Reviewers - do they really know what they're talking about.

Not talking here about the folks who buy stuff, wear it our there in the wilds, and then tell others about their adventures on their own blogs, or on forums.  I'm talking about the ones who get paid for writing for the commercial magazines.  Can we really trust them when the magazines depend on advertising from the manufacturers/retailers?

Case in point. Keep seeing reviews for outdoor gear made using bamboo.  Now this stuff is nothing new.  It's old-fashioned rayon just made from bamboo pulp instead of wood pulp.  All sorts of claims are made for it, all of which seem to be taken on board by the reviewers, without any facts to back them up.

OK - so why should this bother me - or you?  Because the stuff is even worse than cotton for absorbing wet and hanging on to it.  You don't wear cotton for hillwalking/mountain climbing etc., because of the dangers of hypothermia, so why aren't the reviewers pointing this out when it comes to the bamboo stuff?

There's plenty of evidence for bamboo-based fabric to be unsuitable:

• Absorption rate 60% more than cotton.  
• Far longer drying time.
• Manufacturers recommend it for towels and babies diapers.

On top of all that, the US Federal Agency that looks after these things has ruled that fabric made from bamboo must be labelled "rayon from bamboo" or "viscose from bamboo"; that it cannot be claimed to be "anti-microbial" as there is no evidence for this; that can't be labelled as  "organic" because of the nature and amount of chemicals that go into the processing.   And from what I've read, the stuff (all made in China) shouldn't even be called "eco-friendly" unless there is verifiable independent proof that the processing isn't causing pollution.

So why aren't  the reviewers saying anything about all this? Given the absorption rate/slow drying times, this stuff is potentially dangerous to wear for the sorts of outdoor activities we get up to in these islands.   Is it they daredn't because their mag will lose advertising, or they don't know what they're talking about?  Either way, in my book, they can't be trusted.