Kathmandu Gortex Jackets

Is it the Kathmandu product specifically or the Gortex in general that is the problem? Back when Gortex was fairly new I splashed out & bought Gortex leggings for use in rough weather on the tops. I was very dissapointed in the leggings. They were ok in windy conditions but in anything more than a light drizzle water went straight through them & they became cold, clingy and useless. Several mates of mine have gone off Gortex jackets mainly because they do not live up to the advertising blurb and they didn't see buying another one as a value proposition.

Ive had my kathmandu gortex raincoat for 6 years. It was my "around town" raincoat for 3, and then my tramping raincoat so have only really abused the crap out of it for the past 3 years. Its kept me dry in rain, snow and sleet, and acted like a windcheater in between, surviving bushbashing and rocksliding. Ive finally had to retire it a couple of months ago but Ive been most happy with it. Money well spent. I would certainly buy another one.

Yeah the advertising's rubbish, and I think that spans more than just Gore-Tex. (Everything will claim it's brilliant.) There's skepticism about Gore-Tex depending on people's experiences -- this guy went all out back in 2003 to prove his skepticism. http://www.slate.com/id/2085417 I don't think Gore-Tex breathes well when it's wet -- it's hard to find anything that does.... eVent (which Macpac now uses) claims to breathe when it's wet. I always get wet wearing my raincoat, but more often than not it's from sweat that can't get out. A lot of people seem to like Gore-Tex in alpine conditions with snow, because then it's keeping off the elements and (not getting wet) it does breathe. Gore-Tex is also more of a brand than a specific fabric, so your experience might vary. Right now their website's advertising 4 different types of Gore-Tex simply for use in raincoats. http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/fabric-technologies-outerwear ... I don't think I'd *not* buy another Gore-Tex raincoat, but these days (especially since the patent expired) I think Gore-Tex is just a heavily marketed brand with lots of funding behind it, that's been around for ages amongst a lot of possible alternatives that are probably fairly similar. There's so much market-speak in the industry that it's often really difficult to have a clue whether anything's better, unless you spend a lot of time working with different gear, which I think a few people around here do. Most fabrics also need to be treated a certain way to get the best out of them. eg. Gore-Tex usually needs a warm wash from time to time, or it'll just clog up with things like sweat. I held off from this for ages, and only aired and dried out my raincoat. I was paranoid about putting something so expensive in the washing machine, but now I know it comes out fine. As usual, other people's experiences will probably be different.

I gave up worrying about how water proof anything was ages ago. 15 mins into any walk and Im close to saturated anyway, for me its more about cutting wind chill and maintaining a good walking temperature. My main criteria is wieght of the garment versus durability and wind cutting ability. So for that matter it could almost be a plastic bag as long as it had pit zips to control airflow. (well maybe not a plastic bag)

Yeah I think I'd agree with that. As long as the rain-coat is keeping off wind chill and preventing rain from getting straight through, it seems to be more about what's underneath (hopefully warm and comfy) that makes the difference. I'm tempted to try out an Oringi raincoat some time, which seem to be popular with trampers, especially people in clubs... which might be a consequence of their ongoing advertising through FMC. Does anyone have any thoughts about them?

Oh, and obviously providing another layer where insulating air can settle is another very helpful function of any raincoat.

Yes I too have a Kathmandu jacket ;I find it rather heavy a bit on the short side for rain protection the ventilation zips under the armpits poorly placed but worst of all you get plenty wet in it. Unfortunately I think too much emphasis is placed on the trendy look rather than functionality.My Fairydown jacket was cheaper to buy and far superior.

Typical. Like most people, they don't get the facts before a purchase and then wonder why they can't create the environment to make the product work. The claims aren't preposterous. The marketing is no different to what it is for nearly any other product on the market today. People read into it what they want to and are often totally unrealistic. Anyone who wants a breathable, waterproof jacket needs to understand the relationship between water vapour and temperature differential.

Not really helpful, though no doubt it was intended to be. Sounds more of a rant than advice..........just my opinion.