scenarios.”
Weighted Vests for Longevity and Studio Programming
Weighted vests are an accessible, scalable training tool that fits into today’s biggest growth lanes: strength, longevity and mental well-being. As a wear-and-go accessory, it can be programmed for indoor or outdoor workouts, as a class add-on or challenge driver within communities.
“Are you a community-loving longevity queen? Join a studio with weighted vest programing, sign up for a rucking club or start your own,” Sedgwick said. “Recovering from an injury? Strengthen your stabilizing muscles and tendons by training with a weighted vest. Need to step away and reflect? Leave your tech on the table and go for a weighted walk in nature. The possibilities are almost endless.”
credit: The Carry
Longevity-interested consumers are increasingly prioritizing strength training and HIIT as must-haves due to their inverse correlation with disease and premature aging. For time-constrained moms and executives, weighted vests also offer unmatched flexibility.
“We believe the ‘strong over skinny’ trend will continue,” said Sedgwick. “Women are waking up to the profound health benefits of having more muscle mass and putting more effort into optimizing how we feel vs. our clothing size”.
The Business Case for Female‑First Fitness Equipment
That demand is already showing up in The Carry’s early traction. The brand’s online community includes 13K followers/subscribers across its channels, and early pre-order momentum suggests a premium, female-first vest is resonating.
“We opened with a single black vest SKU and a modest first production run,” Sedgwick said. “The response was great. We sold 100 vests in the first 5 minutes and were able to launch the cream colorway one month later, doubling our initial order quantity to keep up with demand.”
In the coming years, Sedgwick expects the fitness market to balance itself out with more female-centric offerings. As The Carry grows, it intends to help guide the industry into that symmetric state. That includes supporting the researchers working to close the data gap that hampers female health protocols and supplying growing, female-favored modalities.
Looking ahead, the founders see operators and brands playing a major role in shaping the next phase of women’s strength — and they’re building The Carry to be the preferred partner that brings weighted vest programming into studios, communities and wellness experiences.
