Here's a bit of an exclusive scoop for you. This autumn, Gore is
going to be introducing waterproof, fully-taped, soft shell
garments.
Up till now, Gore's soft shell kit has used a Windstopper membrane
laminated to a fleecy inner to give the fabric insulation qualities.
The membrane itself is effectively waterproof, though doesn't have as
high a hydrostatic head as their dedicated waterproof fabrics.
The seams though are untaped, so in wet conditions, the garments
will always leak at these points. The new version is fully taped
using a specially engineered Gore-Seam tape and will carry
Gore's "Guaranteed to Keep You Dry" promise.
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Scoop pic of what might be Lowe
Alpine's new Gore Soft Shell in
mean and moody black. Bear in mind that production models
may differ.
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The main advantages over conventional waterproofs, says Gore, is that
the fabric's stretchability will allow unhindered movement plus the
fleecy lining of the garment will keep you 2.5 times warmer than
traditional Gore-Tex fabrics. On top of that, the Windstopper-based
membrane should, we think, provide greater
breathability.
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And the Sprwayway version,
again not a final production model
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The fabric is being promoted as ideal for use in snowy conditions,
but potentially could do away with the need to carry an additional
lightweight waterproof shell to cope with rain.
The only other waterproof soft shell we're aware of is Mountain
Hardwear's Conduit-based Synchro Jacket which was introduced last
autumn and uses a Conduit membrane with external seam taping to
create a fleece-lined, waterproof garment.
Companies due to use the new Gore Soft Shell include Arc'teryx,
Eider, Lafuma, Lowe Alpine, Mammut, Marmot, Sprayway and The North
Face.
Gore
At The Outdoor Show
Gore will also be at the OS Outdoor Show in Birmingham next month
on stand OU252 complete with the infamous Storm Cube torture chamber
that you may have seen or even stumbled inside, at last year's show,
the Rain Chamber plus the latest Gore-Tex clothing and footwear.
For more information on the Outdoors Show, see the show
website.
For more about Gore-Tex, see the WL
Gore website.
