So the last couple rides I have been getting absolutely soaked from the inside out with sweat in my Klim jacket. Does this stuff stop breathing with age? I have changed nothing with my base layers and have never had the problem before the last couple rides. When I take the jacket off, anywhere there is nylon (inside sleeves and pockets) is literally dripping with moisture and the coat weighs an extra ten pounds but the outside is completely dry.
Does Gore-tex loose its breathability?
- Thread starter snoluver1
- Start date
uncle_ed
Active member
With heavy exertion I find it easy to overcome the rate at which goretex is effective and will become overheated and sweat. Try venting your jacket a bit to stay at that comfortable temp so you dont sweat. Here is some good reading as well on goretex
- As dirt - and even human sweat - will block the pores that allow Gore-Tex to breathe, clothing that uses it should be kept clean for best performance, as well as hygiene and appearance reasons.
- Both wear and cleaning will reduce the performance of Gore-Tex clothes by wearing away the Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treatment on the surface of the fabric. The DWR prevents the face fabric from becoming wet and thus reducing breathability. However, the DWR is not responsible for the jacket being waterproof. This is a common misconception, so when the face fabric becomes soaked due to an absence of DWR, there is no breathability and the wearer's sweat will cause condensation to form inside the jacket. This may give the appearance that a jacket is leaking when is not, but the DWR is still crucial to the best performance of any membrane-based waterproof. It can be reinvigorated by tumble drying the garment or ironing on a low setting. If this does not work, re-proofing the garment by applying a topical water repellency restorative (DWR treatment) for outdoor fabrics can be used. Wash-in re-proofers are not recommended for this use, as they can hinder the garment's breathability.<SUP id=cite_ref-gore-tex1_8-0 class=reference>[9]</SUP>
Sled Solutions
Member
Great question!
It can if you don't maintain it properly. Wash the garments and dry without fabric softener. Think of Gore-Tex as a air filter on a truck when the filter gets dirty the truck starves for air. Gore-Tex gets dirty and the pores get clogged preventing your perspiration from exiting the jacket. How old is the gear?
Is the outside repelling water?
Edit: Uncle Ed I guess I should have typed faster as your post wasn't there when I started typing.
It can if you don't maintain it properly. Wash the garments and dry without fabric softener. Think of Gore-Tex as a air filter on a truck when the filter gets dirty the truck starves for air. Gore-Tex gets dirty and the pores get clogged preventing your perspiration from exiting the jacket. How old is the gear?
Is the outside repelling water?
Edit: Uncle Ed I guess I should have typed faster as your post wasn't there when I started typing.
Last edited:
Sled Solutions
Member
So......where are you getting wet?
Everywhere on my upper body, especially my arms and shoulders. Washed the stuff yesterday and reapplied DWR thinking that was the problem. Today was 16 degrees and I had on a Under Armor cold-gear base, and 1 medium weight fleece. I was riding as hard as I have ever been able to in Illinois, but would still call it more messing around than riding hard. I never felt while ridding that I was overheating. When I got home, I was completely soaked through both layers, and the inside of the jacket was condensing droplets on the nylon surfaces and steaming. The outside was bone dry.
Sled Solutions
Member
Well something is wrong IMO? Gore-Tex should not be doing that to anyone. I have had sweat build up as stated in an old Poo jacket that was NOT Gore-Tex & what a mess got rid of that thing ASAP. I hope snoluver1 finds a cure sweat build up SUCKS! Ask KLIM dealer to help...........see if Klim stands behind product & helps out?
cooksend
Active member
Not true. Gore Tex I believe about 1976 and eVENT about 2001. eVent is the most breathable fabric currently offered! Ask the Military... Gore Tex is an excellent product that has outstanding marketing but does not have the breathability of eVENT...
http://www.eventfabrics.com/we_sweat.php
http://www.getoutdoors.com/goblog/i...tex-Pro-Shell-The-Battle-Lines-Are-Drawn.html
Once you get past the marketing hype and read the facts and field studies, its seems to me Gore-tex is still the superior product. Event basically copied the original patent, but made it less durable and more susceptible to performance robbing contamination. Thats what I got out of it anyway.
Sled Solutions
Member
A Gore-Tex employee left and once the patent ran out eVENT was released to the public as a "new" breathable material. Little does everyone know it truly is Gore-Tex rev 5/6/7 from 25 years ago. Gore is on it's 31st or 32nd major revision so what it was.......... is not what it is. The marketing for eVENT is pretty good but when you look at the graphs that they have published somewhere (looking for it) they leave out some info that proves eVENT wrong. Back in the early days of Klim before they had a Gore-Tex license they switched to eVENT as their main material. Within 2 years they had 70% of the stuff come back under warranty. Today Klim has less then 3/10's of a percent in Warranty claims.
Gore Tex is more durable and is guaranteed to keep you dry.