You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. But I’m sure that other users will have an identical experience. Okay, so this is just one review, and the conditions were challenging (39 degrees and raining). My base-layer top under the jacket could be wrung out” (italics added). These claims are hilariously exaggerated, to the degree that I think GORE-TEX must set aside money to defend false advertising lawsuits. In the only first-hand report I’ve seen about this fabric, Stephen Regenold, the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Gear Junkie, shares his experience: “By the end of an hour-long trail run I was soaked with sweat. GORE-TEX describes it as being “the most breathable GORE-TEX® products available.” Since the old Active fabric is described as “extremely breathable,” and since the product page features a GORE-TEX-clad mountain runner with the headline “FAST PACE, HIGH INTENSITY,” I can only conclude that the new Active fabric is even more suitable for such applications. I’ll use the marketing copy of its new Active fabric as an example: I don’t think Pontiac would ever have claimed that my Vibe was as powerful as its GTO or that the AWD Vibe wouldn’t perform better in snow.ĭespite the flaws of its fabrics, for decades GORE-TEX has taken the opposite approach: it is the King of Hype ™. But so long as the manufacturer is honest and upfront about the shortcomings and limitations of its products, I’m willing to cut it some slack - at least I knew before I bought. My 2WD Pontiac Vibe, for example, lacks sufficient power and all-weather performance for Colorado’s mountain roads. Because GORE-TEX is the King of Hype ™įew products are flawless. To understand why, read my best technological explanation. While wearing them, I have gotten wet from the outside and the inside, via precipitation and perspiration, and sometimes both simultaneously. In the field, which is the only test that I care about, GORE-TEX and other WP/B fabrics fail, especially with long-term use and in prolonged wet conditions. Moreover, the fabric really only meets these technical standards in a lab. But it’s completely disingenuous to describe GORE-TEX with the same adjectives that we use to describe glass and rubber, or my cotton pajama pants and running singlets. Seriously, how can a material prevent the transmission of moisture through it (“waterproof”) while also allowing the transmission of water through it (“breathable”)?Īccording to some questionable technical standards, GORE-TEX may be waterproof and breathable. When the name of a product category is an oxymoron, we have reason to be suspicious. Why do I ride GORE-TEX so hard? Let me explain: Because GORE-TEX is not satisfactorily waterproof or breathable And in multiple places I have forcefully explained the technological flaws of GORE-TEX and other branded and proprietary waterproof-breathable fabrics. In an early draft of yesterday’s post, for example, I called outright its marketing department know-nothings or liars, or both. When I discuss waterproof-breathable fabrics, a category that was invented and has been defined by GORE-TEX, I admittedly get worked up. The truth: A $300 shell won’t keep you dry, especially with long-term use and in extended wet conditions. Which side one? The hype: You need a $300 GORE-TEX jacket when you’re outside.
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