We've been using Gore's latest fabric for around three months now, here's what we made of it in the real world, out on the hill
If you're in the market for a lightweight, waterproof, breathable
jacket then you'd best pull up a chair and sit down in front of a
warm monitor.
As we reported yesteday, Gore has released full details of the new
Paclite fabric which is due in the shops in Spring 2003. Statistics
like '40 per-cent more breathable' and '15 per-cent lighter' are all
very well, but what you're probably wondering is how does Paclite
work out there in the real world, on the hill?
The Tops...
Well, we've been using two different Paclite 3 tops for the past
few months. One is an the ultralightweight Paclite Smock from
Berghaus. Visually similar to their XCR Slipstream model, it's made
entirely from the new Paclite and weighs a startlingly light 270
grammes. It's a no frills, 'stuff it in the lid pocket of your pack'
or 'hang it from your harness' garment and it's going to retail at
around £120 from next year. A proper test later in the
year.
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Berghaus paclite Smock - weighs
just 270 grammes
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It's an example of one type of Paclite garment envisaged by Gore -
minimalist and ultralight aimed at runners and super lightweight
alpinists. The other jacket we've been using is an unbadged one made
in Canada. We reckon it's Arc'teryx, but since we're testing the
fabric here rather than the design, it doesn't really matter.
The difference is that it's heavier at just under 436 grammes,
uses a marginally thicker face fabric and incorporates XCR panels in
the back. Gore is allowing manufacturers to incorporate XCR for
reinforcement, used carefully, on shoulders, forearms and other
abrasion zones, the reinforcement should make some Paclite jackets
more suitable for heavier duty applications, though it still won't be
in the same league as XCR.
Breathing...
The figures say 40 per-cent more breathable than original Gore-Tex
and 25 per-cent more breathable than XCR, previously Gore's top dog.
But what does that mean for real world use?
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The Canadian Paclite test jacket,
incorporates panels
of XCR for strategic reinforcement
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First we've used the Canadian test jacket consistently for hill and
mountain walking for the last few months. Subjectively we have to say
that it's appreciably more breathable than any membrane or
coating-based fabric we've used before. It took longer, working
harder for the environment inside the jacket to become clammy and
humid and when work levels dropped down - on a flat bit or descent
for example - we started to dry off faster as well.
Second, for a tougher assessment, we went running at a steady low
to medium tempo wearing the Berghaus smock on a mild but breezy
summer evening. We used a Lowe Zone top under the smock because we
know it works well and vented using the deep front zip.
From past experience we know that most waterproofs become
uncomfortable after ten minutes or less of running so we were
expecting the worst. We didn't get it, there was no initial heat rush
and the 10, 15 and 20 minute marks passed with us staying dry and
comfortable inside the smock, at around 25 minutes there was definite
build-up of heat, but nothing unbearable, then at the 35 minute mark,
things suddenly got too much for the fabric and we got hot, humid and
bothered.
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And viewed from the inside, XCR
fabric in centre
of back area, darker stuff is Paclite
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At that point we took the jacket off and continued running. After an
hour, we stopped and put the smock back on while we recovered and
watched the men's 100-metre final in the European championships.
Despite being quite hot at this point, the jacket breathed well
enough for the base layer to dry out within approximately 10
minutes.
We reckon...
That's all pretty impressive, particularly the running test which
is quite extreme. We've used windproofs which have performed worse
than the new Paclite. In other words, we reckon this stuff is
good.
One observation is that we think the carbon/oil repellant inner
layer is working as a buffering zone. If you smear water (or spit) on
it, you can see that the moisture is absorbed into the fabric. That's
significant because it means that the fabric will absorb moisture
giving a comfort margin before the user starts to be aware of the
moisture inside the garment.
In real world use, sweat production isn't usually uniform, we may
walk up a hill generating a lot of moisture, then carry on on the
flat, allowing cooling, then up another hill. The buffering means
that there's a delay in the system which allows a greater comfort
margin. You can still be radiating the moisture you generated on a
climb on the flat, but buffering could mean that you're not
uncomfortably humid because some of that moisture is being stored in
the material prior to being expelled. Of course we might be wrong...
General Comfort
The lighter Berghaus fabric was slightly 'crisp packety' though
nowhere near as bad as the original crackling Paclite, the other
garment was less so. Both felt much nicer against the skin than the
sticky membrane / polymer dots of the original Paclite and there
wasn't the unpleasant slickness that you get on the inner surface of
current Paclite when it gets slightly overwhelmed.
Would we buy it?
Yes. This is the most breathable and effective membrane or coating
we've used. It's not as breathable as the very best windproofs -
Encapsil for example - and some will prefer Paramo, despite the extra
weight and warmth, but for a combination of lightness, waterproofing
and breathability, this is a significant step forward and it's
appreciably more breathable than previous Gore fabrics. If you want a
hardcore, abrasion resistant Gore-Tex mountain jacket you're still
better off with XCR, but if weigh matters, new Paclite should feature
on your shopping list.
Only problem is that it's not available till next year...
