Gore’s 3 New Gore-Tex Pro Fabrics (Ep.71)

by


TOPICS & TIMES:

  • The 3 new versions of Gore-Tex Pro (4:35)
  • Fabric performance (5:30)
  • New (and old) membrane structures (11:15)
  • Stretch! (15:40)
  • Lab validation & real-world tests (19:19)
  • Solution-dyed vs jet-dyed fibers, & why they matter (34:08)
  • Sustainability & the new Gore-Tex Pro (36:23)

Gore-Tex has been the leader in waterproof fabrics for decades, and today, they’re announcing a complete overhaul of their flagship fabric, Gore-Tex Pro. So this week we went to Banff, Alberta, and sat down with the category manager of Gore’s “Pro” line, Mark McKinnie, for an in-depth discussion about the new fabrics. We talk about what makes the new Gore Pro unique; the 3 different versions of Gore Pro; Gore’s intensive validation and field-testing processes; how the new ‘Pro’ fits into Gore’s sustainability goals; and much more.

Gore's Mark McKinnie goes on Blister's GEAR:30 podcast to discuss Gore's brand-new Gore-Tex Pro fabrics.
Sam Shaheen in a new Gore-Tex Pro jacket. (photo courtesy of Gore-Tex)

9 comments on “Gore’s 3 New Gore-Tex Pro Fabrics (Ep.71)”

    • Already started! We’ll be posting more info as soon as we’ve spent enough time in both to discuss the notable differences.

    • Ah I missed the part where Mark said winter 2020. Hmm I was thinking about buying a new shell this year but may have to wait for the new material.

  3. The answers were not too impressive…. :-(
    He did not answer the question regarding poisonous DWR treatment for example. He just said their customers demand the best bla bla. So the answer is: YES, and sorry we did not come up with a better solution yet but Gore was always big on sustainability.
    Thank you, I shall go listen to the green washing podcast that dropped this week.

  4. About a year ago, a small local consignment store in Boise, Idaho, changed its name from Backcountry Pursuit to Boise Gear Collective. This is all via casual conversation while shopping, but I was told that Backcountry.com had threatened to sue. The Boise business consulted an attorney and ultimately decided it would cost them way more to fight than to simply change their name. I used to buy from Backcountry.com, but after that I won’t even look at the website, and I cringe when I see their goat stickers on cars, racks, skis, etc. As Jonathan said, with actions like that, the company seems pretty clearly anti-backcountry. Thanks to Jason for brining the scale and scope of Backcountry.com’s below-the-belt punches to light.

  5. Hmm
    Changing their name from Backcountry Pursuit … apologize for my ignorance but does this somehow infringe on backcountry.com search results? Seems backwards but then again I am prolly a little bit backwards at my age. Please explain

  7. I would be interested to see the drop in revenue numbers from Gore with TNF moving to Futurelight, offset by the marketing spend to re-establish the new hype, I’m sure the financials would work very keenly for TNF regardless – as ever with all jackets they have holes at the neck, holes where your arms go and a big hole at the bottom, but I guess water only rolls off jackets like in the ads when you stand still.

Leave a Comment