Gore-Tex Under Siege from Waterproof Fabric Newcomers

I recently completed a 1 week hike through Tasmania. It gets very wet down there, and the exertion of hiking leads to a lot of sweat. So I knew I needed Gore-Tex jacket or something similar to keep the water off me while allowing my skin to breathe. But I couldn't find a way to pay for a Gore-Tex jacket. They are insanely expensive. I opted for a generic microfibre jacket, which wasn't cheap, but was about a third of the cost of a Gore-Tex branded one. To my surprise it was fucking excellent. Didn't get wet and I didn't get any sweaty condensation building up inside the jacket.

Competition in this market would be great for motorcyclists. GoreTex is the trick that makes replacing a car possible -- riding in the rain is no problem as long as you have waterproof gear. But a full, water-tight GoreTex riding suit is insanely expensive.

Before working online I was a manager in a specialty outdoor retail store. I spent a lot of time talking outdoor tech with company reps.

Gore-Tex is not the most expensive because it is the most breathable fabric. There are plenty of others out there that are more breathable--heck Lowe Alpine was beating Gore-Tex breathability with their Triple Point Ceramic coating 15 years ago.

Gore-Tex is the most expensive because they pay attention to ALL the details.

For instance, as a membrane, Gore-Tex has to be glued to its face fabric. Coatings like polyurethane do not; they self-adhere. The type of glue, and how it is applied, makes a huge difference in the durability of a membrane-based waterproof fabric. Gore spends a ton of time and money on R&D around the gluing, which is why Gore garment manufactures must use Gore-approved seam taping machines. It's also why Gore can guarantee the fabric for life directly to the consumer.

Gore also reviews and tests the design of every single piece of clothing or footwear that ships with the Gore-Tex hang tag. Every company who makes a Gore-Tex jacket must send copies of it to Gore, where it gets tested in rain chambers etc. If it does not past muster, the manufacturer has to make changes until it does. As you might imagine, this adds cost. But it also makes sure quality is high.