In article ,
PeterC wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:19:52 +0000, Gordonbp wrote:
On 23/01/13 13:45, RJH wrote:

I would add, and how to put this delicately, it does depend upon how
sweaty you are.

Goretex boots work well for me, but the clothing is rubbish because I
sweat 'a bit' given the slightest movement. By pure luck I've come by a
Rohan 'barricade' coat that works for me.

I second that - having had several Goretex jackets and getting damp
underneath from sweat, I found eVent and my Rab Latok now breathes well!

Hadn't heard of these two but I haven't liked Goretex since it first came
out - something to do, IIRC, with it being described as "breathable".
As it happened I had a long break from walking and when I started again
almost all of my kit was inadequate - 30 yo leather boots /and/ my feet had
changed quite a bit.
With some doubts I looked for modern kit and was pointed towards Paramo. I
does seem to work well, unlike the modern Scarpa boots which aren't as good
as my first leather pair from 40 years ago - nut the Scarpa do have Goretex
in!

I used to use Goretex for serious walking, but also found it sweaty.
It is vaguely breathable, but only in very dry (and warmish) conditions.
But I moved to Paramo because Goretex was too cold on its own climbing
uphill, and a jersey underneath was far too hot! Paramo may not be
as waterproof, but is more breathable and generally comfortable.

I haven't yet exposed to Paramo to really wet conditions (which means
3+ days of heavy, driving rain, sleeping out), but it seems to be OK
in moderately wet ones.

For boots, at least Goretex doesn't leak like a sieve after the first
3 days of sodden conditions (as over-flexed leather does), and I am
not expecting miracles (i.e. feet that stay actually DRY under those
conditions). While I suspect that it is stitching that causes the
leaks (it is definitely NOT trickle-down), I can't rule out the
pumping effect. But the amount is livable with.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.