DoeCuller

Has anyone ever had trouble with their gore-tex gear.
I hunted in a down pour for 5 hours and my Browning Gore-Tex pants seemed to leak somewhere. I had a 3/4 length gore-tex coat on and it worked but my butt was soaked down to my knees. Do you have treat this stuff every year or so????
My gear is about 7 years old and cost quite dearly.

stubblejumper

My gore-tex boots are 13 years old and I waded in ankle deep water for a week with them this fall with no leaks.My gore-tex raingear is 12 years old and still holds up even in the heaviest downpours.I have never treated goretex gear in any way.

fantail

DoeCuller, gore-tex is 100% waterproof and doesn't need to be treated unless of coarse you get a hole in it. Even a very small pin hole will make it leak. I've been there before and I know how sickening it is to have something that expensive leak. It usually happens on the knees or on the seat of the pants. If you have an inner liner that is not laminated to the gore-tex liner then I have had some success by cutting the inner liner and trying to find the hole in the gore-tex, which is sometimes hard to do and fix it with some sort of flexible glue, I use wader repair glue.

I just noticed you said your pants were browning. I think some browning gore-tex doesn't have an inner liner. If yours doesn't then of coarse there will be no liner to cut.

DoeCuller

Thanks Fantail.
My pants do have an inner liner. I'll cut them and see if I can find a leak. Again thanks for the info.

LY

We've had leaks in our older suit pants and all came from the seams. We used some seam tape that's made for tents and found at Walmart and it has worked well.

zekeskar

It could very likely be a seam issue. Make sure all the seams in the seat are very well sealed. Also, this won't help you but, the only goretex pants I'd buy would have knees and seat reinforced with waterproof, coated cordura nylon (very tough thick nylon). The goretex itself is very vulnerable in the seat and the knees because of flexing and abrasion. Therfore, the waterproof, nonbreathable coated material at those points is best. Still needs sealed seams thought.

ToddBDS

You paid a pretty penny for the Gore-Tex label on those pants, but it was money well spent. Gore-Tex is worth the hype and money, but you need to take care of it.

1. It's 100% waterproof. Guaranteed.
Short of a hole in your pants or poor manufacturing (ie. leaking seams), your pants won't leak.

2. Don't confuse "waterproof" with "warmth".
At home, stick your pants under cold running water from the sink. Now put your hand inside those pants. Within a minute, the pants will stick to your hand. It will feel like the pants are leaking, but they aren't. The Gore-Tex is simply transferring the coldness of the water to your hand. That's why you should dress in layers (preferably non-cotton ones).

3. The coating is called "DWR" and it needs to be replaced on occasion.
Remember the first time you wore those pants? The rain literally bubbled up on them and ran down your leg like rain hitting a newly waxed car. That's because the Gore-Tex has something called a Durable Water Repellent coating that repells the rain. Older Gore-Tex products need to have that DWR replaced; this can be done by spraying your jacket or pants with a DWR spray (about $6 at Bass Pro). I've even ironed my Gore-Tex jacket to keep the Gore-Tex layer in place which improves performance.

4. Gore-Tex won't breathe if it's dirty.
Your pants are seven years old? They're probably dirty. That dirt can imbed itself into the fabric and clog up the microscopic holes which allow body heat to escape. If, at the end of the day, you feel like it's raining in your pants, more than likely it's because you've been sweating up a storm and your pants aren't breathing properly. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for cleaning it (typically says "wash in cold water and air dry").

Hope this helps keep you dry next time.

DoeCuller

Thanks Folks,

Some real good info. there.

I'll try to test my pants in the sink. I wash them every year as per instructions. The day I got wet I was wearing long underwear and a pair of camo-pants. Tempertaure was around 40 degrees F. And after sitting/standing in a stand all morning the backs of my legs from the knee up and includeing my butt was soaked. Therefore I believe they leaked otherwise I think my front-side would have been wet also.

Thanks again for all the input.

verdeda

I used to work for the company here in Maryland. As long as there are no holes in the material, they will take it back. If it is a failure in the seam tape you will be able to return it. Write or e-mail the company and tell them what problems you are having. They definitely stand behind their products. Good Luck.V

DUCKSTAMPEDE

Thanks this has been some helpful info-I have always used goretex but have had seam leakers-they always replaced them free but I didn't know you could lose the coating.