Meet the new Gore-tex, same as (or better than?) the old Gore-tex?

[Jimski]

I've heard that Gore-tex (the company) has recently reformulated Gore-tex (the famous clothing material). Is this a significant improvement, or a marketing ploy to get people to buy new stuff?

 

[neonorchid]

Definitely a question for @Analisa

 

[motogreg]

Just to blather on cause I'm bored....Many years ago I received a jacket from the Gore-tex folks at the SLC OR show; I was a bellman at the hotel where they were staying. It was the GT XCR version. I happened to have a nice Marmot GT shell at the time, so I had a chance for an easy comparison, and there was no question the XCR was FAR superior to the older formulation. I still have both shells, 25 years later, and the freebie still sheds water pretty, pretty, pretty good. So thanks, unidentified and possibly now deceased Gore-Tex folks, for a truly great shell!

No relevance to the conversation at hand, sorry. except that new versions can, indeed, be better, by a lot.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Well they have the waterproof and windproof parts figured out. For me it's all about breathability. Without a good set of pit zips I'm gonna wet out from the inside. Would be nice if some material would allow me to ski without constantly zipping and unzipping but I don't see it happening.

 

[Ron]

I wrote about that last season. the new Pro series is now comprised of 3 versions,

 

[Ron]

Well they have the waterproof and windproof parts figured out. For me it's all about breathability. Without a good set of pit zips I'm gonna wet out from the inside. Would be nice if some material would allow me to ski without constantly zipping and unzipping but I don't see it happening.

Unless your base layers effectively wick (moisture transport) it wont matter what shell you are wearing. Alos, properly and regularly washing your shell. eVent DV may be your salvation though, that stuff breathes insanely well.

 

[Ogg]

Well they have the waterproof and windproof parts figured out. For me it's all about breathability. Without a good set of pit zips I'm gonna wet out from the inside. Would be nice if some material would allow me to ski without constantly zipping and unzipping but I don't see it happening.

I've got the same issue. I apparently sweat a lot and I will almost always end up with condensation inside my shell. The problem is obviously worse in perpetually damp NE where even opening the vents won't dry anything out.

 

[Ron]

again, you might want to evaluate your base and mid layers. 1- they arent transporting moisture effectively, 2- you are overly dressed. 3- are you regularly and properly washing your shell. Its a place to start. I'm not saying its the only reason but its the most frequent causes of moisture build up and over heating. Also too much heat build up in your helmet.

Edit: how old is your gore-tex jacket? the newer stuff is absolutely better and the earlier "plain" gore tex never breathed well.

 

[Ogg]

again, you might want to evaluate your base and mid layers. 1- they arent transporting moisture effectively, 2- you are overly dressed. 3- are you regularly and properly washing your shell. Its a place to start. I'm not saying its the only reason but its the most frequent causes of moisture build up and over heating. Also too much heat build up in your helmet.

Edit: how old is your gore-tex jacket? the newer stuff is absolutely better and the earlier "plain" gore tex never breathed well.

I could be wearing a t shirt and it still happens. My newish(3 years old?) Patagonia shell breathes better than anything I've else I've owned but I still get condensation, I don't believe it's actually gore-tex though. I tend to err on the side of underdressing so I'm usually a little cold on the lift. I probably am getting a bit overheated when skiing moguls, polling/skating etc. The helmet was something I hadn't really thought of. Keeping the vents open on all but the coldest days might be a good idea for me. I think I may just sweat more than most people.

 

[Ron]

t shirt

well theres a good clue! if you are talking about a cotton short sleeve T shirt, then ditch that for a long sleeve shirt made of merino wool or other highly transporting material. the long sleeve is going to work better. the helmet thing is often overlooked. its key to your bodies ability to regulate heat. I started skiing with my helmet vents open even in very cold temps with a wicking skull cap (smart wool beanie) and found that I was much more comfortable overall. I tested about a dozen different shells/jackets last season and hands down the Flylow eVent DV expedition and even the new "regular" eVent was the most effective. that was true in the Strafe Capitol pants which also use eVent.

 

[pchewn]

Just to blather on cause I'm bored....Many years ago I received a jacket from the Gore-tex folks at the SLC OR show; I was a bellman at the hotel where they were staying. It was the GT XCR version. I happened to have a nice Marmot GT shell at the time, so I had a chance for an easy comparison, and there was no question the XCR was FAR superior to the older formulation. I still have both shells, 25 years later, and the freebie still sheds water pretty, pretty, pretty good. So thanks, unidentified and possibly now deceased Gore-Tex folks, for a truly great shell!

The ability to shed water depends more on the outer layer of the jacket (Most likely Nylon, Not Gore Tex), and the quality of the DWR coating on that layer. The Gore tex layer is internal to that and plays no significant role in whether or not the jacket will "shed" or "wet out" in the weather.

https://www.mechanicsofsport.com/skiing/equipment/clothing.html

 

[Jersey Skier]

Unless your base layers effectively wick (moisture transport) it wont matter what shell you are wearing. Alos, properly and regularly washing your shell. eVent DV may be your salvation though, that stuff breathes insanely well.

I've found the Nano Air stuff to breath and work better than any other mid layer, but I can still wet everything out if I'm working too hard. Kinda like when I stupidly entered the Hobacks during the last gathering. Pretty sure I was drnched at the bottom.

 

[TheArchitect]

Well they have the waterproof and windproof parts figured out. For me it's all about breathability. Without a good set of pit zips I'm gonna wet out from the inside. Would be nice if some material would allow me to ski without constantly zipping and unzipping but I don't see it happening.

I've been using Polartec NeoShell and Alpha for the last few years to solve the breathability issue. I'd love to see another fabric solve it as well as NeoShell does (at least for me) as it's nice to have more options out there.

 

[Jersey Skier]

I've been using Polartec NeoShell and Alpha for the last few years to solve the breathability issue. I'd love to see another fabric solve it as well as NeoShell does (at least for me) as it's nice to have more options out there.

The one Neoshell I tried was better to a point, but eventually it couldn't keep up with the sweat. It didn't have pit zips so it moved on. I do have a Neoshell for cycling with zips and it works well, but it's a very thin jacket. The Marmot I had was thicker. My current Arcteryx Saber is even thicker with Goretex Pro, but works ok if I stay a head of the heat I'm generating by unzipping.

 

[James]

are you regularly and properly washing your shell.

I’d say many people think it’s best to never wash it, or wash it as little as possible. I used to think that before all these threads. Last spring I skied with someone who told me he’d never washed his Goretex Arctyrex coat. It was at least 5 years old.
Having said that, I’m unconvinced about Goretex brethability. My recent Arctyrex, <4 years, is fairly stifling brand new.

 

[Ron]

’m unconvinced about Goretex brethability

the newer stuff, Pro Breathable and active is vastly improved. eVent DV is crazy good and as mentioned above, Patigonia H2No is also excellent. however, different materials for different uses in different environments.

 

[Ron]

I've found the Nano Air stuff to breath and work better than any other mid layer, but I can still wet everything out if I'm working too hard. Kinda like when I stupidly entered the Hobacks during the last gathering. Pretty sure I was drnched at the bottom.

I agree with the Nano Air but I switched over to Arc teryx's new Proton LT for colder days and I use the Nano Air for temps down to about 20 with a 150 wool base layer over an ultra thin wicking base. What are you using as your base wicking layer?

 

[Jersey Skier]

I agree with the Nano Air but I switched over to Arc teryx's new Proton LT for colder days and I use the Nano Air for temps down to about 20 with a 150 wool base layer over an ultra thin wicking base. What are you using as your base wicking layer?

Merino, which at least insulates while wet, which it often is.

 

[Spam16v]

I buy a lot of Goretex for the warranty/guarantee. I’ve benefited from it multiple times.

 

[oldschoolskier]

For those that don't know Goretex comes from the Telecommuications industry as a bi-product. The fibre is comes from the Dielectric material of a nitrogen injected polypropylene foam used to increase the velocity factor of coax (speed % of the speed of light). The bi-product is the foam (which is still used as designed) by in Fabric as a thin thread we now know as Goretex.