Gore-Tex is yet another corporate American myth, much like Harley Davidson and the Leatherman Tool; the product is for some reason seen as better than it is because of
rumours, glorification of history and possibly planting of memories. For instance:
I've stood under a waterfall in a Gore-Tex parka and
Gore-Tex pants and not gotten more than a few splashes on me.
Not getting wet under a waterfall is
easily accomplished by wearing a
plastic
bag. Any $4.99
rain gear will keep you dry under a waterfall. This is not
what Gore-Tex is about.
Gore-Tex is one of many fabrics that use reverse osmosis in order to
transport water vapor off your body. You only need this when wearing
garments that don't breath naturally, such as plastic, as opposed to
cotton. When putting on plastic garments for water protection, the ability to
transport humidity from beneath the garments is impaired. Enter Gore-Tex: By
using a membrane that will allow water vapor but not water molecules to
pass, it makes possible physical activities in rainy weather. It is not better
rain gear and it will only keep you dryer from the inside, not from the outside,
compared to a plastic bag.
Gore-Tex will not work if
- The garment is wet - diffusion won't work. This is why you have to keep
on applying expensive water-repellant over and over again
- The garment is dirty - diffusion won't work. This is why you have to clean
the garment, and then have to apply water-repellant .
- It is cold outside - diffusion won't work. If the water cannot create
drops of water on the outside of the garment, the water will not pass
through the membrane.
- The garment is flexed - diffusion may work in opposite direction.
- You did not register your Gore-Tex product with the W L Gore
company. (j/k)
The function of the membrane is heavily dependent on how clean the fabric is
and that it is treated with some kind of water-repellant. If the
water-repellant cannot stop the garment from getting wet, and your
Gore-Tex garment is soaked from the rain, the Gore-Tex will get get you
soaked. Sit down on a stone in a wet Gore-Tex pant and your underwear will
get all wet. The membrane works in both directions, and when the garment is wet,
it will not transport water vapor from your body. The same goes for Gore-Tex in
shoes, where the W L Gore company will not guarantee the same kind of waterproofness
as for other products. This is because the constant flexing of the membrane will
work water in the opposite direction, in some conditions. It is also important
that there is air between your body and the Gore-Tex membrane. If not, the
diffusion will not work.
Other manufacturers have their own fabrics with the same function and
properties, for instance Sympatex, Membrane and MPC. Gore-Tex is by far
the most expensive, which has got to do with their extensive warranty. The truth about registering your garment is that the waterproof guarantee is only valid for the initial buyer of the garment. W L
Gore Co. were also the ones who invented the distinction with "degrees of
waterproof-ness", and that says about all about Gore-Tex for me...