Bryan E said:
I'm probably going to have it stitched here locally. If I decide otherwise I'll PM ya.
Raingear...
- Thread starter woody
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I'm probably going to have it stitched here locally. If I decide otherwise I'll PM ya.
Bryan E said:
Hey Bryan,
I work mostly in the outdoor/ski market, but know a little about the Military side of our business. The 3L Military laminate we make is produced in our plant in Maryland. The team that makes it is very quality oriented. All of them know that this stuff goes onto troops who are putting their life on the line...so we try to build to that level. The factory that does the cut and sew is also equally quality oriented. The finished product as shipped to the military is super rugged, and very durable.
However, you need to be "caveat emptor" when buying Military gear. Sometimes it's been trashed, no longer meets Military specs and the "problem" might not be obvious in a store. Also, as with any known consumer brand there are imposters. All of the recent Military Gore-Tex(r) garments have our name printed on the seam-tape. Just look at the inside of the garment, where the tape covers the seams.
HTH
Thanks for the reply, Doug. I checked my GI rain gear, and it's made by Tennier Industries, and has GORE SEAM TM on the seam tape inside. I agree about really checking the item for quality. I've seem some stuff for sale that was really old looking, and have found other items with holes, or had a defective or second stamp over the lable. It seems great for what I paid for it, and it works good enough for my use.
It's good to hear about the construction of the garments and that people there are really proud of the quality they put into their items. Thanks for the info that you've shared in this thread, especially the washing and care instrutions.
It's good to hear about the construction of the garments and that people there are really proud of the quality they put into their items. Thanks for the info that you've shared in this thread, especially the washing and care instrutions.
I still work at WL Gore, but can't sell bolts of fabric. We sell the fabric only to factories that we certify (quality standards, worker environment, correct equipment, etc) and for garment designs that we've tested and meet our performance standards. We don't want an expensive waterproof fabric used in a garment design that leaks, or to be sewn & seam-taped in a poor quality way.
Frostline kits were cool, but time marches on...
Or, you can call around to some of the bigger fabric stores in major cities, some will have excess rolls of an popular branded waterproof/breathable fabric.
HTH.
Apparently I am "dr no" to your questions...sorry. There is no public info that I know of (I google searched for a bit). Reason being it's pretty complex. We have different seam-tapes, each matched for the particular laminate it's to be used with. Then it's important to have the correct temperature, pressure and dwell time. Oh, not to forget, seam-allowance is also super important.
In your case what I might do is to call some of the outdoor garment/gear repair centers and ask them if they would tape the garment for you once you sew it. They might say no, but a phone call is cheap. The one I know of off-hand is here in Seattle - RainyPass Repair.
Hear me now and believe me later.....
I dont know what you will use the rain gear for but it you need it for hiking.. I would stay away from gore-tex.....
I did the John Muir Trail in sections (7 days at a time) a few years back and discovered that hiking when raining you end up soaking wet from your own perspiration.....
A umbrella works wonders and will keep you and your gear dry and cool.... yeah you might look ackward but hey it works !!!!
just my .02 cents...
I dont know what you will use the rain gear for but it you need it for hiking.. I would stay away from gore-tex.....
I did the John Muir Trail in sections (7 days at a time) a few years back and discovered that hiking when raining you end up soaking wet from your own perspiration.....
A umbrella works wonders and will keep you and your gear dry and cool.... yeah you might look ackward but hey it works !!!!
just my .02 cents...
I suggest a basic GORE-TEX jacket by The North Face. If you want something LONGER, then check out L.L. Bean as they have a rain coat which goes down past the waste and is waterproof/breathable material as well.
Well done on doing the JM Trail! Bet you have some great stories!
GTX is not an air-conditioner. Laws of physics apply, and depending on your physiology, work rate and temp/humidity, it's easy to overload any wpb system. Umbrella's in warmer wet weather can be a great option as you point out.
Sweat is a very efficient method of heat-loss, and it's the body's natural way of cooling itself. Max sweat rates for fit males have been measured in the 4 qt per hour range...no wpb product can move that much moisture. At super high sweat rates, direct air on the skin is the best method of cooling.
One strategy to hiking in warm/wet conditions is to just accept getting wet until about 1/2 hour from your planned camp. Then put on GTX, and slow down. Use your body heat to dry off your clothes. Key is to slow down, so your sweat rate drops. With practice you'll be able to arrive at camp with dry clothes.
HTH.
I'm glad someone "Doug" up this old thread 
Now I know how to properly wash my G-tex jacket. I've been letting mine drip dry all these years and thought it was just getting old and worn out. I will have to try to revive it in the dryer.
Now I know how to properly wash my G-tex jacket. I've been letting mine drip dry all these years and thought it was just getting old and worn out. I will have to try to revive it in the dryer.
Wow, old thread. The pit zipper on my 8 year old Arcteryx jacket came off track last month. I called the warranty dept and they said send it in and they would repair or replace it. (They do their repairs at the Canadian factory to ensure top quality.) It ended up that they did not have the exact zipper in stock so they sent me a brand new Theta AR jacket. Talk about great customer service! I was originally embarassed on how much I spent on the jacket originally, even at 1/2 price at the REI outlet, but it has been money very well spent. It has kept me warm and dry from the Great Wall of China to hiking in Denali.
Wow, good story customer service like this is unheard of now days!
X2 on the Arcteryx customer service! I ripped my Sidewinder jacket (and the sweater underneath, and my elbow) on a rock a few weeks ago. I used the warranty form on their website to explain the problem and they offered to send me iron on patches to fix it myself, or I could send the jacket to them and they would patch it or replace the whole section of the sleeve.
As far as bombproof raingear goes, I have a set of rainwear from MEC. Cheap, durable, and easy to clean up (hose it off). It's not breathable, but neither is really dirty Goretex.
As far as bombproof raingear goes, I have a set of rainwear from MEC. Cheap, durable, and easy to clean up (hose it off). It's not breathable, but neither is really dirty Goretex.
Skin is a really interesting organ. Has nerves for pressure and temperature. Nothing in the wiring diagram for moisture. How doe you know if your skin is wet - you don't (directly), instead your nervous system interpolates based on the information available. Mild pressure + high rate of heat loss...from experience the skin interprets this as wet.
WTF you might say, what does this have to do with the performance of wpb outerwear? When the outershell is wetted out, there is a continous layer of water (which conducts heat 23X faster than air). If you are sweating (usually you are when you are active) then you also have some water on the inside of the outerwear. The wet inside + wet outside = high rate of conductive heat-loss. The nervous system interprets this data as "wet" and your rational left brain says "it's not breathing so well anymore."
Perception is reality. Except when perception is wrong.
Wash and dry your Gore-Tex. Use medium heat in the dryer. This will minimise t he chance that the outer-layer will wet-out, which reduces the chance that the sweat on the inside will condense against this cold outerlayer.
Dry outerlayer = comfortable inside.
The physics is complicated, but the solution is simple: proper wash/dry care for Gore-Tex ensures optimum comfort. Most higher performance products work best when maintained at an optimal level - Gore-Tex is no different.
Wash - using any soap you like.
Dry - medium heat is best.
No fabric softeners please (they are wetting agents)
After 20 washes, you might need to use an aftermarket waterrepellant.
It's on our website too if you wanna check it out.
Or post up a question.
Peace.
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Doug is correct. Go Gore or stay home. Machine washable, durable, and needs to be maintained like any other long lasting gear. I've worn it and sold it for 25 years and it is the best. It's not magic, but it's well researched and tested.
I have one jacket that's 25 years old and it has been used HARD. My newer stuff is way better. Gore-tex Pro Shell is going to be the most durable, breathable and waterproof thing you can get.
I have one jacket that's 25 years old and it has been used HARD. My newer stuff is way better. Gore-tex Pro Shell is going to be the most durable, breathable and waterproof thing you can get.
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