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GORE-TEX® PRO: built for the extremes

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Illustration of Gore-Tex Pro products.
GORE-TEX® Pro is just the thing when the going gets tough. It offers maximum weather protection and is extremely durable.

When you’re out and about in extreme conditions, GORE-TEX® Pro offers maximum weather protection and the highest level of durability. Be it sharp rocks on a mountaineering adventure, heavy snowfall on a ski day or heavy rains on a long trek, the most durable of all GORE-TEX® fabrics is built to withstand it all. It is made for activities and weather conditions that would cause most other materials to eventually fail.

If you combine a GORE-TEX® Pro hardshell jacket with a pair of GORE-TEX® Pro trousers, you’re guaranteed to be comfortable and protected from wind and water. In fact, this combo is so comfortable that it is perfect for longer trips, regardless of whether they extend over multiple days or multiple weeks. You can always rely on functional garments engineered with GORE-TEX® Pro, even in the most difficult conditions.

UPDATE September 2020: To meet the growing demands of outdoor athletes, GORE has reinvented its proven GORE-TEX® Pro from the ground up and developed three new variations: Most Rugged, Most Breathable and Stretch. Of course, it is still a three-layer laminate with the tried and tested waterproof GORE-TEX® membrane, but a lot has changed. Therefore, read the following carefully!

GORE-TEX® Pro “Most Rugged” – Can it be a little tougher?

Illustration of the Gore Tex Pro layer construction.
GORE-TEX® Pro products boast a 3-layer construction, consisting of a membrane bonded to the outer material and the lining.

“Most Rugged” is the name of the new GORE-TEX® Pro version that is designed to ensure that your gear can survive even in the most adverse conditions. GORE has taken another look at the outer layer of the laminate and reinforced it considerably. The new outer fibre is between 70 and 200 denier thick – perfect for ice climbing or mountaineering! Innovations have also been made to the inner layer: the MicroGrid lining provides improved durability on the inside without sacrificing comfort. In addition, sustainable spinneret dyeing is used here – more on this later.

By focusing on particularly strong durability, its breathability naturally suffers a little. The RET value is less than 9, but that is still in a good range.

GORE-TEX® Pro “Most Breathable” – Let off some steam!

When it comes to wicking away as much sweat from the body as possible, the new GORE-TEX® Pro “Most Breathable” is the version of choice. Here, too, GORE has focused on the outer layer of the material. It is now even lighter and therefore wicks moisture away from the body more quickly than before. Underneath is the familiar, reliable GORE-TEX® Pro membrane and the inside is protected by a MicroGrid lining, just like in the “Most Rugged” version. Spinneret dyeing is also used for the “Most Breathable” version.

In the laboratory, GORE-TEX® Pro “Most Breathable” achieved a RET value of less than 6 and is, therefore, still in the good to very good range. The thickness of this fibre is “only” 30 denier.

GORE-TEX® Pro Stretch – Don’t be so stiff!

An outdoor clothing item with the Gore-Tex Pro Technology.
The Alpha SV Jacket from Arc’teryx with GORE-TEX® Pro technology.

GORE-TEX® PRO STRETCH – DON’T BE SO STIFF!
One major shortcoming of the old GORE-TEX® Pro was that it offered hardly any freedom of movement. This aspect always had to be taken care of through the product design itself. With the new GORE-TEX® Pro Stretch, the specialists at GORE had to invent a completely new process to turn the rigid laminate into a stretchy one – without compromising on functionality and durability. And of course, they succeeded. It has up to 20% elasticity and allows a whole new level of freedom of movement. At 40 denier, GORE-TEX® Pro Stretch is pretty durable, however the RET value is rather mediocre at just under 13.

It has to be said, however, that GORE-TEX® Pro Stretch is primarily intended for use under the arms or in the shoulder area and is not designed to be used for a whole jacket. Nevertheless, the material is a real game-changer, because in the past, the lack of stretchiness was one of the few major shortcomings of the GORE-TEX® Pro Shell.

Watertight and optimally sealed

To ensure that functional textiles that are to be used in extreme weather conditions have no weak points in terms of them being waterproof, GORE-TEX® seals all of their seams with Gore-Seam Tape. This successfully prevents any moisture from penetrating the seams, even during intense and prolonged precipitation. The patented seam sealing process is a fundamental GORE technology that is used in every product with GORE-TEX® Pro without exception.

How sustainable is the new GORE-TEX® Pro?

We have already briefly mentioned the term “spinneret dyeing” above. This is a new dyeing process that is used in the production of the outer material and the inner lining of the GORE-TEX® Pro laminate. Here, the plastic granulate is dyed before processing, so that the product does not have to be dyed afterwards. This saves up to 50% water. That’s quite a lot. Plus, a small reduction in CO2 is also achieved.

In addition, manufacturers can choose between nine different recycled outer materials for the new GORE-TEX® Pro. A nice and important step!

How can I recognise the new GORE-TEX® Pro?

You can tell if you’re holding a garment with GORE-TEX® Pro technology by looking at the product tag. Of course, we will also tell you in our shop. However, it is not always easy to tell which of the three new variants is in the garment, because there are jackets and trousers that combine all three.

As a result, a jacket may have “Most Rugged” on the shoulders and sleeves, “Stretch” under the arms and on the back, and a few zones of “Most Breathable” too. Some models, such as the Arc’teryx Alpha SV, are made exclusively from GORE-TEX® Pro “Most Rugged” and are labelled accordingly.

Tested for extreme conditions

To meet the demands of off-road and mountain use, GORE has developed extreme test procedures to test the weatherproof hardshell trousers and hardshell jackets for their practicality. This involves simulating long periods of heavy rain with strong winds, which the functional textiles have to withstand. Only once the functional clothing with GORE-TEX® Pro has withstood the vertical and horizontal showers is the design of the garment adopted for athletes, who then test the GORE-TEX® garments in the mountains under extreme everyday conditions.

Optimal breathability is only guaranteed by a combination of functional base layers and mid-layers that support vapour permeability. For perfect functionality of GORE-TEX® Pro garments, it is therefore important that all clothing layers wick moisture away from the body. Proper care of GORE-TEX® garments is also crucial for maintaining breathability and durability.

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4 Comments on the Article

  1. […] genauen Unterschiede und Eigenschaften der einzelnen GORE-TEX® Produkte wie GORE-TEX® Active, GORE-TEX® Pro, GORE-TEX® Paclite®, GORE-TEX® C-KNIT®  oder GORE-TEX® 2-Lagen Produkte werden alle noch […]

  2. Bastien 23. May 2020 06:34 Uhr

    Hallo Borsini, meine Freundin und ich haben auch beide eine GoreTex Pro Jacke (ich Berghaus, sie NorthFace) und wir beide beobachten das gleiche Phänomen des Eindringens von Wasser an den Schultern. Anwenden der Pflegehinweise hat die Situation nicht verbessert. Die Jacken wurden drei Monate exzessiv genutzt mit 20 kg Rucksack und sie sind ebenfalls bereits drei Jahre alt. Mir wurde auch von drei Händlern versichert, dass das Material dicht sein muss. Ich vermute gerade, dass die Nähte die Schwachstelle sind und frage mich, ob man diese gezielt reparieren lassen kann. Vielleicht gibt es jemanden, der das Problem anders hat lösen können. LG Bastien

  3. Borsini 1. February 2018 16:10 Uhr

    Ich habe die 3-Lagen Gore-Tex Pro Shell, Extrem, Jacke von Berghaus. Ich habe sie 3 Jahre und noch nicht gewaschen und durch schweren Rucksack gehen die ersten Wassertropfen an den Schultern in das Obermaterial. Wie soll ich die Jacke am besten imprägnieren? Erst waschen? Mit welcher Temperatur? Mit welchem Imprägnierspray? Liebe Grüße Borsini

    1. Jessica 6. February 2018 09:34 Uhr

      Hallo Borsini, als erstes würde ich auf jeden Fall auf die Pflegetipps des Herstellers verweisen. Der kann am genausten sagen, wie die Jacke zu behandeln ist. Ansonsten kannst Du dich hier belesen: https://www.bergfreunde.de/blog/hardshelljacken-richtig-impraegnieren/ Liebe Grüße Jessi

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