Outdoor sports enthusiasts know a great base layer can make or break a day in the outdoors. It can also make or break your day après adventure -- especially if your base layer reeks from all of your sweat. That's why a good base layer must conduct sweat, retain warmth, and hopefully not trap odors.
Bambool is a startup manufacturing hybrid base layers in Denver designed to be more comfortable and last longer.
Craig and Jessica Wood, a husband and wife team in Vail, started Bambool in 2013. They successfully funded the company a Kickstarter campaign in fall of 2014 to launch their first products, a 3/4-length pant and a long-sleeve top, this year. They're already thinking about expanding with new pieces including developing pieces for the summer, according to spokesperson Amy Regnier.
The base layers are a patent-pending hybrid of merino wool and bamboo. "First and foremost they are sourced from renewable fibers," Regnier says. "It's important to us to have a sustainable product and bamboo is a self-sustaining, fast-growing plant."
"Bamboo is anti-bacterial. It helps keep you odor-free," Regnier explains. "Synthetics and cotton can be a little smelly."
It's true: Try wearing a cotton shirt for a week -- even after washing it, the odor may never come out. "Bamboo fabric in general also is extremely soft and your getting the warmth from the wool and the softness from the bamboo," Regnier says. "They are moisture wicking and keep you dryer than a wool blend."
The initial clothes target skiers and snowboarders. The 3/4-length pants were designed so that they won't add bulk under ski boots and socks. The zippers on the shirts have a zipper cage so they don't irritate the skin or pull on chest hair.
Bambool is a Vail-based company, but it partnered with Denver's
SansUSA to manufacture their designs. SansUSA has already produced the first run of Bambool's base layers and also produces clothes for other Denver-based companies like Icelantic.
At this point the easiest place to find Bambool's clothes, which currently start at $79.99 is online via their
website. They're also available through Garage Grown Gear, at the Amazon store and some other places, according to Regnier. At this point, they're only available in one brick-and-mortar store, the Vitality Center at Vail.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.
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