Gore-Tex® Simply Outperforms The Competition
I’m guessing most people who read this blog are probably not huge golf fans, but every two years there is a major professional men’s golf tournament (PGA) that pits the Americans vs. the Europeans in a team competition (keep in mind golf is mostly played as an individual sport). In October 2010, it was the Europeans turn to host The Ryder Cup at a course called Celtic Manor in the United Kingdom.
Okay, long story short…the match play was greatly impacted by severely wet weather during much of the competition. In fact, the American team was eventually forced to ditch it’s official waterproof team attire because it was becoming an impediment to their play.
Even more embarrassing was the fact the American team officials were left with no choice other than to purchase waterproof clothing from the event merchandise tent—clothing that just so happened to be the official supplier to the European team.
To make matters worse, the media was having a heyday reporting how this under performing American clothing was affecting the team’s performance during the early stages of the competition and some incorrect news outlets were even reporting it as the team’s “Gore-Tex®.” It WAS NOT GORE-TEX®! In fact, the clothing supplier called Sun Mountain Sports, out of Montana, had not used any Gore branded technology since 2006. Just to clear up matters from the confusion stirring in the media, W.L. Gore & Associates felt it necessary to issue this press release (excerpted):
“It’s unfortunate that the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup was not wearing uniforms with the GORE-TEX® brand, especially if the faulty gear ultimately interfered with performance,” said Yvonne Erickson, marketing leader at W.L. Gore & Associates. “Gore has rigorous uncompromising standards in place to ensure that our products are of the highest quality, to back up our Guaranteed to Keep you Dry® promise to consumers. Gore and Sun Mountain Sports parted ways in 2006 and, therefore, GORE-TEX® brand technology was not used in the rain jackets and pants worn by the U.S. team this morning. We hope that the U.S. Ryder Cup Team will be wearing uniforms with GORE-TEX® product technology in the future.”
The point I am trying to underscore is the term “Gore-Tex®” has become synonymous and commonplace with waterproof material much like other brands (i.e. Scotch Tape, Xerox Copies, Kleenex, etc.) have become descriptive of their respective products. The danger lies in the fact using the “Gore-Tex®” branding to describe any so-called waterproof clothing can be misleading, not to mention highly inaccurate, as was the case in some reporting done at the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament.
I think this example clearly illustrates how simply calling a garment waterproof does not necessarily make it truly waterproof. Unfortunately, there are no clear standards that defines what “waterproof” is. The American team was negligent for not having tested their clothing properly prior to putting it into use—a mistake I’m sure they will never repeat again.
But as sportsmen, how do we know if a garment will perform as it’s described in the sales literature? If an XYZ brand jacket claims to be waterproof what does this mean, and more importantly, do you really know what you’re getting?
Keep in mind it’s relatively easy to make clothing that is waterproof using a urethane-based component…but the key becomes is the clothing both waterproof AND breathable? Consider this…
Here’s a picture of me taken at the Gore-Tex® lab out in Maryland doing a simple breathability test. On my right hand is a glove made from a Gore-Tex® membrane and on the left is a glove made out of a clear plastic mitt (much like a sandwich bag). After just a couple minutes the left hand was getting noticeably uncomfortable as my skin became quite sweaty and warm. On the right hand…perfectly comfortable and dry.
This quick test showed how just making a membrane “waterproof” does not mean it will be comfortable. If moisture can’t escape because just by sitting there you will build up heat and moisture vapor from the skin…what have you accomplished by calling it waterproof?
Now let’s move on to the next test. It’s called the Immersion Test and I’ll be quite honest with you…this test is what truly sold me on the quality of the Gore-Tex® membrane.
In this picture you see a couple of my hunting blogger co-horts (that’s Marc Alberto from NYBowhunter.com in the black shirt) each wearing a Gore-Tex® glove. But here’s the key. Each of us bloggers were instructed to put our bare hands into the ice-water so they were complete wet. Next, we placed our wet hands inside of the glove and were told to put the glove back into the water bucket. After about 3 minutes…we were told to take our hands out and remove the gloves. VIOLA!!! They were perfectly dry.
The heat produced from our bodies caused the moisture to vaporize and pass through the Gore-Tex® membrane into the water. In essence, a Gore-Tex® membrane will keep you dry even when you put it on when you’re already wet. Very impressive.
Here, Larry Beckett, from BigGameHunt.net gives the immersion test a try.
Maybe it’s best to see this test in video form…check this quick little video out as I really do think this test proves how Gore-Tex® is a superior product.
Now, another test we performed was on Gore® Windstopper® Technology.
Here we see Rudy Hassall, from the WindedBowhunter.com checking out a two-sided glove showing how blasts of canned air tend to penetrate right through a glove with no protective membrane (on one side) and how the air is virtually stopped by the side of the glove containing the Gore® Windstopper® Technology.
Okay…testing, that’s what you need to do to ensure you are getting the waterproof, breathable hunting garment necessary to perform as desired in the rigors of the outdoors world. Much as the American golf team found out last fall, you can’t rely on claims alone that a product will provide you with the results you seek.
In the outdoors if you make a mistake with your clothing it can not only create great bodily discomfort, subsequently affecting performance, but it also has the potential to kill you, given the right set of circumstances.
In the next blog post we’re going to look at some more testing done in the Gore® Labs as it pertains to product durability. I’m also going to discuss what you need to do with those new boots or waterproof clothing items once you bring them home from the store. Stay tuned.
©2011 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.
