Why is gore tex good

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When buying a waterproof jacket, you want to make sure that it is made from a material that will keep the elements from getting in, whilst allowing perspiration to get out. There are a number of technologies available to help you achieve this.

Put simply, GORE-TEX is a durable, breathable waterproof and windproof fabric found in lots of outdoor clothing, footwear and accessories. The result was an incredibly strong, microporous material that had low water absorption and good weathering properties - the perfect solution for outerwear. By , W. The new fabric kept water and rain on the outside, whilst allowing perspiration to escape from the inside. Creating a fabric that blocks rain is relatively simple.

However, creating a fabric that blocks rain while allowing sweat to escape is much more difficult. This membrane contains over 9 billion microscopic pores, approximately 20, times smaller than a drop of water, but times bigger than a molecule of moisture vapor. This means that water in its liquid form is unable to pass to the inside of the membrane, but water as a moisture vapour from sweat is allowed to pass to the outside.

This is when the membrane is bonded - or sandwiched together - with the main body fabric, usually a synthetic such as nylon. Gore-Tex is a waterproof and breathable fabric membrane that has some very special characteristics which make it the perfect material for outdoor gear.

Its microporous properties repel water from the outside but let it breathe on the inside to avoid condensation and improve breathability. It has very low water absorption, is incredibly strong, extremely lightweight, hard-wearing, and is durable enough to use on all kinds of outdoor wear from jackets to hiking boots and gloves. Gore was founded in when the founders pursued the possibilities of PTFE polymer polytetrafluoroethylene which they believed had so much more potential.

He had invented polymer ePTFE expanded polytetrafluoroethylene which was patented and built the platform for all Gore-Tex products. In they received their first commercial orders which set them on a path of innovation and development. There are close to a dozen different Gore-Tex fabrics in some form or another but here are the main ones used for waterproof clothing:.

Unlike other waterproof products, Gore-Tex does not supply hydrostatic head information with any of its outdoor gear. The answer is a little pretentious but something I do agree with. Gore-Tex purports that column testing waterproof fabric is only a small part of what makes a jacket waterproof. They actually place much more importance on testing the completed products to include seam, zip, and comfort into the equation. They have 3 different tests for clothing, footwear, and gloves which all include 3 stages of testing to make sure they can guarantee the highest performance.

The first stage is lab testing materials under strict scientific conditions to get accurate results that can be repeated. The second stage is human testing which gathers feedback from people on how a product feels, works, and wears in different conditions. The final stage is in the field testing where experts in their field are asked to put their gear through its paces and report on their experience and opinions.

It is also breathable which means small amounts of condensation are able to escape the inside of the jacket as you sweat. Money All Money Credit Cards. Accessibility All Accessibility.

Credit: PixaBay. Written by Don Melanson. Credit: Gore-Tex. Credit: Patagonia. Up next. Style How feminine clothing should fit, according to experts Read more. Sleep Everything you need to know about sleep and daylight saving Read more.