Considering I've just completed my walking wardrobe to allow for all eventualities and now have a Pertex windshirt, Pertex softshell, lightweight hardshell, and winter hardshell, and that all my walks end in pubs (albeit usually on quiet afternoons), how do these materials stand up to those annoying incidents when you accidentally collide with someone holding a cigarette?

Anyone had any experiences specifically appertaining to Pertex and Gore-Tex?

Take anything in pertex off before even crossing the threshhold of a pub. I've had holes burned in wind smocks, a rucsac and even approach shoes before now. But then just about everything we wear on our outdoor jaunts is of man made material and can all be easily burned by cigarettes.
Pertex is particularly vulnerable as the tiniest mote of hot ash will very easily cause a hole to appear.

They can be a nightmare around the campfire too.

Odd question!

"Odd question!" - not if you're a smoker or spend time around smokers. Fags and outdoor gear do not mix. I know this from bitter experience :o)

The obvious answer is to avoid pubs. Just like i wouldnt go for example to a football match wearing my best outdoor gear.
Crowds of people and your gear do not mix where ever it may be.
Most smokers know about the dangers of cigarettes around outdoor gear, and i have camped many a time in the past and never burnt an hole in my tent or any other gear, being careful and always smoking with yourself out of the tent, or in my case i just use to smoke with my hand out of the tent door, helps.
In my experience the worst gear to get burns easily is fleece.

""Odd question!" - not if you're a smoker or spend time around smokers."

It still seems rather odd to me. Harris has already bought the kit. I'd have thought it was obvious from even a cursory inspection that Pertex and burning ash won't mix successfully.

I've also never collided with a person holding a cigarette, despite being an ex-smoker and living in a house with smokers. I actually wondered whether the question had anything to do with the current debate about smoking in pubs, but maybe not.

In any event, odd questions are allowed - I certainly ask them all the time. I was simply voicing my impression :)

It'd get awfy quiet around here if we banned odd questions, Shirl :o)

Back on topic, I find that I'm smoking a lot less when I'm out in the hills cos I'm acutely aware of how easily the tiniest of embers can put a hole in eg Pertex Quantum.

Stuff Nicorette. Buy yourself some shiny new kit. You'll cut down in no time :o)

I've found the beach at San Francisco is possibly the best place for them.

Peewee, the reason I asked this question was because it was obvious to me that cigarettes presented a grave risk to outdoor gear. I merely wished to gain more information from the experiences of others who had encountered the problem!

As I said, most of my walks end in public houses at quiet times of the day, therefore the chance of this type of accident happening to me is low, although certainly not impossible!

I've actually experienced 3 cigarette burns to clothing:-

1) International day in Cardiff - crowded pub, burn to fleece jacket (which at the time was just a fashion jacket and not intended for outdoor activities!)

2) Drunk friend with fag in hand picking up fleece jacket(bought for everyday use) in Student Union to move to another table whilst I was elsewhere.

3) Whilst walking past man in Glamorgan Cricket clubhouse, man turns with cigar in hand, hits arm and burns fleece pullover.

All 3 of these incident involved fleece, and resulted in black 'glassy' surface burns.

Ok, Harris - sorry for getting the wrong end of the stick :)

I'd have been pretty annoyed to have my clothes burned in the way you describe!

My own experience of burning with cigs, back in the days when I was a smoker, was the dreadful thing that occurs when the smoker reaches for the ciggy to remove it from mouth, only to find the inside of first and second fingers grasping the burning end because the cigarette has stuck to a lip... eek! :)

No problem!

Skin can heal itself, at least when the burn is minor. Now there's a challenge for materials science - self-repairing clothing!

I like your picture, incidentally. Are you a red squirrel? :)

Grey and proud!

Ahaa!

You do have rather a gingery sort of head for a grey squirrel, though...? Perhaps you're a hybrid :-)

I'm not really a squirrel, you know! It's just a picture!

A picture of vermin!

No! I will not stand for that Macsen!!

Humans were responsible for the introduction of greys. I wish I could still see reds in the south, but they're history. Greys are here through our intervention, and here to stay!

Not really a squirrel...???

Jeeez, yer up early peewee!