It's all getting a tad surreal... Everyone we've spoken to in the
past couple of weeks seems to have a new 'most breathable waterproof
jacket ever' up their sleeve for next year.
First it was the guys from Berghaus and Haglöfs who are both
using a new Gore fabric, which we're not supposed to tell you about
until August, so we won't, although there's a strong possibility that
it's called Paclite and also that it no longer has those funny little
dots. We actually know a lot more about it than that, we're already
using it and have a Berghaus smock made from the stuff that weighs an
incredible 270 grammes, but for now you'll have to be patient.
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The North Face Atmosphere jacket
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uses Gore Lightfast fabric claimed to be
their most breathable ever
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Then we dropped in to see Lowe Alpine. Mainly about their
autumn/winter 2002 range - see elsewhere on the site - but in passing
they showed us some stuff from their spring summer 2003 range and
mentioned that they too will have the 'most breathable waterproof
jacket' on the market using a fabric which isn't Gore but is a
membrane. We could tell you more, but then the men with violin cases
would be knocking at the door, so you'll have to be patient once
again.
And as if that wasn't enough, while we were chattng to Keith Byrne
at The North Face, he suddenly produced a very nice looking jacket
for Spring/Summer 2002 called the Atmosphere. Keith reckons it's
halfway between a conventional waterproof and a soft shell and is -
you guessed it - the most breathable Gore waterproof fabric, more
breathable even than the new fabric that might just be called
Paclite...
The stuff is called Gore Lightfast and is exclusive to The North
Face next year. According to Keith it's being produced by Gore Japan,
which has a tendency to develop mad new fabric off its own bat, and
consequently has a low profile in Europe. Price will be over 200
squid for a jacket.
So what does it all mean and which will be most breathable?
Frankly we have no idea, except that the gap between the
breathability of waterproof fabrics and windproofs is closing as
waterproof fabrics become more breathable and windproof fabrics, like
Encapsil, become more water resistant. Could next year see the holy
grail of a waterproof that has the breathability of a windproof
shell? Guess what, you'll just have to be patient...
mark lane
