In the 40 years since the company was formed, the GORE-TEX name has become associated with many famous outdoor brands that incorporate the material into their clothing and other products. And while it is one thing for a company to guarantee what it makes, it is quite another for it to guarantee what others make. But that is exactly what Gore does.
Gore works with its licensed garments and footwear customers such as Arc’teryx, The North Face or Mammut to assess each product style, and it’s not just the finished GORE-TEX product that’s tested: the textiles, insulations, membrane and linings must also meet performance standards. Materials are tested in Gore’s labs and prototypes are rigorously field tested under real life conditions.
Outerwear is sandpapered (for hours or even days), flexed and twisted in widely varying temperatures, sent to the rain room to face simulated weather, ranging from showers to deluges and tempests. Importantly, all outerwear, footwear and accessories are tested for comfort and fit as well. Flawless materials and perfect garment construction only work if there is a strict quality control programme, which ensures workmanship and products serve their end purpose.
And as Bob Gore did in the early days, so the company continues today. Products are customarily given testing in the field, using a range of volunteers, including professional mountain guides, GORE-TEX athletes and expedition groups, to ensure only the best products make it onto market.
Products such as boots and gloves are exposed to a similar range of tests specific to the product. If a journey starts with a step, a boot made with GORE-TEX lining must start between 50,000 to 200,000 steps in a water bath, depending on whether it’s used in the city or in the mountains. Carried out in the lab, sensors can detect the source of even the smallest leak and Gore even uses a centrifuge to spin water-filled boots in its quest for absolute leak-free footwear. And it’s not only the GORE-TEX material elements that are tested, but the entire makeup from outer material, insulation, membrane and lining to ensure every boot maximises protection and comfort. With footwear in particular, the wick test is crucial and everything including the stitching and the laces are scrutinised.
Even for gloves, Gore carries out a similar range of tests, making sure, for example, that the linings are tested to ensure that they will not move or get pulled out when a glove is removed.
In 1989, Gore put its faith in this intensive regime of product testing and it introduced the GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY™ promise, which committed to repairing, replacing or refunding the cost of any garment which a consumer isn’t happy with. This is a commitment which still exists today and is unique in the outdoors garments sector.
Understanding the smallest niggles to the biggest requirements is the kind of detailed approach which has informed Gore’s extensive testing, and it has helped to place the GORE-TEX brand, and the products that carry it, at the forefront of their industries.
Outerwear is sandpapered (for hours or even days), flexed and twisted in widely varying temperatures, sent to the rain room to face simulated weather, ranging from showers to deluges and tempests. Importantly, all outerwear, footwear and accessories are tested for comfort and fit as well. Flawless materials and perfect garment construction only work if there is a strict quality control programme, which ensures workmanship and products serve their end purpose.
And as Bob Gore did in the early days, so the company continues today. Products are customarily given testing in the field, using a range of volunteers, including professional mountain guides, GORE-TEX athletes and expedition groups, to ensure only the best products make it onto market.
Products such as boots and gloves are exposed to a similar range of tests specific to the product. If a journey starts with a step, a boot made with GORE-TEX lining must start between 50,000 to 200,000 steps in a water bath, depending on whether it’s used in the city or in the mountains. Carried out in the lab, sensors can detect the source of even the smallest leak and Gore even uses a centrifuge to spin water-filled boots in its quest for absolute leak-free footwear. And it’s not only the GORE-TEX material elements that are tested, but the entire makeup from outer material, insulation, membrane and lining to ensure every boot maximises protection and comfort. With footwear in particular, the wick test is crucial and everything including the stitching and the laces are scrutinised.
Even for gloves, Gore carries out a similar range of tests, making sure, for example, that the linings are tested to ensure that they will not move or get pulled out when a glove is removed.
In 1989, Gore put its faith in this intensive regime of product testing and it introduced the GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY™ promise, which committed to repairing, replacing or refunding the cost of any garment which a consumer isn’t happy with. This is a commitment which still exists today and is unique in the outdoors garments sector.
Understanding the smallest niggles to the biggest requirements is the kind of detailed approach which has informed Gore’s extensive testing, and it has helped to place the GORE-TEX brand, and the products that carry it, at the forefront of their industries.
