[at-l] Gore-Tex ???

[m_factor@hotmail.com (Mara Factor)]

>From: "Douglas Greenfield" <mtn0613@mindspring.com>
>Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 15:33:28 -0500

>...So my question is, why does it work for some of us and not others?

There have been plenty of other posts (check the archives) about how 
Gore-Tex works so I won't go there but...

There are a lot of other factors that go into how well Gore-Tex is going to 
work at any given time.

Some people sweat more than others.  If you don't sweat that much, Gore-Tex 
will work better for you.  I find that when I'm in shape, it seems to work 
better for me but that's just because I'm generating less vapor for the 
membrane to have to pass through.

There are also environmental factors.  Do you hike in mostly drier climates? 
Do you avoid hiking on rainy days?  Do you do most of your hiking in colder 
weather?  All of these things will help Gore-Tex work better by allowing the 
vapor transfer to happen more effectively.

How you care for your Gore-Tex also affects performance.  If you use liquid 
detergent, you should send it through the rinse cycle an extra time or two.  
Powdered detergent needs no extra rinsing.  You should use heat to dry it.  
Following directions, ironing the Gore-Tex will help improve performance.  
When water no longer beads up, some of those NikWax products can help 
restore beading.

If you don't wash your Gore-Tex and dirt and oils have a chance to build up 
(not necessarily visibly), Gore-Tex will not perform well.

If water is soaking in, it will perform no better than any other waterproof 
garment.  Only if water is beading up, rolling off the material, and 
basically keeping most of the material dry, can the vapor transfer continue.

For the relatively humid eastern seaboard (ie. AT), I found the Gore-Tex to 
be overkill and bought a waterproof Sierra Designs shell that was much 
lighter, cheaper, and folded into it's own packet.  I wish I had started 
with it.  I ended up mailing my Gore-Tex home.  I still use the Gore-Tex but 
only for very cold weather activities - winter hiking and skiing - mostly in 
the Whites.  I also use it around town.

Just my 1.78 cents...

Mara
Stitches, GAME99
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