Exploring The Science Behind Gore™ OPTIFADE™ Concealment

This is the final posting in a series on Gore-Tex® and one of the newest products the W.L. Gore Company has developed for their Hunting Category—GORE OPTIFADE™ Concealment.   The camouflage pattern is widely marketed by Sitka Gear, but with several other companies licensing the pattern to appear on their respective products.

Disclaimer: I took part in the Gore Labs2Woods Blogger Summit last November to learn more about Gore and to test various articles of clothing in the Sitka Gear line.   The three day experience was as a guest of W.L. Gore & Associates where product samples were provided to me for further at-home testing and evaluation.

Prior to arriving in Delaware for the Gore Labs2Woods Blogger Summit last November, I was sent a brief questionnaire to complete pertaining to my personal beliefs on the importance of camouflage in the deer woods.   I know I didn’t answer it the way the good folks at Gore wanted.   In fact, many of the readers of this blog will probably disagree with my position on this topic.

You see…I answered the question just days after the Minnesota firearms deer season where I was decked out in full blaze orange, sitting on a pail next to a tree, and had no less than three deer walk within 8 yards of me—thankfully, upwind.   They were oblivious to my existence despite the big orange glow.

I stated in that questionnaire that camouflage (or any specific pattern) was far less important than hunter movement and odor elimination.   In fact, I have sometimes been left to wonder if camo is really all that important at all.

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Then I met Lt. Col. Tim O’Neill (ret.) who is considered the father of digital camouflage for the U.S. Armed Services.   O’Neill now works with Gore to develop some of the most innovative, science intensive camouflage that hunters have ever worn.   Several years of research has gone into studying what ungulates (animals with cloven hooves) see—or should I more correctly say—don’t see.   Watch this quick video for an explanation on what I’m talking about:
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For years companies have been designing camouflage with the wrong emphasis.   Consider this, when you’ve gone to the store did you purchase camo based on what looked good to your eye?   Did you pick a pattern and color that you believe tends to blend into the woods where you hunt?

In the past these decision factors have made sense…but if you’re trying to avoid detection don’t you want to know what the animal sees and not your hunting buddy?   After all, the eyes for most animals—whether predator or prey—are vastly different and failure to recognize this concept overlooks an important rule in camouflage design.   Check this out:
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Of course, not all environments are the same.   Gore recognizes that factors present in the forest will not be the same in open country…hence, there are options for the hunter to suit the proper environment.   Here’s another great video delving further into the camo science:
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Gore’s objectives in this category are all outcome based.   By using these products, they want hunters to achieve:

  • More enjoyment while hunting
  • Get closer to the prey
  • Be more comfortable to enable better decisions (lessen the loss of mental acuity to stay focused on task)
  • Ability to spend more time seeking prey
  • Increased survival during inclement weather
  • Basically, just to have more fun knowing a hunter has the best gear available

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Mark Seacat, one of Sitka Gear’s Athletes and noted outdoors photographer, showed us the gear he often packs in his bag to cover various hunting situations.   The big key to comfort with the OPTIFADE Concealment is to dress in layers and to understand why you do or don’t want to be wearing a specific clothing item from the Sitka line.

During this demonstration I asked the one question about Sitka Gear that others seemed to avoid—probably because they already knew.   How expensive is it?   I heard a gasp with a pregnant pause in conversation…   Finally, Mark admitted that with all the gear strewn out on the floor there was probably close to $4,500 worth of clothing.

Yup, that’s right…there’s a price to be paid for science and high-quality equipment.

Of course, the true test for any sort of hunting gear is to put it to work in the field.   And that’s what this group of bloggers did after viewing all the factory tours and testing in the lab.

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The entire group struck out for Maryland where we were guests at the Quakerneck Gun Club near Chestertown.   This superb hunting club, run by Tyler and Carla Johnson, proved to be the perfect testing ground for our group of hunting bloggers.

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This quaint property with a house originally built in 1750 looked like a set right out of an old movie.   Honestly, hunting on Maryland’s Eastern Shore has long been something I had envisioned myself doing, and this setting only added to the overall experience.

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That first afternoon as hunters donned their Gore OPTIFADE Concealment to get ready for the evening hunt…anticipation was heightened for a great evening in the woods.

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Last minute plans were discussed…

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 and soon the hunters were being taxied to the stands by Tyler.

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Here, bloggers Christian Lowe and Tracy Breen discuss their hunt experiences wearing OPTIFADE after the next morning’s hunt.  

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Finally, both of these nice Maryland bucks were taken by members of our blogger crew just after a few hours spent in the woods.   John Colenda(L), one of Gore’s product managers and Tracy Breen(R), pose for pictures with their deer.   Tracy was hunting a ground blind, in fact, and shot his deer at a distance of less than 10 yards.

Conclusion:   No matter what product you purchase, Gore makes some of the highest quality products for the outdoors enthusiast.   I hope this series has provided some background into why Gore products has one of the highest repurchase rates of any wearable garment.   Approximately 98% of all first-time Gore product owners will repeat with another Gore product purchase based on a high level of satisfaction.

Now, back to my theory on camouflage for hunting deer.   I understand the science behind it and certainly have a greater appreciation for all the research that has gone into the product design.   No doubt about it the Sitka Gear line of Gore’s OPTIFADE Concealment is the highest quality clothes currently available to the bowhunter.   I have no doubts about that.

Still, I am somewhat reluctant to endorse the gear as being essential for every hunter.   It’s nice stuff…but it’s not for most hunters’ pocketbooks.   If you live in a world surrounded by $1,000 bows, expensive hunting leases, elaborate food plots, etc., etc. then spend the money to go all out on buying the very best bowhunting clothing available.

Mind you…I’m not saying anything disparaging about the product or discouraging hunters away from buying it.   Nope…instead, you need to know that Sitka Gear is not for the average hunter on the streets.   Oh, sure, any hunter would be well served owning it for comfort and performance…but when budgets get tight and hunting is more of a recreation than an extreme passion in life…perhaps those dollars are better spent elsewhere.

Nevertheless, all hunters can still benefit from the science by better understanding how deer see differently than us humans.   Even if OPTIFADE Concealment isn’t right for you—at least not yet in life—that doesn’t mean the science behind its design is any less important to understand.   Even for those of us who once proudly claimed to be camouflage skeptics.

©2011 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.  No Reproduction without Prior Permission.

A Quick Primer On The Care Of Your Gore-Tex® Garment

Okay, I’ve covered many aspects of W.L. Gore’s Gore-Tex® membrane technology over the past several blog posts.   In fact, some of you are probably hoping this series wraps up soon and I move on to a completely different topic.   Well, good news…there is just one more blog post remaining after this one talking about Gore®, but I’m saving the best topic for last.

Next time I will be writing about the science of camouflage as it relates to ungulate animals (animals with a cloven hoof).   Specifically, I’ll be covering Gore’s® new OPTIFADE Concealment system designed primarily for bowhunters and marketed by Sitka Gear.

But today, I’m going to cover a topic that is vitally important to all Gore-Tex® wearable consumers.   Essentially, what do you do with that new Gore-Tex garment once you bring it home from the store.   How do you care for it properly?

Honestly, I’m not going to draw this blog post out with an exhaustive bunch of necessary steps consumers must do with their Gore® clothing.   Why?   Fact of the matter is…your Gore-Tex® doesn’t really require a bunch of special care.   Sure, you’ve just invested perhaps hundreds of dollars into a breathable, waterproof garment so the natural tendency is to treat it with kid gloves, so to speak.

And by all means you don’t want to abuse it…but in reality, with some of the testing I’ve previously shown, Gore-Tex® will withstand very demanding use.   NOTE: Washing and occasionally cleaning the outer fabric IS NOT ABUSE.   In fact, such actions are a must to get the most performance out of your clothing investment.

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In this picture, Larry Bollinger, customer service manager for Gore®, shows how a cross-section of Gore-Tex® material is essentially made up of very tiny microscopic pores— in fact, 9 BILLION per square inch.   These tiny pores are 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, but moisture will easily pass through them in the form of vapor, such as perspiration from the body.

What is vital to the performance of Gore-Tex® is to keep these pore passageways unobstructed so this vapor can readily pass.   In fact, Bollinger said the most common complaint his customer service team gets about Gore-Tex® not performing properly is easily fixed by washing the garment or cleaning the boots.

When a customer calls up and says their boot is leaking it’s usually a result of two main issues.   The membrane has either been punctured or torn (i.e. barbed wire, nail, etc.) or the boot is so dirty from use these microscopic pores are actually clogged with debris or the improper use of some form of boot dressing.   In the latter case the boot is not leaking, it’s just not allowing the owner’s perspiration to pass through the membrane.   Same effect—wet and uncomfortable feet.

That’s why Bollinger’s best advice to someone who brings home a new Gore-Tex® garment is to wash it.   These important pores can get obstructed even during the assembly process of the garment or boot…so if you want the ultimate performance out of your Gore-Tex® clothing wash it to ensure it’s clean—even if the item is brand new from the store.

Now, the sales folks at the store will likely try to sell you a bunch of after-market detergents to keep your new Gore-Tex® clean.   While Bollinger will not endorse any particular product, I got the sense from him that such expensive specialty care products are not necessary.   In fact, you can use just standard laundry detergent—powder or liquid—just avoid those products also containing fabric softeners…and by all means avoid dryer sheets.

One important note.   The quickest way to restore your Gore-Tex® garment’s Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating applied to the fabric on the outer layer of the garment is to throw it into the dryer on medium to high heat.   Over time and as the garment is worn, this action is oven necessary to rejuvenate the first-line of repellancy of the outer material.   Failure to do so can cause the outer layer to soak water, become heavier to the user, and possibly disrupt the exchange of water vapor through the membrane.

Again, the important thing to remember is Gore-Tex® containing clothing might be some of the most expensive clothes you ever purchase…but with a few common sense care instructions it will outperform and outlast other articles of clothing found in your closet.

In closing, I want to show you these two quick videos produced by W.L. Gore & Associates.   I thought about making some videos of my own, but these are so well produced I really couldn’t improve on them.   Take a look and you’ll see that owning Gore-Tex® is not a big hassle when it comes to proper care:

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Now, just in case you still have questions or concerns about your Gore-Tex product, you can call their customer service at 1-800-GORE-TEX or visit them on the web at: www.Gore-Tex.com or www.Facebook.com/goretex.fan or www.Twitter.com/GORETEX_brand
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©2011 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.  No Reproduction without Prior Permission.
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Minnesota DNR Final CWD Management Briefing (4/7/11)

The Minnesota DNR held a final teleconference today on their Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance efforts new Pine Island, Minnesota—the location where a single deer tested positive for the disease late last year.

I won’t cover most of the details that can be read in the press release found HERE, but what follows are some tidbits of information gleaned from the question/answer session of the teleconference:

  • The MN DNR was very pleased with the cooperation and assistance by the public on this matter.   In particular, they were impressed how well the private landowners and several conservation organizations worked together on this important effort.
  • The fact that no additional deer tested positive is seen as great news from the DNR that this situation was caught on the front-end so early.
  • This fall hunters can expect a CWD Zone declared in the hunting regulations.   It will likely be the same area that was used in this most recent surveillance effort.
  • This means there will be continued MANDATORY testing of all deer taken within this zone.   In fact, many people in the public have been requesting this mandatory testing continue.   There will be voluntary testing in many of the deer management zones surrounding the CWD zone, once this is established.
  • It also means this zone will likely see more liberalized season and bag limits.   This is mostly due to the fact the area tends to have a high wintering deer density which can add to the CWD problem.
  • It is highly likely the fall firearms season for the CWD zone will be lengthened with fewer restrictions.
  • At this point the DNR is not sure if this will be a short or long term management concern.   It will depend on what happens in the future in regards to testing results.
  • The DNR hopes to have the fall deer hunting plans (hunting regs) finalized within the next month or so.   This will give hunters in this area ample lead time so they can plan their fall hunting activities.
  • Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game coordinator, indicated that within this recent testing area on average there are 3.5 to 4.5 deer harvested per square mile (during a normal fall hunting season).   Because this area historically has such high deer densities, that is the reason why the DNR will likely want to increase those harvest numbers.
  • In fact, the DNR figures this fall they will likely get a surveillance size quite similar in scope to what was recently just accomplished.
  • The DNR will not be doing any additional population assessments until late fall/winter.   With the summer foliage and dispersion of the herd it is just too difficult to do with any effectiveness.
  • Expect the recreational feeding ban for deer to remain in effect for some time within this CWD area of concern.

– = End of update = –

©2011 Jim Braaten.  All Rights Reserved.  No Reproduction without Prior Permission.