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View Full Version : Your opinion - Merrell Chameleon Wrap Gore-Tex



J5man
06-28-2008, 15:38
http://www.merrell.com/Shop/Product.aspx?AltNavID=MAF-G-HIK&PID=11491&GST=M

Looking at these for section hiking. If you have a pair of these, would you please let me know what your experience has been. Would you buy another pair. Thanks

Summit
06-28-2008, 17:30
I'd forget the Gortex (and $25-30 extra). They aren't going to keep your feet dry and lack of breathability will actually cause your feet to sweat more. Definitely don't go for the stretch model. I like the pair I got for walking in the 'hood, but the stretch feature results in feet sliding forward on downhills with a load on your back backpacking. I'm staring at a black toenail that I'll lose, that I got a few weeks ago from mine in Shining Rock Wilderness. ;)

jonesat11
06-28-2008, 21:03
I agree with you and you don't need the gore tex as an added option. I have no regreats as I've hiked thru Vermont and Shenandoah in them. They are good for a few hundred miles yet. No loose or missing toe nails for me. Love those PA rocks!! Ha Ha

Odd Thomas
06-28-2008, 21:05
Gore-Tex is overrated.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex

from wikipedia


Performance and comparison with other breathable fabrics

The suitability of Goretex for high performance clothes for outdoor aerobic activities such as hiking, cross country skiing, and cycling, etc, has been particularly questioned:
The problem with Gore-Tex in warm weather is precisely that the quantity of sweat vapor it can pass is extremely limited. Without true breathability, the heat and then the humidity inside the suit rises quickly to the saturation point, turning sweat vapor into wet, liquid sweat at the Gore-Tex bar*rier...
In colder weather.. an athlete will be wearing some form of underclothing which will ordinarily absorb some of his sweat, both as liquid and as vapor. This is undesirable because it means the underclothing traps the very heat load the body is try*ing to rid itself of. Worse yet, after the exercise is over, evaporation of damp underclothing may cause over-cooling of a fatigued athlete, already cold from cessation of activity...
...As clothing, Gore-Tex does its thing best in hot, dry air—precisely when it would be least desirable because of the enormous heat load it would cause. In cool, wet weather it works best when the user is not exercising vigorously. The ubiquitous tan rain*coat seen on every commuter who ever wore a white collar would seem to be a perfect, huge market. So would the market for golf jackets, car coats and wind breakers when these products are used for casual activities such as walking and spectating.

—VelocityPress (http://www.velocitypress.com/Goretex.shtml)
The latest version of the US Army's ECWCS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECWCS) system corresponds to the above by using the more breathable Epic fabric (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Epic_fabric&action=edit&redlink=1) in its combat smocks, designed to be worn while very active, and Goretex in the system's parka, designed to be donned over the smock during periods of relative inactivity. Epic achieves its high breathability through avoiding the use of a membrane and instead sheathing its fibres in silicone.[8] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex#cite_note-7)[9] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex#cite_note-8)
According to US Army testing, the alternative fabric eVent provides up to four times the rate of moisture transfer as Goretex, depending on relative humidity inside and outside the garment - in particular it transfers moisture better at lower levels, thus allowing an equilibrium to be reached at much more comfortable (and safer) level. However, eVent is arguably not as physically tough as Goretex's premium XCR fabric, making the choice of optimum fabric dependent on activity, with eVent preferred more as activity levels rise.[10] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex#cite_note-9)[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex#cite_note-10) However "directional" fabrics like Nikwax Analogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikwax_Analogy) may be both tougher and more breathable than Goretex.
Goretex suffers reduced breathability when its pores are blocked by dirt, a problem avoided by some alternatives fabrics such as Xalt (although this fabric is less breathable than clean Goretex).[12] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goretex#cite_note-11)