At the risk of becoming a Gore-tex bore

I like to make sure that outdoors equipment really does what it says it will. So I have been testing my Gore-tex Active Shell in a range of different situations. The Gore-tex Active Shell claims to be waterproof yet also breathable. This means that while the rain can’t penetrate the Gore-tex membrane, the sweat, in the form of a vapour, can get out. A warm body and a colder outside climate will aid this sweat wicking process.

Close up of the Gore-tex membrane

Take a look at a close up of an enlarged Gore-tex membrane, left. Funky! But also practical.

Testing of the Gore-tex Active Shell

* On a very wet run with Wispa the Wonder Whippet the Active Shell worked brilliantly to keep me dry from the rain. Despite it being quite a warm day, and thus a fair amount of sweat, my base-layer t-shirt was remarkably dry by the time I arrived home. Usually I start to shiver the minute I stop running because of the damp sweaty t-shirt but not this time.

* On a dry but sweaty cycle to an office. The usual scenario is that I arrive sweaty, I remove my dampy cycle layers, I hang them over the back of my chair or anywhere where they might dry and come home-time I put back on the damp clothes and shiver my way through the first few miles of the cycle home. Not this week though. Despite working up a sweat on the cycle into the Daily Record in Glasgow by the time I had locked up my bike and headed to the toilets to  get changed the baselayers were almost completely dry. The sweat had clearly wicked out of the Gore-tex jacket to be whisked away by the cool air. Putting tha layers back on to go home later on was a much lovelier experience than previous times.

* A trail run in the chilly wind with Legs Eleven and WWW. The jacket kept my baselayers free of sweat and also prevented the wind from coming in. The other great asset of the Gore-tex membrane is its ability to block out the wind. So even on a chilly and breezy day my core body temperature was perfect for an off-road run.

I think I’ve bcome a Gore-tex bore

I am indeed loving this Gore-tex Active shell jacket that keeps me warm and dry while I’m running and cycling. It’s the first time I have had a jacket that does just that. It does what it says on the label. Waterproof, windstopping, breathable.

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