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Chammyz
For cozy comfort before and after diving (and about anywhere else), there's nothing like it
by Carol Cotton
So there we were, on a dive boat off Roatan in Honduras, wet and freezing our behinds off. Sure, it was December, but we didn't expect to be cold in a tropical climate and hadn't brought any warm or protective clothing. The moment I stepped off the boat I went to the resort's boutique and bought two of the remaining three Chammyz Surf Bomber zippered jackets (the shop had sold a ton of them and easily could have sold a bunch more). For the rest of the week we were warm and cozy. Chammyz -- it's sort of a funny name and I can never remember how to spell it, but I can hardly imagine dive trips without Chammyz, the comfy, warm and functional sports clothing items made of a totally unique material.
While at DEMA 2008 in Las Vegas, the big trade show for the scuba diving industry, I ran across the Chammyz booth filled with all the familiar garments that are gracing my closets and gear bags. I stopped by and said hi to Jody Munro, Chammyz Director of U.S. Sales and Marketing, whom I used to talk to on the phone when placing orders for their products for the dive shop I managed for the better part of a decade. And so I thought I better write a review and tell our site visitors about Chammyz.
If you've never seen Chammyz garments you have got to search them out. Why? Because Chammyz are 100% natural, versatile, environmentally friendly, extremely comfortable, breathable, and durable. They are a tough yet comfortable line of activewear worn by a diverse group of people -- scuba divers, swimmers, boaters, surfers, lifeguards, water skiers, football players, hikers, campers, climbers, snowboarders -- summer sports, winter sports, anything outdoors, anything indoors -- Chammyz are absolutely a necessary addition to any wardrobe.
The unique Chammyz material
What sets Chammyz apart is the material they use. Chammyz makes their own special fabric out of recycled wood fibers, and the manufacturing process is as unique as the outcome. Their fabric is not woven or knit, but pressed. This process results in superior strength and durability, so the material is less likely to wear out. The process also creates tiny pockets within the fabric that trap air to keep you warm when it's cool or cool when it's warm, plus it absorbs moisture rather than getting wet and clammy. The fabric can hold up to ten times its weight in liquid, and over 90% of that is quickly drained when you wring it out. What that means when wearing it is that the unique fabric wicks moisture away from your body and dries quickly. Chammyz are also excellent protection against harmful UVA and UVB harmful rays by providing a government UVA and UVB ratings of 50+.
Chammyz tops
Chammyz products are available in a wide range of styles, colors and sizes. Chammyz tops include boat coats, surf bombers, a classic pull-over, a hoodless version called the Aussie, and a hooded vest. The boat coat is a 3-in-1 jacket combination that includes a wind and water-proof nylon shell which can be worn by itself or along with a surf bomber in the color of your choice. To create an element barrier against wind, water and temperature you wear both jackets. The classic pull-over is their original product and was designed with sports and leisure in mind. It has a hood, a kangaroo pouch and two drawstrings -- one in the hood and one at the waist.
Chammyz bottoms
Bottoms include baggie shorts, cut-offs, wrap skirts, and lounge pants. All of these products have a 1.5" wide comfortable waistband. The baggie shorts and pants also have a 100% cotton drawstring for extra size adjustment options. The baggie shorts are knee length, have pockets, and are comfortable for rest and play. The cut-offs are just that -- shorts with no pockets or extras. The lounge pants are extremely comfortable and durable. The added "butt patch" helps wick water, adds a little padding for those long boat rides or hard benches, and offers the extra thickness so they don't wear out quickly. In addition to taking Chammyz lounge pants on dive trips, we wear them on morning walks, after swimming in the pool, and simply lounging around the house.
Other stuff they make
Besides tops and bottoms, Chammyz also makes a hat, a robe, 1/2 wrap, 3/4 wrap and towels. The hat is comfortable and breathable, keeps you warm in cool weather and cools you in more tropical conditions, along with offering protection for the sun. The 1/2 and 3/4 wraps are designed for wearing to the beach, to a spa, to the shower, pool, or anywhere you might want more coverage. The Chammyz towels are extremely handy. I went on a rather primitive liveaboard several years ago and luggage weight was an issue. We were required to take our own linens, so I took four Chammyz towels with me. They took up less space than one bath towel would and they did the job perfectly! I used one to dry off with after the dives, one to dry my underwater video housing off with, one to dry off after showering, and one for my long hair. I never go on dive trips without them.
Colors and sizes
Most Chammyz products come in up to ten colors to choose from -- storm gray, natural sand, surf white, sunset red, sea foam green, sunrise gold, denim blue, ocean blue, and midnight black. The wraps and robes are only available in white. Chammyz uses a unique sizing method ... Smallest: 80 - 120 lbs., Smaller: 110 - 150 lbs., Most: 140 - 190 lbs., Bigger: 180 - 240 lbs. and Way Big: 240 - 320 lbs. Chammyz are machine washable and become even softer the more you wear them.
Chammyz have been featured on numerous major TV shows and they're worn by many top athletes. I am not surprised. The stuff simply works and there is nothing else like it.
Go get some Chammyz!
Where can you get Chammyz? There are retailers that stock Chammyz products around the globe from South Africa to Guam to Hawaii to California to Florida and many places in between. You can find the nearest dealer by looking on their website: www.chammyz.com.
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Chammyz dive and actionwear
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