Gore-tex vs. Ultrex vs. ??
Silvia Vega
going on a
tour of the Alps this Summer and I'd better be prepared...
I am contemplating an Ultrex jacket. It feels much softer than the
Gore-tex
ones. It is a cannondale cycling jacket with a hood and a tail that
buttons up.
$175, which is OK compared to my other choice, a Sugoi... I can't
remember
what the material is but the price is $249 and the difference, they tell
me, is
that Ultrex is a "coating" meaning that it will wash out after a few
cycles thru
the washer while the Sugoi, as its rival gore-tex, is NOT a coated
material
but rather the material itself is waterproof.
Any recommendations, or experience with these jackets?? suggestions??
Silvia
sil...@statsci.com
Gordon Snapp
wrote:
I have an Ultrex jacket (which I bought for $85 in the REI bargain
basement at the old Capitol Hill store - it was even a Tall size -
perfect!) and a Gore-Tex cycling suit I bought from Nashbar. They both
work. They both keep me dry. However, I think the claims that moisture
from sweat evaporates and doesn't make you wet are overstated. On my bike
I had to wear my rain suit on a tour through Tillamook, Oregon. I stopped
at the cheese factory for lunch, and to get out of the rain. My shirt was
soaked - from sweat. I've hiked in my Ultrex jacket and the same thing
happened. However, for just general use, around camp, etc. you do stay
dry.
Gary Smiley
heavy rainstorm will get through Ultrex. Gore-tex works, period, but
it's true - it's not as breatheable as cotton and if you jog or bike in
it you'll sweat in it. But not as much as in a rubber raincoat. But if
you are exercising in the rain and humidity, let's face it - you're
gonna sweat no matter what you wear.
Mark McMaster
>
> Ultrex is "water-resistant". It is not water-proof like Gore-tex. A
> heavy rainstorm will get through Ultrex. Gore-tex works, period, but
> it's true - it's not as breatheable as cotton and if you jog or bike in
> it you'll sweat in it. But not as much as in a rubber raincoat. But if
> you are exercising in the rain and humidity, let's face it - you're
> gonna sweat no matter what you wear.
I depends on what you mean by water-proof and water-resistant. By their
very nature, any fabric which has pores to allow water vapor to escape
can not be truly water-proof. There are different standards for
rainwear, which involve maximum leakage rates at some water pressure,
and it is by one or more of these standards by which they claim their
"water-proof"-ness.
Likewise, any fabric which can slow down liquid water from leaking
through its pores will not be as breathable as a non-"water-proof"
fabric. The wonder of Gore-Tex, Ultrex, and other similar fabrics is
that they have a relatively high breathability for their water
resistance.
Gore-Tex is a made by laminating a thin PTFE (chemical name for Teflon)
layer to an outer fabric. Ultrex is made by applying a thin coating of
polyurethane to an outer fabric. Ultrex actually comes in several
grades of "water-proof"-ness, depending on how thick they apply the
coating. I believe that Gore also has different levels of
"water-proof"-ness, with the Gore-Tex name attached to the more
"water-proof", and the Activent name attached to less "water-proof" (the
only claim "water-resistance" for Activent). In all cases breathability
will vary inversely to "water-proof"-ness.
It has been said that the laminated construction of Gore-Tex is sturdier
than the coating construction of Ultrex, but I think you'd be hard
pressed to notice a difference in typical service.
In any case, hard exercise will produce much more sweat and water-vapor
than any "water-proof/breathable" fabric will be able to successfully
deal with, so the design and ventilation of athletic rain-wear is
usually more important than the fabric it is made from.
Mark McMaster
MMc...@ix.netcom.com