Our man Gear, Richard Gear, has been hiding in the airing
cupboard for the last couple of weeks, but we finally found him and
threatened him with being reproofed and tumble-dried, with the result
that he's been answering your kit questions again.
So far Richard has manfully answered over 500 kit questions and
you can find all his past answers together with a search mechanism at
the Ask
Richard Gear section of the site.
Browse through his past answers or ask
a question of your own...
This week Richard ponders whether the new Gore-Tex Pro Shell is as
breathable as eVent fabric, explains technical ice axe ratings to a
man who wants to buy a Black Diamond climbing axe and muses on using
a hair drier to activate a reproofing treatment.
|
|
Q: Is Gore-Tex Pro Shell fabric as breathable as
eVent?
A: The name is Gear, Richard 'Moisture Vapour
Transfer Rates' Gear. When Gore first released their new Pro
Shell fabric, they told us it was 'more breathable than
anything else available' and quoted lab tests giving an RET
rating of between 3 and 6, while eVent, they said, typically
has an RET value of 4.5.
With RET values, lower is better, so Gore's figures seem
to show that Pro Shell is generally more breathable.
However, our practical experience of the fabrics suggests to
us that in the real world, eVent is ...
Full
Answer
|
|
|
Q: Hi Richard I'm looking to upgrade my ice axe to
something that can handle upt o grade II. However I've come
across conflicting info on the shaft rating. Is a T rated
shaft a must for using as a snow anchor when other factors
such as quality of snow and use of a dynamic belay set up
come heavily into play? If so this would rule out such
attractive models such as the Black Diamond B rated Venom
axe.
A: Gear here, Richard 'Ratings' Gear. The ratings
your talking about are standards based on tests devised by
the UIAA, which are designed to check the suitability of
mountaineering equipment for intended use.
You can actually download the standards for individual
types of equipment from the UIAA web site along with
diagrams showing exactly how the test results are
measured.
There are two standards for ice tools, B or 'Basic' for
general use....
Full
Answer
|
|
|
Q: Grangers is great for re-proofing, but it
needs to be heat activated. Tumble-drying is not recommended
for eVent jackets (by most manufacturers and the maker of
eVent membrane), I wonder if it is possible for those who
are not very skilful with irons to use ...a hair dryer
instead?
A: Gear here, Richard 'Heat Activated' Gear and I
like a bit of warmth, I can tell you. Grangers reproofing
products are designed to restore the DWR finish to the
outside of your garment which prevents water from soaking
into the face fabric and leading to wetting out. It's DWR
that makes water bead and run off when it rains.
The Grangers treatments are close to the original
fluoropolymers used in the manufacture of the fabrics, but
do need the application of heat ... '
Full
Answer
|
Check out the full
Ask
Richard Gear section of the site for a searchable archive of
all Richard's past answers, some of which make sense, or ask a
question of your own...
