Re: WTB Rain Gear?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 916dude!</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I mainly plan on just keeping dry and easily functional in the rain and some cold weather. My buddy is reserve marine and said he'd get me some mil issue gear so I think I'll just end up going through him. I'm still all ears if you have any better suggestion </div></div>
You must keep Gore-Tex's parent fabric dry for the it to work. Gore is a laminate to a parent, if the outer parent fabric gets wet, this will allow water to seep in. Body oils and dirt can clog the pours of GTex letting water in.
Gtex only works if you have a pressure difference between your bodies inside mirco climate and the outer climate. Gtex works best in cool dry weather that allows body vapor to get pushed / sink through the fabric. If the outer air or fabric is warm / damp, it will not sink body vapor through.
The best W/B fabric is Lowe Alpine Ceramic but it cost more than Gtex but was phenomenal in the back country out performing Gtex by a wide margin. But cost and lack of advertising, Gtex squashed them.
Rubberized is the only true waterproofing and if you have a very well designed garment, you can keep just as dry inside in the right climate as Gtex...chimney effect that allows dry cool air from down low to get sucked up though / under the garment and out the top and areas designed for this, same way Gtex works but instead of through the fabric it goes across the body and actually works better than Gtex if the garment is well designed.
Gtex has loads of cash and superb advertising. I sat through a Gtex siminar, kind of funny to see the reps show up in suits, long winded Power Point, feeding us steaks with a bunch of fleece wearing outdoor types. Gtex has loads of cash to feed you what ever they want you to believe, after years in the back country, it does not work as advertised and there are much better stuff out there.
I you are moderate active in temps 40F and below with 40% humidity, Gore-tex works OK. Very active in 50F with 60% and it will not work.
Another problem with Gore is flash off. Your body works hard over pressing Gore-tex so you stay very clammy and wet in Gtex. Once your body quits working, like taking a break there is a point that the G-tex will pass body vapor and all of a sudden you are cold, it happens very quickly and can take a lot of calories to heat the body back up.
Used just about all fabrics as outdoor gear tested in Alaska, and no I am not a fan of G-tex. Not many places colder and wetter than Alaska and microfiber soft shell out performs G-tex by a wide margin = not fishing though. Rubberized if the garment is designed well will outperform G-tex. HH is good and Patagonia is superb but more costly.
