Nature Shop have sent me a few items to take a peek at… It was quite confusing when I first got this message from an address in New Zealand:

We are an environmentally responsible online retailer of premium “nature inspired” brands based out of Rustington in West Sussex. We are looking for bloggers to review some of our quality outdoor brands including KEEN footwear and Icebreaker merino wool clothing.

So after having a giggle, via email, with Katarina I learnt that Natureshop has been operating since 2007 and has offices in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. They offer all UK customers a “risk free shopping experience with free tracked overnight shipping, free return shipping if needed, and a 365 day money back guarantee”. Not bad!

The overnight shipping is amazing – and it’s at no extra cost – wow! Order stuff now, and get it tomorrow!

Also, they certainly take their environmental and social responsibility very seriously:

• They are carboNZero certified,
• Use 100% biodegradable packaging,
• Only sell products from companies who share their environmental concern,
• Donate $20,000 a year to 2 fantastic charities: Heart Children and Canteen, and
• As WWF Partners in Conservation are committed to a $1,000 donation every month.

Here’s the pretty little lot I got to review:

• A pair of Keen Venice sandals,
• An Icebreaker Rock Zip, top, and
• An Icebreaker Tank 150 vest. (This is obviously for Laetitia.)

All of these items are simply brilliant, and you don’t have to take my word for it, check out Nature Shop’s independent reviews site.

I knew the Keen sandals would be excellent as Laetitia already has a pair…

Cool KEEN footwear on a hot day at Gimmer crag!

Having an enclosed-toe area makes these sandals a clear notch up from the more traditional open-toe sandal, especially for mountain sports where stony paths and tracks present a significant stubbed-toe hazard. This and the “proper” sole make for a super stable base, yet open and cool for summer weather. Or maybe water sports? They do, after all, proclaim their “waterproof” nature, which is a bit silly really ‘cos they are not waterproof, they are sandals with whacking great holes in ‘em after all! I suppose the point of the claim is more that getting the sandals wet isn’t going to cause them any harm.

As for the Icebreaker stuff, well to be honest the Rock Zip is one seriously thick and very warm top. I mean really warm, far too warm to be used in anger at this time of year in the Lakes. Even with the awful wet weather we’ve been having it has been quite warm and humid, and this top is made for winter… So maybe I’ll write more on that in the future months. However, one feature of Icebreaker clothing that I think is really fun, innovative, and clearly demonstrates the commitment to quality is that you can literally trace the individual sheep that helped make each garment! Every item of clothing has a Baa Code label, simply enter the baa code and trace the merino wool sheep that gave their wool to make this very item. Amazing.