Regatta Base Zip Neck Tested
Forget your brand snobbery folks, most of the performance, less of the price from Regatta's simple baselayer zip-neck...
Posted: 17 September 2002
by Jon
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Regatta Base Zip
Neck
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Price:
£20.00
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Weight: 235 grammes (men's
L)
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Features: Long
sleeves, half-zip neck, collar, anti-bacterial treatment,
100 per-cent Polyester 'Comfort Control' fabric with
Teflon-based wicking treatmemt, drop tail. Available in
men's and women's versions.
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Good performance at price
Treatments will wash out eventually
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Regatta and other 'affordable brands'. Erm, dirt cheap and not
particularly good right? Think again folks because budget gear is
slowly getting better and better and Regatta's baselayer top is a
prime example. 
We've been using the Base Zip Neck for the past few months and
it's been very effective, especially given the price of £20. It
wicks very decently aided by a Teflon-based - we're told - treatment
and so far has managed to avoid the curse of post-exercise pong,
thanks to an anti-bacterial finish.
There's nothing dramatic about the design - deep zip for
ventilation when the going gets hot, mild drop tail at the back,
sleeves etc - and there are no high-tec integrated stretch or venting
panels, but since when did you really need those?
It doesn't feel as soft or stretchy as more expensive tops like
Dryflo or Powerdry and the shoulder seams are more prominent, which
could be a problem for heavy rucksac use, but the main difference is
in the fabric. The two we've mentioned use the physical properties of
the material to wick and dsiperse moisture, typically a different
inner and outer weave, but Regatta's 'Comfort Control' relies on its
coating.
That partly explains the slightly slick feel - think frying pans -
but also means that with use you can expect the performance to
deteriorate gradually as washing takes its toll, same with the
anti-bacterial treatment. Using soap flakes or something like Ecover
would probably help here.
As far as performance goes, more advanced fabrics do have a
definite edge, but the gulf isn't that wide and the Regatta top is
light years ahead of a cotton tee-shirt. If you want one though,
you'd better be quick cos production unaccountably stops soon...
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Verdict: A top affordable buy.
Cut, wicking- and anti-bacterial treatment and price all
work for us. We'd expect the treatments to wash out
eventually with a deterioration in performance, though so
far we've had no problems. The feel isn't as soft and comfy
as some more expensive base layers either though. Watch out
for the slightly prominent shoulder seams, we didn't find
them a problem with packs but some users might. If you can
rise above label snobbery, this is like buying supermarket
own brand crunchy nut cornflakes. Not quite as good as
Kelloggs, but not far off.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time:
The equivalent of supermarket own brand crunchy nut
cornflakes as opposed to Kelloggs - most of the performance
at a lower price. The Regatta fabric isn't as soft or comfy
as more expensive versions and relies on added treatments
rather than the permanent physical properties of the fabric,
which means performance will deteriorate gradually , but it
wicks well and doesn't smell either. Excellent budget base
layer buy if you're not a label snob. Get 'em before they go soggy.
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