You may find yourself fighting off members of the opposite sex who are in love with your BJJ Globtrotters rash guard.
When I was asked to review the first release rash guard from BJJ GLOBETROTTERS I was excited to say the least. I have been following Christian Graugart and his brand on social media ever since reading his book, not long after I started my own journey into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The BJJ Globetrotter has been around a fair while now and was born with a once in a lifetime trip around the world training at as many gyms along the way. They have an awesome set of common values that clearly resonates through the ever growing fan base attached to them.{gallery}55d647d514c76{/gallery}
Here is a little something they put on the site that really shows the brand is about:
BJJ Globetrotters offers an alternative to traditional affiliation within Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Membership of the community is open for anyone (both individuals and gyms), and there are basically no requirements to join, other than to spread—and agree with—the message 🙂
The members don’t represent a specific person, academy, instructor or lineage. They are merely a world-wide community of people, who share a common set of values:
- We don’t pay each other any affiliation fees
- We wear any patches we like on our gis
- We are free to represent any (or no) team in competition
- We encourage training with anyone regardless of affiliation
- We are willing to promote anyone who deserves it—members or not
- We arrange camps, seminars and visit each other for training and fun
- We believe everyone is equal both on and off the mats
- We strive to enjoy life, people and the world through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
One thing I must say about this Christian and his brand it the fact he is willing to give back to the Travelling Brazilian Jiu Jitsu community by providing sponsorships to build their foundations and achieve the trip of a life time that allowed him to start the brand.
Let’s get to the review.
WHAT YOU’RE GETTING
BJJ Globetrotter Rash guard – First Release Rash guard
I will be reviewing the XL Rash guard
I am 92 kgs and 184cm tall, or 202llbs and 6’1
DESCRIPTION:
a. The artwork combines bright colours with a beachside backdrop and an old VW with a surfboard on top; one can’t help but see the casakickapoo theme that features heavily in the Globetrotter camps (annual summer camp).
b. The artwork is 100% sublimated and will not crack, peel or fade even after heavy and prolonged usage.
c. The fabric is high quality and reinforced with flat lock stitching for comfort. There are no seams in the underarms and the tags are also 100% sublimated for maximum comfort.
Specifications
- 80% Polyester and 20% Spandex
- Machine wash cold
- Hang dry
- Do not iron or dry clean
- Have the possibility to shrink a little depending on wash method.
FIRST LOOK IMPRESSIONS:
As soon as I open the parcel that was sent the rash guard was a stand out in terms of artwork and quality. The rash guard is smooth and has yellow stitching to add that little extra pop to the already bright design. I can’t wait to be able to train in these products. The feel of the rash guard without even trying it on are amongst the softest I have felt. All the products seem to have been prewashed so there are no remnants of chemicals, which means, I am going to train in this right now! A + for the first impressions.
FIRST WORKOUT AND ROLL:
The fit and feel of the rash guard is amazing, just as soft as I had imagined while holding them straight out of the package. The rash guard has a strip around the bottom of the rash guard which will lock onto a pair of spats or if worn without spats will lock under your fight shorts. This is something that was appreciated by not just me, but everyone else on the mat. My belly isn’t on any wonder of the world lists, people won’t travel across the world to see it slip out mid roll that is certain.
The other cool thing about both the rash guard was the fact that I stayed warm during training. I can almost guarantee anyone who has trained No Gi once or twice knows that feeling once you start cooling down the rash guard can sometimes make you feel cold however I did not experience that at all. Between rolls with the next training partner I stayed warm and did not experience the “cooling off” effect. The rash guard stood up during the hard training and after one hour of rolling I was still warm (not to hot) and I was completely rash and cut free which is always a bonus. Rating: A+ for my first workout and roll impressions.
FIRST WASH AND FIT:
After the first wash I was still impressed as ever with both the rash guard I actually trained again a second time the following day with the rash guard under the Gi. I accidentally left it in the washer on the second wash and my wife threw them into the dryer. Like an honest man on a winter’s day minimal shrinkage was noticed however IT STILL FIT! I would not recommend doing that often due to possibly of shortening the life of the rash guard but I was amazed that it held up and still looked as good as the day I received them. The fit was still amazing and I use it almost daily. Not only for BJJ this rash guard would look great out amongst the waves however the middle of winter in Australia and I am a wimp when it comes to cold water so no surfing for me.
THE GOOD:
1. Will not shrink on you after a wash.
2. Awesome Graphics to set you apart.
3. The artwork is 100% sublimated and will not crack, peel or fade!
4. Great price for what you are getting.
5. No infections or rashes to be seen whilst wearing this product.
6. Will be the best looking guy or girl on the mat on No Gi night.
THE BAD:
1. Recommended to hang dry, so do not forget to pull it out of the wash before class so it will dry in time.
2. Sizes run a little small so if you are in-between sizes order up, worst case scenario send it back for a free exchange.
3. It is a little harder to hold submissions due to the slickness of the material although this could be the lack of No Gi training that I do. 🙂 (Typical with any rash guard but it will improve the little technical details.)
4. You have to wait for it to arrive at your house. (Although postage from Denmark to Australia was not exceeding 2 weeks).
5. May have to use your BJJ skills in a real life situation if worn outside the gym. (Fighting off members of the opposite sex who are in love with your item)
6. May run out of room for all your trophies won for “best dressed” at events.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I have purchased a few different items from BJJ Globetrotters and everything has been of great quality. Christian has done a great job building his brand into a worldwide movement with patches and gear popping up all over the place. The rash guard I reviewed was the first release that was made however I can honestly say that the quality of the gear that comes out of Globetrotter HQ is second to none matched by their service sees this rash guard in particular get 4 Gis out of 5.
If you haven’t already head over to www.bjjglobetrotters.com to take a look sign up for FREE and why not even take a look at the other quality gear they have on offer here http://www.bjjglobetrotters.com/product-category/rashguards/
Thanks for reading,
The Rolling Reviewer
