Gore - tex itself is a thin membrane that gets applied (laminated) to other,
more durable fabrics, usually heavy duty nylon. The gore-tex is
engineered such that it allows water VAPOR to pass through it, but not
water MOLECULES. To lengthen the useful lifespan of gore-tex its really
important to keep it very clean. If the fabric the gore-tex is laminated to
becomes dirty, the water vapor cannot pass from the inside out, and the
water will condense (become water molecules) and become trapped
inside the garment. Hence, wet person/horse.
Also, it is important to keep the garment water repellent on the exterior.
The nylon is usually treated with a water repellent coating, and when
this coating is warmed up (like in the dryer, or with an iron) the coating
gets recharged and becomes more water repellent. You can also use
sprays like scotch-guard to add water repellency. Again, if the outer
surface of the garment is either dirty or clogged with water molecules
from the rain (i.e. it gets wet because it is no longer water repellent),
then the gore-tex cannot allow water vapor to pass through.
The short story is: Keep your gore-tex garments ultra clean, and do
something (dryer, iron, scotch-guard) to keep the exterior water
repellent. A test to see whether your gore-tex is working properly: If
the rain beads up and rolls off, then the exterior is water repellent
enough to keep the gore-tex working. If the rain doesn't bead up but
appears to soak into the fabric, then you need to do something to make
the exterior water repellent again such as wash it clean, then put it in the
dryer and maybe add scotch-guard.
Pam (no, I'm not a gore-tex rep!) and I currently live near Boston where
you can usually just plan to stay indoors if it happens to be raining...
>>> Greenall <greenall@vermontel.com> 10/20/96 10:20pm >>>
Nothing like a rainy weekend to get one wondering about rain gear and
all the rides I've done where I haven't stayed all too dry. Loni Newcomb
told me that she heard that if you iron Goretex, it will revive it's
waterproofness. True, the label says, wash, tumble dry and iron, but
has anyone tried this. Am I going to have to start ironing rump rugs!!??
John and Sue Greenall greenall@vermontel.com