Our man Gear, Richard Gear has been
hard at work
answering your questions as always - this week he suggests a two-layer
waterproof jacket with a few stipulated features, explains the best way
of washing eVent fabric and looks into an interesting Stateside pack
brand.
So far Richard has manfully answered around 700 kit
queries 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...
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Q:Wanted: two-layer Gore-Tex Pro Shell - or
other supple fabric - jacket with removable/rollaway hood and arm
pocket for ski pass. Not as commom as you might think. Any
recommendations?
A: Gear here, Richard 'Esoteric'
Gear.. I'm not surprised that you're having a bit of a nightmare
finding a two-ply Pro Shell jacket with a removable.roll-down hood and
a lift pass pocket. The problem you'll have is that most two-layer
fabrics are aimed at less technical use, but Gore-Tex Pro Shell is a
top-end technical fabric.
The good news is that there's less difference between two-ply Pro Shell
and Performance Shell fabrics than there is between the three-layer
versions, so you happily buy a Performance Shell jacket without losing
significant performance.
You're more likely to find what you want from one ...'
Full
Answer
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Q: What's the best way to clean eVent fabric?
I've heard some people have experienced problems with the fabric
getting contaminated and I don't want this to happen to my new Rab
Latok. Do I need to use something like Nikwax cleaner??
A: The name is Gear, Richard 'Clean'
Gear and I'm moving on up like a clean machine... Okay, eVent's
cleaning recommendations are slightly different from those suggested by
specialists for use with Gore-Tex.
The bottom line is that if you don't regularly clean your eVent jacket
then contamination of both inner and outer faces of the fabric can
cause performance problems leading to reductions in breathability and
possibly leaking.
The exterior face fabric will naturally become grubby and ...'
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Answer
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Q: Why do you never talk about Granite Gear
sacks? Recently you listed alternatives to GoLite sacs but you never
mentioned Granite Gear.?
A: The name is Gear,
Richard 'Lightweight' Gear and I'm only human and that to a
questionable degree. The reason I haven't mentioned Granite Gear packs
in past answers isn't that I have anything against the brand, but
simply that I haven't used kit from the company and it's also available
only from a very small number of retailers in the UK.
That doesn't, of course, mean you should ignore the brand, it has an
excellent reputation in the US and ...
Full
Answer
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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...
