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View Full Version : Gortex/Polartec tested today...



Wise Old Owl
12-19-2011, 17:19
Got up this morning to go offshore fishing, We left the dock to go about five miles out and I thought it would be a good idea to test the gear in the wind. 33 degrees at 6:30 and a water temp of 47 with winds above 15 miles per hour....

yea cold!

The surprise was how blatant the cold got to my back and shoulders - I am thinking all the gear did well except by keeping my back to the wind I got more chilled there than anywhere else... Yes I was layered - had a Under Armour on.

So now I am thinking if I take fleese from a blanket (cut it up) and sew an additional panel into the back on the inside of the North Face jacket, to increase the trapping of air...


Good Idea? or Nuts.

Tinker
12-19-2011, 17:25
Watch the Goretex on salt water. Contact with salt water can contaminate the membrane and cause it to leak.

Just wear an extra fleece vest to keep your back warmer.

peakbagger
12-19-2011, 17:35
I am not sure how active you were fishing which makes a big difference. If you are not expending a lot of calories and perspiring, vapor transmisable coating like goretex does move vapor but once the level of exertion increases, most of the fabrics dont move enough vapor and anything inside them gets damp quickly. Fleece or wool is a lot better than cotton but they still feel less effective when damp. Arguably in windy conditions like you may have experienced where you werent working hard, the goretex may be too effective in that the body wants to maintain a certain microclimate on the skin surface and the wind along with goretex may have been sucking away too much moisture causing your body to work harder to keep you warmer (evaporative cooling was happening).

The rescue folks in the whites will use vapor barrier clothing in extreme winter conditions where they are basically wearing a plastic liner up against their skin so they dont lose too much moisture to the surroundings.

For hiking I suggest more removable layers instead of a sewn in liner and really good pit zips for ventilation.

Of course the AMC winter method is to hike very slowly and stop frequently to add or subtract clothes, great if you are on a nature walk but not very good when trying to bag a summit during a day with minimal daylight.

rocketsocks
12-19-2011, 22:41
I like Tinkers idea,but only in that it requires no effort......except to buy it and put it on.

bigcranky
12-20-2011, 11:43
So now I am thinking if I take fleese from a blanket (cut it up) and sew an additional panel into the back on the inside of the North Face jacket, to increase the trapping of air...

Nuts. Your pack provides more insulation than you will ever need for hiking. For around camp, under those conditions, a puffy jacket does a lot better than a fleece/shell combo.

Tinker
12-20-2011, 11:59
Nuts. Your pack provides more insulation than you will ever need for hiking. For around camp, under those conditions, a puffy jacket does a lot better than a fleece/shell combo.

I'm not sure whether he's looking for solutions for backpacking, offshore fishing, or just some generic advice.
You are totally correct on the pack providing insulation for your back.
Ray Jardine (sometimes referred to as "The Father of Ultralight Hiking") was a proponent of putting on your jacket backwards while you were wearing your pack, figuring that your back was already windproofed and insulated. Logical but different.
In camp (or while fishing at sea) a puffy layer is the best option because it creates dead air space by way of loft. I have several cheap Salvation Army poly filled jackets which fill the bill for most outdoor activities requiring insulation - but they are heavy and bulky and don't have nearly as much flexibility as a fleece (pick the weight of fabric best for the temperatures expected) and windshell system. Waterproof fabrics are fine for breaking the wind as long as you are stationary. Once underway with a pack, hiking uphill, the sweating starts and the wearer gets wet from the inside.
I gave away my Gore-tex mountaineering jacket last week after reconditioning it with Nikwax products. I hope my son likes it for around town use.

Wise Old Owl
12-24-2011, 22:12
Nuts. Your pack provides more insulation than you will ever need for hiking. For around camp, under those conditions, a puffy jacket does a lot better than a fleece/shell combo.

Yea Check - have that....

Wise Old Owl
12-24-2011, 22:22
generic advice solved why it happened the next day - appears I sweat more thru my back than ....tmi..... so I am going to tape a piece into the liner and see how well it works - just a thinner piece.

rocketsocks
12-25-2011, 20:48
Ya know,now you got me thinking,My light jacket which uses primaloft one for inslation is very warm,except in the top of the shoulder area,after the jaket has been on awhile and then settles.I'm think'in a small strip of fleese across the upper back and shoulder may prove to be just the right thing.Good think'in WOO.thanks for muse.