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

[Flo]

A former company I worked for had the longest running IP lawsuit in history re ePTFE (Gore/Bard/Goldfarb). We won. Gore lost. Iirc they’re still paying as are other companies.

I used it as a covering (inner/outer lumen) for vascular stent grafts/covered stents. Great mechanical barrier for restenosis vs a pharmacological control ala drug eluding stents. Best analogy… bare metal stent is screen door in a rain storm, covered stent is a storm door.

i worked next door to Gores HQ in Newark, DE pre-med device. Had dinner at the Gore elders place a couple times. Really good people, previous comments about them are spot on.

I bought a TNF futurelight shell and bibs a couple seasons ago. Super happy with their performance and way quieter that any 3 layer Gore Tex stuff Plus they breathe stupidly well.

I had a futurelight jacket too last season. Breathability is top notch but the jacket was socking water and humidity was going through the membrane after few hours. Also, fabric showed significant sign of wear after 30 days. I sent it back and got a coupon to buy another one this year. Looking at evo's website they changed the fabric of the Brigandine from 75Dx75D to 75Dx100D so they probably got a lot of issues and decided to reinforce the fabric. I think there will be more differences between the different jackets of the Steep series collection.

I think that these jacket are great in all conditions but snowstorm/rain. If I still have some issue I will just buy a burlier jacket with less flexibility and breathability but better weather protection.

 

[tazdevl]

I had a futurelight jacket too last season. Breathability is top notch but the jacket was socking water and humidity was going through the membrane after few hours. Also, fabric showed significant sign of wear after 30 days. I sent it back and got a coupon to buy another one this year. Looking at evo's website they changed the fabric of the Brigandine from 75Dx75D to 75Dx100D so they probably got a lot of issues and decided to reinforce the fabric. I think there will be more differences between the different jackets of the Steep series collection.

I think that these jacket are great in all conditions but snowstorm/rain. If I still have some issue I will just buy a burlier jacket with less flexibility and breathability but better weather protection.

Yeh, I did notice that on some CO front range heavy wet snow days. Bought mine at the Boulder TNF store. Will have to call me see if they changed the L5 shell for this year.

 

[Marker]

This popped up on my Google News feed. Sounds like a new product compared to those discussed above. This eliminates expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) and substitutes expanded polyethylene (ePE) to supposedly reduce their carbon footprint. LOL, all I see is a reduced fluorine footprint. Think of ePE membrane as a very high tech version of Tyvek (microporous spun-bonded PE fabric). The problem as I see it is the need for a polyurethane coating on the ePE to make it work like ePTFE. Not sure how durable that will be.

GORE-TEX Claims New Membrane Reduces Carbon, Delivers Equal Performance

GORE-TEX says its new ePE membrane material is more sustainable and thinner than its current textiles. Initial tests show it performs on par.

gearjunkie.com

 

[Flo]

I have a TNF store credit after sending my jacket (Brigandine Futurelight) for repair at the end of last season. FYI, fabric showed abnormal sign of wear and was not repellent anymore (even after applying Nikwax).
Which one of these 2 jackets is the burliest?

• Brigandine fabric: 75D x 100D 141 g / m² 91% recycled polyester, 9% polyethylene Spectra® ripstop with DWR finish.
• A-CAD Body – 75D 175 g/m² FUTURELIGHT™ 3L 100% recycled polyester with a durable water-repellent finish (DWR)
  Elbows – 75D x 100D 141 g/m² FUTURELIGHT™ 3L 91% recycled polyester / 9% polyethylene Spectra® ripstop with DWR finish

I get the difference between 75D and 100D but why 2 values? The Brigqndine seems burlier but lighter?

 

[tazdevl]

I have a TNF store credit after sending my jacket (Brigandine Futurelight) for repair at the end of last season. FYI, fabric showed abnormal sign of wear and was not repellent anymore (even after applying Nikwax).
Which one of these 2 jackets is the burliest?

• Brigandine fabric: 75D x 100D 141 g / m² 91% recycled polyester, 9% polyethylene Spectra® ripstop with DWR finish.
• A-CAD Body – 75D 175 g/m² FUTURELIGHT™ 3L 100% recycled polyester with a durable water-repellent finish (DWR)
  Elbows – 75D x 100D 141 g/m² FUTURELIGHT™ 3L 91% recycled polyester / 9% polyethylene Spectra® ripstop with DWR finish

I get the difference between 75D and 100D but why 2 values? The Brigqndine seems burlier but lighter?

First off thx for letting me know about the design/material changes. Dropped my L5 Jacket and A-Cad bibs (both futurelight) off at a local TNF store this weekend. Waiting for a credit.

I originally bought the Mens A-Cad and exchanged it because the cut was too long for me. That’d be my guess. Addition of spectra is nice, should help w durability.

I’m short but stocky/muscular and it seems like far too many apparel manufacturers are making stuff that fits Abercrombie models, not beefy athletes.

I may just give the credit to my wife and grab some Burton AK gear or go Arcteryx since their quality pretty much sets the standard. As a marketing/product guy, after speaking with a couple folks at TNF, surprised TNF didn’t do more to nail Futurelight considering the quality issues they’ve seen with the material. Just upping inspection % probably would’ve helped a ton.

 

[tazdevl]

My stuff was sent back to warranty. They need to hurry the hell up. Still waiting. A-Basin and Wolf Creek open Sunday.

 

[Flo]

My stuff was sent back to warranty. They need to hurry the hell up. Still waiting. A-Basin and Wolf Creek open Sunday.

I ended up using my store credit to buy a Brigandine kit. I received it today and it seems that it’s not as soft as last year model’s and closer to the goretex pro (which for my use is a good thing). I will see how it ages and will do a report.

 

[tazdevl]

After sitting on my return for 9-10 days received an email from warranty today. 6-8 week turnaround. Called, spoke to a rep and told them totally unacceptable. Ski season starting this weekend, this is my outwear and they knew about the issues with the 1st gen futurelight. I’ll email the exec team (upside of being not far from VF Corp/TNF HQ and knowing a few folks there) if there isn’t movement in a week. IME service/warranty used to be much better. Pretty much used TNF exclusively for a few decades, might be leaving and not coming back If they cant get their asses in gear.

 

[KingGrump]

Always have a plan B.

 

[tazdevl]

Always have a plan B.

Wife kebashed plan B last year after buying 5 new pairs of skis lol. ROFL and getting a new wife isn’t a good plan B after all the time she’s spent training me.

 

[KingGrump]

Wife kebashed plan B last year after buying 5 new pairs of skis

Who bought 5 new pairs of skis? Your wife?

 

[tazdevl]

Who bought 5 new pairs of skis? Your wife?

Negative. All me. Amazed I wasn’t in the doghouse. But it put a serious constraint on ski related purchases for the season.

As an update I reached out to the TNF exec level and got it expedited. Should have a refund coming shortly.