The sooner you close them, or reduce the opening, the more you allow Gore-Tex to get back to doing its job to regulate your temperature.Īt this point I was starting to understand just how important a garment's fit is in relation to the membrane's performance. However, knowing how that impacts your garment's ability to function might impact how long you leave those vents open. When that happens, you need to use the vents in order to control your comfort. There are times when you're just going to generate too much heat and sweat vapour for the membrane to handle. But this is also where theory and practicality collide, because we also know that vents are essential for high output activities. Vents are actually not useful as far as membrane performance, because they introduce cooler air to the inside environment and decrease the pressure differential. Best case scenario, Martin says, is a next-to-skin fitting garment with gaskets. ![]() Those larger spaces increase the pressure required to push vapour to the inner edge of the garment so it can be transported to the outside. This includes loose areas where the fabric is further from your body - the area under your arms, for example. ![]() Anything that minimizes or reverses this pressure differential will decrease the membrane's effectiveness. Waterproof/Breathable membranes need an environment where warmth creates pressure on the inside of the garment that will push water (in a vapour state) to the outside where it condenses once it collides with cooler air. Three key factors dictate the efficacy of your w/b garment's performance: 1 - Pressure Differential The basic premise of any waterproof/breathable (w/b) membrane is that, despite differences in structure or material, they are all designed to allow vapour to pass through them - but not water.
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