Review of the Men’s Bamboo Zip-Neck Baselayer by BAM Clothing.

Photo of the Indigo Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo
Baselayer by BAM Clothing. Photo courtesy of BAM.
Here on ‘My Mummy Reviews’ I try to feature something of interest for everyone…be that Mums, Dads or Children. Today is the day I write my first review of a product aimed at Men…. although BAM who kindly sent me the top also sell lovely items for women too.
Photo the showing the zip-neck of the Indigo Zip-Neck Organic
Bamboo Baselayer by BAM Clothing.

When the opportunity came up to road-test a Men’s Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo Baselayer by BAM I knew my dad would be delighted to have a go at testing it out. My dad is a keen fisherman and he has all the specialised clothing to go with it…such as waterproof jackets and waders,etc. One thing he didn’t have though is a baselayer like this one from BAM. When the top arrived from BAM they had sent me a size Large as I had requested and they had picked a lovely indigo coloured baselayer for him.  The zip-neck baselayer that they sent normally retails at £40 but they currently have the Indigo on offer at £20.  At the time of writing this (29/04/11) it is currently still available in all sizes except for small. The zip-neck baselayer in black or black/grey is still full price at £40. They also sell a zip-neck baselayer for women and they currently have selected colours on offer at the time of writing this (29/04/11).

Photo showing the bias bound cuffs of the Indigo Zip-Neck
Organic Bamboo Baselayer by BAM Clothing.

The men’s zip-neck baselayers are sold in the following sizes:-
Small (to fit 36-38 inch chest), Medium (to fit 38-40 inch chest), Large (to fit 40-42 inch chest),  X-Large (to fit 42-44 inch chest) and XX- Large (to fit 44-46 inch chest).

Photo of the Indigo Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo
Baselayer by BAM Clothing.
My dad doesn’t get as much chance to go fishing as he’d like, unfortunately the day job gets in the way! However as soon as he got the opportunity to go a few weeks ago he wore his BAM top underneath all his usual fishing gear. He was very impressed with the baselayer and he said that it kept him warm and it was so comfortable to wear. He says you wouldn’t even know you’d got it on! I know he loved the product as he kept re-iterating that point to me… ‘you wouldn’t even know you’d got it on!’…just in case I forgot to write it in this review! 🙂   He says he probably wouldn’t pay the full price of £40 for it as he thinks he could find specialised fishing baselayers for a bit cheaper than that but now that the indigo is half price at £20 he thinks it is a bargain!

Photo of Indigo Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo
Baselayer by BAM Clothing.

 The quality of the product is amazing and the organic bamboo fibres make the top so silky smooth against the skin. The top is made from 70% bamboo, 26% cotton, 4% lycra. Bamboo has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties plus it is 3-4 times more absorbent than cotton.  The bamboo fibres wicks away moisture from the body which then evaporates and in turn keeps you drier and more comfortable. All this makes it perfect to be worn close to your skin.  Bamboo has lots of superb properties such as the fact it is UV protective and cuts out up to 98% of the sun’s harmful UV rays. If you would like to read all about why BAM say Bamboo clothing is better please click here.

Photo of the Indigo Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo
Baselayer by BAM Clothing.
The top has a zip-neck which allows you to unzip it to help you cool down a bit or zip it right up to keep you nice and warm in the chilly weather.  The arms are long and have bias bound thumb loops so that you can make sure the top stays snug around the wrists and helps to keep the heat trapped within the top or prevents snow going up your sleeves. the body is made long so that you can tuck it in to your trousers and this again will help to keep the cold out.  The baselayer can be used for all sorts of activities but some of the suggestions from the BAM website are as follows:- cycling, skiing, hiking, expeditions, climbing, running, camping, kayaking or  lumberjacking. Of course my dad would also recommend it for fishing. The top has a little woven ‘BAM’ label on the front which adds a nice bit of detail.  The top is constructed with side panels and the zip used on the neck is a top quality YKK zip.

Photo of the back of the  Indigo Zip-Neck Organic
 Bamboo Baselayer by BAM Clothing.
My dad didn’t have any negatives to say about this product…he just thought it was great. He did think the Large size he received was a bit snug and so possibly more suited to a size Medium (his usual size).Although I think this is BAM’s intention…if the top is worn slightly tight it will help to keep your body warm. 

If you would like to read some interesting information about Bamboo and how and why it is used in clothing then take a look at the FAQ page. It explains about which part of the bamboo plant is used to generate fibres for the BAM clothing and how the fibres are processed … and much, much more.
BAM is a UK brand and it was started up back in 2006 by David Gordon. The company has great ethics and they try their utmost to be environmentally aware.  If you would like to read more about the story behind BAM please click here.
Photo showing the BAM woven label on the of Indigo
Zip-Neck Organic Bamboo Baselayer by BAM Clothing.

 BAM seems like a very down-to-earth company run by friendly people who really want to help. Here is something they have written on their website and I just the love the way it makes me feel as though I WANT to buy from them.

‘We’d genuinely rather make a smaller profit and have loads of really pleased and satisfied customers and suppliers and have fun ourselves than go the traditional, corporate route of ‘get away with what you can, maximise profit and pretend to be whiter than white’.   We’re all about transparency, honesty, integrity and fun.  If we ever fall short please tell us.’

 And if the quote I showed above doesn’t tempt you to buy from them how about the fact that for every single item they sell (except socks/underwear) they will buy 10m square of land in a South African rainforest and plant a tree in the name of the purchaser!! They say that this means they end up being a massively ‘net positive’ influence on the environment. I love the fact that they are trying so hard to be eco-friendly…the dyes they use to colour their clothes have the lowest environmental impact and they even post out the parcels in recyclable packaging. I’m so pleased to hear all of this.
Photo showing the thumb loops on the Indigo Zip-Neck
Organic Bamboo Baselayer by BAM Clothing.
  

I like the fact that the delivery charges are affordable and fair.  BAM are not setting out to rip you off on the price of the postage…unlike many internet companies that you come across. There is nothing I hate more than finding a bargain item to buy and then finding out the P+P costs about the same!

Here are BAM’s delivery charges for within the UK:-
up to £25 order £2.75        
up to £40 order £3.50       
up to £80 order £4.00    
up to £200 order £4.50    

over £200 order  £9.00      

The BAM website is really easy to navigate and simple to use. I like the fact that they have nice clear photos of the products they are selling plus they have a zoom button so you can see lots of lovely detail.

If you would like to keep up with all the news from BAM you can follow them on Facebook or sign up to their email newsletter.  BAM even have their own channel on You Tube!

Photo of Bamboo ‘Freethinker’ socks by BAM clothing.
Photo courtesy of BAM.

BAM sell lots of other products apart from Baselayers. I like the look of the socks, women’s camis and the clothing for fitness. They even do gift sets. The Men’s baselayer gift set costs £75.00 and contains underwear, leggings and a baselayer top. Click here to see a video of the baselayer gift set.

BAM sell clothes for Men and Women and they have a good range of sizes and colours available in all items. There is a Clearance section where you can find some great bargains! There is currently a gorgeous summer dress in the clearance section and it is available in limited sizes in Crimson or Midnight.

In conclusion, my dad gives the BAM zip-neck baselayer a thumbs-up!
Photo courtesy of BAM.

If you would like to visit the BAM website to buy yourself or someone you love a beautifully soft and comfortable garment made from organic bamboo please click here.

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