Constance Mahoney is a gear tester and reviewer for GearJunkie. Mahoney has been writing about hiking, trail running, and outdoor gear for several years. She’s the chapter founder of Trails Sisters Crested Butte. Based in Colorado, Mahoney is an avid angler, trail runner, photographer, and all-around family adventurer.
Topics of Expertise: Trail running, hiking, mountain biking, camping, hunting, fly fishing, nordic skiing, snowshoeing, family outdoor travel
Years in This Expertise: 15+ Years
Number of Products & Number of Hours Expert Has Tested: 100+ products tested, 2,000+ hours
Education & Certifications
Education: Bachelor of Science, Business Management, Minor in Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Montana State University
Years of Writing: 12+
Certifications: CPR (formerly)
Club or Association Memberships: Trail Sisters, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Colorado Bowhunters Association, SheJumps (former chapter leader), AbleWomen (former member), OIWC (former volunteer)
Awards or Recognitions: Cover photograph of Crested Butte Magazine Winter 2021, Cover photograph of FlyCulture Magazine Summer 2021
Previous Publications: FitnessTravelGear.com, CO Outdoor Magazine, Crested Butte Magazine, Fly Culture, The Colorado Bowhunter Magazine, Gunnison Country Magazine, Hunting Guide
Experience
Mahoney was raised as a fifth-generation farmer and rancher near Bozeman, Mont. Her love for being outside brought her to study at Montana State University. Understanding the need for women’s-specific clothing, Mahoney went to school for business in hopes of starting an outdoor apparel company. By the time she graduated, she recognized many brands had begun to shift their focus on creating better women’s lines. She put that dream on hold.
Adventuring her way through college, Mahoney met her husband, who shared her love for fly fishing. They moved to Crested Butte, Colo., where she deepened her roots for all things outdoors including photography. She worked various part-time and seasonal jobs, allowing for many in-between work adventures. She started writing and gear testing for the outdoor industry, as well as producing photography for hunt and fish brands.
Now an established wildlife photographer, Mahoney recently won a KUIU photo competition and was a named finalist in the Sitka Diverge contest. She can be found with her husband, family, pup, and camera adventuring and training in the Gunnison Valley.
Career Highlights
Starting a SheJumps Chapter at MSU
Volunteering for the Outdoor Industries Women’s Association (now Camber Outdoors)
Girls on the Run Co-Leader
Completing the Silverton Ultra Dirty 60k
Starting the local Trail Sisters chapter in Crested Butte
Running alongside her daughter’s first trail race, Mad Moose Valkyrie 4 4-mile
Watching her daughter catch her first trout on a dry fly with Mahoney’s grandma’s fly rod
A Word From Constance Mahoney
In middle school, I started snowboarding and used all of my brother’s hand-me-downs. Unfortunately, the fit in the girl’s section of the outdoor stores never felt right, and the color schemes could have been better. That’s when I learned about “shrink it and pink it.” With that knowledge, I started drawing designs and concepts, dreaming of one day creating a solid apparel line to support women’s needs.
Outdoor brands picked up speed, and by the time I graduated college, there were women’s-specific gear and clothing lines. While I never started my own company, I never stopped doing research. I consider myself a “gear nerd.” I love learning about new technologies and designs and putting them to the test in the mountains. It has been encouraging to see how far women’s products have come, and to see that presence change the outdoor industry.
With its sturdy construction and impressive ice retention, the Yeti Hopper M12 Soft Backpack Cooler offers convenience and performance packed into a sleek, durable design.
The Titan by Arctic Zone Deep Freeze 30-Can Ice Wall Backpack Cooler offers ample space, pockets, and ice pack sleeves plus an impressive cooling power.
