Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Leaking gore-tex

Well, as far as that's concerned, I coulda named my first son "Trojan Fail"... so far your comparison ain't making me a future Gore-Tex customer here...

Day 2 of Brown Bear hunting on Admiralty Island, drying wet gear...



Black bear hunting, North of Ketchikan a couple years later, Helly Hansen raingear...

I've had good luck with gore-tex boots. Been wearing boots with it since it came out and I had one pair of inexpensive fabric hiking boots leak. None others.

Wore a pair of these for 13 hunting seasons without a single wet foot, and GA gets above average rainfall

http://www.militaryboots.com/mens-danner-grouse.

Replaced them with these, on year 5 now, still haven't had a wet foot unless I stepped in water deeper than the boots.

http://www.militaryboots.com/mens-danner-8-desert-acadia/mojave-olive

Lots of bargains now on surplus military boots if you don't mind the color. I paid $130 for these. My first pair cost $165 back in the early 90's

Can't say about the jackets, but I've walked many miles through wet grass, woods and crossed thousands of streams with dry feet

I've got a Gore-tex dry suit that I use for rafting in the winter and spring. I can guarantee that I get more water on me than anyone in a rain storm.

I stay dry as a bone. It's all about the seams and construction.

I've used a lot of Gore-Tex in a lot of rain. It WILL leak, especially once the factory water repellent wears off.

Where gore-tex shines is when you need decent rain protection that breathes. My ski jacket is gore-tex; I need the breathability and I don't ski in a constant rain.

For waterPROOF I use Rivers West. That'll raise some hackles. Works for me. Not breathable though.

If it can pool, it will leak. I don't give a crap about fishing guides in dry ass Orogone.

I've stood in wet, sloppy snow all day in Gore-tex boots and stayed dry. That's not to say WARM, however. The Gore-tex booty is inside the insulation. When the insulation gets soaked, it's like standing in ice water wearing nothing but a plastic bag over the feet. They're dry but COLD.

IMHO you have to baby goretex so much, and even then if kept clean and washed etc... and top quality, but you get ground contact, IE sitting down, leaning against a tree, it simply cannot work correctly by its design.

Its good for light stuff. But in all out rain places is where we've also see top line IE expensive and clean goretex not cut it. I sure ain't ever gonna trust if for 10 days in a row either.

IMHO there is no such thing as breathable rain gear. And if goretex was such, I suspect you'd see the crab fishers etc... wear it on the boats... but you know what they wear.

I haven't owned insulated boots in years. That may be why I've never had the issue you have had. I know it gets colder in Idaho than Ga. but I've hunted in the snow at 8000 ft in Colorado and down into single digits on occasion here. Teens are very common in the mountains here. I've found a quality pair of gore-tex boots with the fabric panels breathe so much better that my feet don't sweat. All of the insulated boots I've owned caused sweat walking in, then cold feet when sitting.

For my uses, and how and where I hunt, I'm sold on the Danners in the above link.

I cannot comment on the gore-tex jackets except to say that if it works in boots, it should work in a jacket. The only boots I ever had leak were an inexpensive pair made in China. I'm lead to believe it is more a QC thing in assembley than a problem with gore-tex.

I washed my gear in detergent made for gore-tex and wind stopper lined garments. I used a wash-in waterproofing and dried the jackets in the dryer with low heat. After drying I sprayed them with waterproofing. One type you spray and either iron or heat in a dryer to set it. The other is Penguin waterproofing spray. My military issue jacket I used the air dry type and coated twice. My Cabelas coat I used the heat setting type. Hopefully it will be a drier hunting season than last year.
I appreciate the input on Helly Hansen and I'll keep it in mind the next time I need new gear.
Dave