Beyond the hype: what is GORE-TEX and why is it the must-have material when bracing the elements
Are your Salomon's a prized possession in your wardrobe? Your Arc'teryx essentials have to be pried out of your cold, dead hands? For anyone who loves their outdoor gear, GORE-TEX should be a stalemate in your vocab and your wardrobe.
But does anyone actually know what GORE-TEX is? Well, we decided to dig deep and chat with some experts to get the dirt on the viral fabric that is probably sitting in your wardrobe as we speak.
What is GORE-TEX?
First of all, what is it? Well it’s made by the team at GORE-TEX Product Technologies, who work to create innovative technologies that provide premium weather protection. The way they do this depends on the product you’re buying but it’s either through their state of the art fabric and construction designs or a unique membrane or laminate that fabric is treated in.
So you’ll often find that some of your favourite outdoor or sportswear brands - like Salomon, adidas, Saucony and more - work with GORE-TEX Product Technologies to create more durable pieces that are built for the outdoors. This could be anything from sneakers and hiking boots to jackets, pants and accessories.
How does it work?
Catriona Shearer from GORE-Tex Product Technologies broke down some of the more nitty gritty details for us.
'The membrane has 1.4 billion pores per cm2, and each pore is 700 times larger than a vapour (or sweat) molecule – so [air] can easily escape,' she explains. 'However, these pores are also 20,000 smaller than a water droplet, so water cannot get in.'
The membrane is sandwiched between a face fabric and inner layer, and is used within products by their partner brands.
'Lastly, the face textile is treated in the lamination process with a treatment called DWR. This is the element of the GORE-TEX Fabric that creates the beading, when water can roll easily off the surface.'
Is it sustainable?
In the past, GORE-TEX has relyed on the chemical known as PTFE, founder Bob Gore changed the game for outdoor gear when he had the idea to stretch it, creating a lightweight, breathable and most importantly waterproof membrane. The treatment the pieces were then coated in often contained PCFs. While these chemicals do the job well, they’re not great for the environment—they stick around for a long time and can accumulate in living things.
However after a decade of production, the GORE-TEX team have developed an innovative Next Gen alternative to their previous methods of waterproofing.
'The textiles used in Next Gen GORE-TEX Fabrics are recycled and/or solution dyed – which save energy and water in their production,' says Shearer. 'It is the combination of the textiles and the thin, light membrane, coupled with the PFA-free DWR treatment that lower its carbon footprint.'
Does it last forever?
One of the wonderful things about GORE-TEX is their durability. The length of the products does depend on how they are used and how frequently. With the right care, cleaning and upkeep some people have claimed their waterproofing stays up to scratch for multiple years!
'The decades of science, testing and development we invest – along with the holistic way in which we work with and support the brands who use our fabrics, ensure high quality and performance,' says Shearer.
'As our products are built to last, consumers will also get long product life from their GORE-TEX garments, gloves or shoes. This is the most responsible thing you can do – to keep your products in use for as long as possible.'
How to clean GORE-TEX products
Taking care of your GORE-TEX products are of top importance if you want to make the most of them.
First of all the brand recommends washing them pretty regularly to ensure sunscreen, body oils and other dirt and grime doesn't impact the quality of the waterproofing.
Next you want to ensure all of your zips are zipped and drawcords are loosened before popping it in the washing machine with half a cap of a quality liquid detergent. The brand recommends Grangers Performance Wash, which is specifically for waterproof clothing. And wash it on a delicate cycle at 40°C.
After washing, ideally you want to tumble dry your garments for 20 minutes as this helps to reactive the DWR treatment on your pieces. You can also iron dry on a gentle setting if you don't have a tumble dryer, or line dry if necessary.
Just make sure not to tumble dry any GORE-TEX SHAKEDRY™ garments, as they work differently for waterproofing.
Shop WH’s favourite pieces that feature GORE-TEX
Think of any of your favourite apparel and outdoor gear, you can bet they work with GORE-TEX. Below are some of our very favourite pieces from our favourite brands for you to shop if you want to test something new out and hit the great outdoors.
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