What Makes Gore-Tex a Popular Material for Outdoor Gear?

Question

What are the reason that makes Gore-Tex preferable for harsh and demanding condition outdoors?

Answer 1

Al Gore Tex's principles include, among other things, fun facts – Gore-Tex is light, strong, breathable and 100% waterproof material. No wonder it has become the material of choice for nearly all high-end outdoor brands for varying activity requirements.

Comments

For daily use in autumn, winter and early spring, I love my Skogso jacket. It's comfortable and somewhat rain resistant.
For it to be actually close to water resistant, you would need to wax the crap out of it though.
When doing multi-week hikes in rainy conditions, I'll gladly wear my Goretex jacket.
Yes, it needs beading properties/DWR on the outer shell for it to retain breathing capacity. Depending on the level of abrasion during use, you'll need to freshen up the DWR layer. In my experience, a Nikwax treatment will last for a couple of months. It all depends on the level of abrasion though.
There is not that much need for 'Goretex-drama', buy a bottle of Nikwax, bio-degradable, non-toxic DWR (or whatever DWR product you like) and voila.

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I have been doing outdoor sports for some years without much money and when I started I always fantasized with having a really nice gore-tex jacket. As I didn't have enough money I just kept on going with basic gear. Some ultras later, having climbed lots of mountains and an Everesting event in my country I haven't really needed goretex for any of that. Now that I have the money I don't plan on getting anything goretex because I agree with what you said.
I hope more people in the outdoor sports world start accepting that goretex is overkill for most events and activities.

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I bought a Gore-Tex shell from TNP and paired it with an Arcteryx fleece in 2007. I’ve worn it since then as my rain jacket, my ski jacket, my cold weather shell, etc. when I got a rip, I slapped an adhesive patch on it. Never retreated it and it works fine without leaks. However, I more frequently wear a waxed canvas jacket and even it works fine for most rain. The one issue though, is weight. My waxed canvas jacket is heavier dry, and absorbs more water in the rain to become even heavier. Yes, you are going to sweat in Gore-Tex faster than the moisture can vent out of the fabric, but that’s what vents are for. I guess I’ll wait another 17 years and see which one is still keeping me dry.

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I own a 20+ year old TheNorthFace Guide Parka with a Gore-Tex lining that still looks brand new. I purchased it for skiing in the Canadian Rockies which frequently sees high winds and storm conditions.  I call it my armor layer as it is absolutely wind and water proof. Yes, I have reapplied the DWR a few times over the years, but I love the performance.  I also own several Fjallraven pieces which I love.  They are fantastic for all other outdoor needs.  I don't reapply the wax as it is not needed in my opinion. If the weather is that bad I use other jackets with more water resistance.  I don't plan to purchase additional G-T garments, but I am glad I own the Guide Parka for the times I am going to be doing activities in pouring rain or snow for more than a few minutes.

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When you go to the footy on a cold winter's night & rain is forecast & then it pours for 60 minutes, that's when you are glad to be wearing gore-tex. Other "waterproof" jackets I have worn have soaked through after 40 minutes or so in such heavy downpours.