Core Tex Review: Don't Sleep On This!

Gore-Tex is a waterproof and breathable fabric that is used in a variety of outdoor gear, including jackets, shoes, and sleeping bags. While Gore-Tex is marketed as a revolutionary technology, there are mixed reviews about its effectiveness. Some users find that it keeps them dry and warm, while others complain that it does not live up to its hype, especially in extended wet conditions. There are also concerns about the breathability of the fabric, with some people reporting that they got wet from both the outside and inside. Additionally, the durability of the fabric's water resistance has been questioned, as it tends to wear off over time or with long-term use.

Gore-Tex is not satisfactorily waterproof or breathable

According to some questionable technical standards, Gore-Tex may be waterproof and breathable. But it's completely disingenuous to describe Gore-Tex with the same adjectives that we use to describe glass and rubber, or my cotton pyjama pants and running singlets.

Moreover, the fabric really only meets these technical standards in a lab. 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. While wearing them, I have gotten wet from the outside and the inside, via precipitation and perspiration, and sometimes both simultaneously.

The condensation of moisture vapour on the inside of Gore-Tex Sleep Systems is reduced and quickly transported outside - this is crucial for maintaining a dry atmosphere within the shelter. The gas-permeable technology allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass freely in and out of the bag yet doesn't allow dangerous gasses to pass through.

In prolonged wet conditions, there's no surefire solution to staying dry. Get over it, and find a way to stay comfortable when wet.

Gore-Tex is the King of Hype

Gore-Tex is not satisfactorily waterproof or breathable. How can a material prevent the transmission of moisture through it ("waterproof") while also allowing the transmission of water through it ("breathable")?

According to some questionable technical standards, Gore-Tex may be waterproof and breathable. 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.

Moreover, the fabric really only meets these technical standards in a lab. 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. While wearing them, I have gotten wet from the outside and the inside, via precipitation and perspiration, and sometimes both simultaneously.

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.

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. My base-layer top under the jacket could be wrung out" (italics added).

Okay, so this is just one review, and the conditions were challenging (39 degrees and raining). But I'm sure that other users will have an identical experience. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

Gore-Tex has been an undisputed success with a multi-million-dollar marketing budget and a relentless, long-term, and aggressive marketing campaign. Their cause has been helped by at least two other factors. First, there has never been a strong counterargument, like by another fabric manufacturer with an entirely different solution. Second, consumers want to believe there is a panacea for wet conditions, because being wet when outside is uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. Gore-Tex has capitalized on this fear.

Ironically, as a company, I think more highly of W. L. Gore's marketing prowess than I do of their fabric technologies. Heck, it even convinced my own wife that she needed to spend $350 on a Patagonia Triolet jacket to keep her safe and comfortable while skiing in Colorado. At least to date, hype has won.

Other media fail to tell the truth about Gore-Tex

Too often, a product “review” is simply a regurgitation of a press release, and offers no critical analysis or insights from long-term use. This Gear Patrol post is typical — a review about a waterproof-breathable shell with no indication that it was tested during a rain event. And in this Q&A on Backpacker.com, its long-time gear editor reinforces the fallacy on exactly how Gore-Tex works — the story is less simple and convincing than the fabric having “holes too small to let water in, but large enough to let sweat vapor out.”

If you told me these articles were in Outside or another leading outdoor publication, I’d have no reason to not believe you. I get it, kind of: a pile of gear to test, publishing deadlines, uncooperative conditions, complex technologies, etc. But, still, do your f’ing job.

Personally, I’d rather only publish content in which I’m deeply confident. Thankfully, some other bloggers have a similar approach. For examples, read “When is a hiking rain jacket like a wet suit?” by Philip Werner of SectionHiker, and Dave Chenault’s “Shit that works” series.

In prolonged wet conditions, there’s no surefire solution to staying dry. Get over it, and find a way to stay comfortable when wet.

Consumers believe Gore-Tex is a panacea

Their cause has been helped by at least two other factors. First, there has never been a strong counterargument, like by another fabric manufacturer with an entirely different solution. Second, consumers want to believe there is a panacea for wet conditions, because being wet when outside is uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. Gore-Tex has capitalized on this fear.

A safe place to sleep, and so much more

GORE-TEX Sleep Systems are made from durable waterproof fabric, keeping soldiers and their valuables dry. They are also windproof and highly breathable. The fabric is also extremely lightweight and packable and can be made fire retardant when combined with PYRAD® technology. A fire-retardant technology, PYRAD® FABRIC BY GORE-TEX LABS protects those using volatile fuels for heating their shelters or cooking inside, keeping them safe from heat and flame. The fabric has self-extinguishing properties that can be used with non-FR textiles, such as nylon and polyester. It adheres to the requirements of CPAI-84 and is Berry compliant, having been constructed from laminates and other materials sourced and manufactured in the U.S.

GORE-TEX Bivy Bags can function as a storage or transportation container, a temporary stretcher, an observation post, a sturdy groundsheet or a small tent. Made from a waterproof and windproof outer shell plus a robust laminate for the groundsheet, the bag offers long-term protection, even when used repetitively in harsh conditions and when exposed to harmful liquid chemicals. While the fabric blocks rain and snow from getting inside, gas-permeable technology allows oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass freely in and out of the bag. Inside, vapor condensation is reduced and released quickly, making it extremely breathable for those using it as a tent. GORE-TEX Bivy Bags can be fully closed, providing better protection and insulation. In addition, the bags are more flexible and less bulky, increasing comfort and packing efficiency, as well as lighter, so soldiers carry less weight.

GORE-TEX PYRAD® Shelter Fabric is ideal for small shelters of under 20 people and arctic shelters of between 10 to 15. The single-wall design weighs significantly less than traditional double-wall structures – elimination of an inner wall can reduce the weight as much as 30%. GORE-TEX PYRAD® Shelter Fabric offers protection from severe weather, even during temperatures ranging from -40F to 125F, wind speeds higher than 55 mph, snow loads greater than four pounds per square foot, and rainfall larger than two inches per hour. Moisture permeable, condensation inside from breathing and wet gear is minimized and let out quickly. Furthermore, the fabric is fire retardant, can withstand exposure to harsh contaminants, as well as resists abrasion, punctures and mildew.

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