Is Gore-tex waterproof?

[stash]

Hi to you all.
Now to me "is Gore-tex waterproof" sounds like a dumb question. According to Motard-inn who sold me the gloves then the answer is no.
So I paid £141 for a pair of Rukka Argosaurus Gore-tex gloves. They eventually arrived from Spain, so after reading the Gore-tex guaranteed to keep you dry label and seeing a picture on the said label with the gloves immersed in a tank of water I thought I would try the same experiment. Guess what? both hands plunge into the ice cold water and within a minute or so the right hand glove is leaking like a seive. The left is good so waterproof can be done. In my dissapointment I fire off an email to Motard-inn expecting apologies and easy return for a good pair.Uh Uh, not the case. They emailed today saying
''Thank you for order with us.

The gloves are Goretex not Waterproof, therefore you cant put them in a
sink full of water and expect them to resist water when they are not
designed for that. Futhermore , you have used them in an inapropiate way
so we cannot accept your return.

If you require further assistance dont hesitate to contact us.''

Kind regards,

Well I burst out laughing at that. £141 for a pair of gloves that leak in water even though they are guaranteed to keep you dry. I will of course take this up with Gore-tex but wanted to warn anyone using Motard-inn as this is the level of service you get. No wonder the Spanish economy is fucked.
Should any one wish to put forth a counter arguement as to what constitutes waterproof then I am all ears.

PS Is Rukka letting it's standards slip.

Regards

Stan.

 

[ymfb]

I have a pair of BMW summer gloves, which are advertised as WP, first pair leaked, changed w/o quibble. They didn't cost £141 either

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Goretex is waterproof, your gloves are faulty

I have some Goretex boot liners, stood in bath to test them for 5-10 mins

Dry socks despite a complete soaking in water

Gloves are notoriously difficult to make waterproof, due to the many different surfaces and articulation

Mine usually last about 3 hours in constant rain

 

[Giles]

I have returned gore-tex gloves (within a year I think it was) to Hein Gerrik who were absolutely excellent, swapped them immediately with absolutely no quibbles and then sent them back to the factory.

 

[snappo]

In my experience staggering up and and down mountains all over the place, anything that has any kind of stitched seam in it will eventually let water pass.

I always smirk when I'm in a shop and hear a salesman talking about how waterproof these boots or that jacket is - the only truly 100% waterproof boot I've ever worn was a pair of welly gogs!

That said, I'm surprised the Rukkas failed so quickly, I thought they were supposed to be better than that!

 

[1130cc]

There is a simple test to check the waterproofness of Gore-Tex gloves, and it is the same test a shop will undertake........

Fill the gloves with water, then squeeze gently at the top.
If water escapes from the fingers/body of the glove they are faulty.

 

[richardbd]

Gloves are notoriously difficult to make waterproof, due to the many different surfaces and articulation

Mine usually last about 3 hours in constant rain

My Rukka Apollo gloves managed three weeks around the highlands in "summer" 2011 and 3,000 miles in Alaska including the Top of the World Highway in pouring rain and never a hint of a leak.

I have a paid of Klim Element gloves that I trust just as much.

Goretex properly used is 100% waterproof. Any leak is down to poor manufacture and if they leak at all, return them. If the retailer or manufacturer won't support the claim, WL Gore will.

 

[Micky]

I have some Goretex panti liners, stood in bath to test them for 5-10 mins

I would imagine that would not be a pretty sight

 

[Renatus]

I can't say that any of my Goretex mountain clothing has ever been properly waterproof and I always take a genuine, thin waterproof jacket in my rucksack in case it pisses down. Goretex is great for being shower proof, wind proof but especially good for letting perspiration vent out which is why I use it on the hills, but I don't think it's so well suited to biking.

 

[cookie]

my gore tex rukka is 100% waterproof & the jacket is 7+ years old. had other gore tex jackets and overtrousers - all have been waterproof for a decent period but would leak after years of use.

i have never had a pair of gor tex gloves that are waterproof for any length of time. ditto boots. i have two pairs of walking boot, both of which leak to greater or lesser extent as did the 2 pairs i had before them.

my daytona bike boots leak a little, occasionally, then go for ages bone dry

 

[Ash]

Last year when I started my diet,i had normal coats and got soaked every day in the wet, this year I went all out and bought a new Berghuas Goretex jacket and have been dry this winter.
Goretex is expensive but we'll worth.

 

[wessie]

Contact the UK service centre for Rukka
http://www.rukka.com/mxl-fashion/rukkawww.nsf/TakuuWeb/65BDC15A28210E5CC2257693003D53D6?OpenDocument

It would be interesting to see if that Spanish outfit is selling genuine stuff or knock-offs. Rukka UK may let you know if they are an authorised retailer.

If that does not work, make a claim on your credit card. You did make the purchase with a credit card, didn't you? The website clearly has a "100% satisfaction of money back policy" and the product description says "fully waterproof" so to me that would include passing an immersion test. Most banks would do an immediate chargeback in such circumstances.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

I would imagine that would not be a pretty sight

If you get bored this weekend, I could give you a demo

 

[stash]

Is gore-tex waterproof

Well today I phoned Gore up in Scotland and spoke to a lovely lassie who stood by the claim that gore-tex is 100% waterproof. They are calling me tomorrow for further discussion as they guarantee their product but if Rukka have succeeded in filling the membrane full of holes then Rukka are liable for the failure.
I tried the test that was recommended, filling the gloves with water and seeing if they leaked. Sure enough, the left glove was pissing water out.
There is a phone number on Motard-inn website that looks as if it's UK based so they are getting an earful tomorrow.
Thanks for your input.

Stan.

 

[Frodo]

Goretex is waterproof. The bits that normally fail are the taped seams. Gloves are quite complex & have many seams & it sounds like they have goofed up in making one of your gloves.

On the subject of jackets etc., in the rain, if the goretex membrane gets wet, it seals up all the microscopic breathing holes with a film of water so you might as well be wearing just a plain old cheapo plastic bag jacket. Keep the goretex membrane fairly dry & it will continue to breathe. Best way to do this is to treat the outer jacket fabric with some of that 'TX-direct' waterproofing stuff so it beads & sheds the water off the outer fabric. I normally re-treat my gear about once a year & before any 'longer' trips.

 

[JJH]

Goretex is waterproof. The bits that normally fail are the taped seams. Gloves are quite complex & have many seams & it sounds like they have goofed up in making one of your gloves.

On the subject of jackets etc., in the rain, if the goretex membrane gets wet, it seals up all the microscopic breathing holes with a film of water so you might as well be wearing just a plain old cheapo plastic bag jacket. Keep the goretex membrane fairly dry & it will continue to breathe. Best way to do this is to treat the outer jacket fabric with some of that 'TX-direct' waterproofing stuff so it beads & sheds the water off the outer fabric. I normally re-treat my gear about once a year & before any 'longer' trips.

I have a few items of gortex gear BMW boots about 5 years old never leaked Daytona boots never leaked BMW leather trousers with the Goretex on the outside outstanding kit I've done about 60000 miles in them never leaked and I have 2 hein gerick pro shel jackets and trousers which never leaked all bought over a period of years. The only gore stuff that ever leaked was gloves which I realise are harder to make waterproof so I always carry a second pair and when a leak occurs I bin them and use the other pair and then buy another pair as spares. I do about 15000 miles a year. New Goretex should not leak ant the company were taking the piss. Jjh

 

[Andy B]

What is GORE-TEX® Fabric?

GORE-TEX® fabrics are created by laminating our GORE-TEX® membrane to high-performance textiles, then sealing them with an innovative solution for guaranteed waterproof protection.

This is what is on Goretex's homepage! However, I would never take the fact that something was advertised as Goretex to be an indication that it is waterproof. I'd be looking for it to say it IS waterproof in addition to being Goretex. Subtle difference but quite important I think!

 

[GSTourer]

Goretex is waterproof........their construction however isn't!

 

[stolzy]

Goretex is a stupid solution for bike gear and even more stupid for gloves.

Exactly how much sweat do your motionless freezing hands produce that needs to be removed through a breathable membrane?

Fine for hill walking where you produce lots of sweat and there's a temperature gradient from inside to outside that drives the water vapour out. But on a bike all you need is waterproofness and that can be had a lot cheaper than Goretex.

 

[richie]

Lucky it is the left hand, you can keep it in your pocket when on long runs up and down motorways...

My Hein Gericke Goretex gloves leak pretty quickly probably after 30 minutes, I never sent them back though