Gordon wrote:

"PeterC" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 8 Mar 2010 08:21:06 -0000, Gordon wrote:

Coupled
with that is the fact that my preferred material is HALF the price of
Gore-Tex and works as well if not better.

Which material is that, please?

It's a Pertex 6 outer shell with a "hydrophilic PU fully taped laminate"
liner. That's all it says.
It's actually a Rab Downpour Mountain Guide jacket which I've had now
for 15 years....

Hey ho, Rab's "Downpour" series Ceased To Be a few years ago now.

Rab's waterproofs these days are split between a waterproof flavour of
Pertex ("Shield", for the lightest models) and eVent.

eVent has been tested as quite a bit more breathable than GoreTex, even
the latest Pro-Shell versions. The original Goretex didn't have a PU
smear over the microporous membrane and that led to contamination
problems that caused it to leak. Subsequent versions introduced the PU
smear which substantially reduced the breathability (the original
version lives on in modified form as Windstopper). The eVent folks have
come up with another way of preventing contamination with clever coating
of the internal microporous structure (IIRC) rather than putting a thin
barrier over the front of it so there's less stuff getting in the way of
exiting vapour.
According to accounts I've read it does need keeping clean(ish) to work
properly, but now has a good track record in the Real World and is
widely praised by users as seeming much less clammy than any given
flavour of Goretex.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/