you can get detergent specifically made for washing membrane shells at outdoor shops, it doesnt leave any residue behind so wno't clog up the membranes...
humidity also affects breathability, in high humidity the moisture doesnt transfer out of jackets easily. lower temp is often lower humidity
soem people think their garmet is leaking, when often it's not, gore tex is made toa good standard, it doesnt leak easilyk, take a lot of wear and tear before it does
the problem is either the surface of the fabric has become saturated with water and it stops breathing, or its membrane on the inside is clogged up with dirt or body oil... or your pack is covering it stopping it from breathing...
in the course fo a days tramping you can potentially pump out litres of water in sweat and get totally saturated inside, it seems like it's leaking but it may actually not be.... unless the material has been damaged...
LBDuck
i have outdoor research over trou from bivouac. stretchy nylon, find they are great movement wise, but they are thin, won't last for heavy bush bashing and need long johns under them in cold weather...
for harsher bush or weather i've got macpac prophet pants, they have stretchy fabric in the knees and backside for beter freedom of movement, 800gms though so only take them out when i know i'm going to need them.
a review on backpackinglight website on new jackets showed that the ones with the thinner material breathed better. almost regardless of the type of membrane,
exception being the membranes that let air through, like eVent, in wind they can breath better if the surface fabric hasnt been wetted out
theres a new membrane Neoshell that trumps everything else for it's potential breathability, but it aint cheap.
snoworld or one of the snow shops in nz stock it, from rab the neostretch, not sure how it lasts, it's waterproof rating drops over time and will have by the time you've given it 20 washes.
get a coat with pitzips to boost breathability, . theres also vented pockets but they can let in rain in storms....
9 posts in a row, are you trying to break some record waynowski, lol .
For many years I used a Warehouse blue pvc coated nylon jacket. Could hit that with a fire hose and it wouldnt leak but it made no claims about breath-ability. It didnt. Wore it up Climie on a cold misty day with a little snow, with a polar fleece underneath and water was dripping out of the sleeves even though the outside was mostly dry. Dont believe polar fleece still insulates when wet.
These days I have a decent coat and have returned to Swandri bushshirts for cold days.
polar fleece can still insulate,
problem with shells , when they contact the skin the can conduct the temperature of the outside air to the skin, so if it's cold you get that conduction,
having a fleece even a wet one stops that conduction effect so there can be some reduction in heat loss. also helps wick moisture away from teh skin over time...
I commissioned my sister to run me up some ribbed possum merino arm warmers on her knitting machine. They keep my arms warm but don't overheat my torso. A real success. I paid her $13 for the cost of the wool.
Currently wear the 100g Dri-ducks under the 200g Golite goretex jacket. Seems to work so far.
