r/Bushcraft • u/mdf_ree • 3d ago
Since goretex sucks
Let me prephase with. Im not stupid and i know goretex is great for mountaineering ajd other use cases. NOT for bushcraft. If your doung bushcraft even remotely properly youll be near smoke. Smoke ruins goretex completely and makes it entirely redundant. Due to this, what can i do to stay actually dry, i dont need some high tech yuppy fabric i want to be dry end of.
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u/LeadFreePaint 3d ago
Gortex is not useless in smoke. Where the hell are you getting this idea from?
I've guides northern Canadian canoe trips and instructed Bushcraft for a decade. Gortex and other 3L fabrics do juuuuust fine around smoke.
There are valid complaints about the material, but not working around smoke is not one I'd ever concern myself with.
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u/mdf_ree 2d ago
Smoke from the fire damages the DWR coating on the goretex i mean you can look it up
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u/LeadFreePaint 2d ago
You mean that thing that should be regularly treated with that takes as much effort as running a washing machine?
Wash your gortex regularly and treat it annually and you will have no problems.
I have 4 gortex jackets, 3 dry suits, 3 dry tops, and plenty of odds and ends. I also have spent hundreds of days next to a fire in some of those jackets teaching Bushcraft. I have never once been concerned with the smoke, and I literally stake my life on those jackets and dry suits.
But what do I know?
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u/mdf_ree 2d ago
Well everyone has a different story yk, ive had multiple brand new goretex garments fresh from the retailer, all dwr'd up start to leak within hours of use. However ive found good fortune with regatta and whatever they make their stuff out of has genuinely never leaked. Being a lower end retailer typically too i was massively suprised by the effectiveness however the build quality wasnt perfevt and i lost my left pocket, still keeps me dry. Further cementing my anti goretex sentiment
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u/Basehound 2d ago
I agree … have been using gortex for decades in the wild …. Around smoke and fires … unless you literally heat your nylon till the gortex delaminates …. It works almost forever . Not sure where this smoke theory comes from …. But cool story
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u/oh_three_dum_dum 3d ago edited 3d ago
So we enlisted were degrading our gore-Tex when we would smoke under them in the rain when we were in the field?
If it was hard-core raining when I was in the field (where I spent a lot of time in Eastern NC and other rainy, humid places) I would always wear one of the old school (90’s-early 2000’s) GI ponchos if the goal was to stay dry above all. I had one where you could tie off the hood and use it as a tarp if need-be. There are a ton of other uses as well. Pretty utilitarian in a bushcraft setting. And they’re tough enough to withstand reasonable wear and abuse. I took one through three training workups and deployments before I retired it, and only because I tore it open on a tailgate not thinking about it when I jumped out.
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u/foul_ol_ron 3d ago
Had an old west German poncho decades ago. Damn near unbreakable, though pretty heavy.
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u/Flightless_Turd 3d ago
I doubt the military would use a material that would degrade via smoke
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u/jaxnmarko 3d ago
I would think it might possibly block pores if anything, but wouldn't that just make it still waterproof but not breathable?
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u/purplehay 3d ago
I never understood how a gore tex jacket could still be breathable if the entire jacket is wet?
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u/DieHardAmerican95 2d ago
It’s really not. The point is that it’s breathable when it’s not saturated, so you can be more comfortable then.
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u/mdf_ree 3d ago
If your under a tarp i think youll be better off as even if it got soaked itd keep you dry underneath. But yeah ive heard and experienced many a time this happening to boots jackets and pants
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u/oh_three_dum_dum 3d ago
I forgot to mention the aftermarket woobie liner with sleeves and a hood that match the poncho’s cut. Being dry and warm when you’re standing outside in freezing rain is next level satisfying.
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u/expostulation 3d ago
In which way does smoke ruin goretex? Does it make it less waterproof or less breathable? Wheres the evidence for this?
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u/n3m0sum 3d ago
Buffalo Systems jackets. Pertex outer and a wicking pile liner. Popular with mountain rescue teams and the military. The only downside I have found is that they are not very packable. As the pile liner doesn't compress.
Or go OG and look at wool jackets. Although you have to know it will be consistently cold to commit to the wool jacket.
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u/Sudzy1225 3d ago
So... You saw an article talking about how smoke and soot can clog the micro pores in goretex, and stopped reading to make a reddit post? If you read on, any responsible, non-sensationalistic article will mention how it has little effect on performance, as it takes a LOT of clogging to cause it to wet out, and is easily remedied by washing. I'm not sure how long you're out bush crafting, but a wash every couple weeks would likely be fine. And if you're in enough smoke to degrade the garment in a week or two, your lungs are gonna be shot before the garment is.
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u/Krulligo 3d ago
What can you do to stay dry? Stay under a tarp when it's raining is your Bushcraft answer.
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u/mdf_ree 2d ago
So if i have to walk somewhere i should just pitch 100s of tarps the whole way?
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u/Krulligo 2d ago
Yes it's called an umbrella.
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u/mdf_ree 2d ago
I love you, i need an umbrella.
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u/Krulligo 2d ago
But don't get a Goretex one as the smoke from campfire that you will be carrying with you will ruin it.
But to be somewhat helpful this is what I toss on when I'm out and it's raining:
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u/S1lvaticus 3d ago
If it’s really pissing down I just wear a wool shirt over my goretex… seems to work alright! Protects the gtx from abrasion and sparks.
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u/fragpie 3d ago
Poncho. I like my snugpak patrol, but oil skin -5oz canvas if you keep ripping 'em. Perhaps also consider that part of bushcraft is working/playing in concert with the weather. You're in the bush, not your garage--if it's pouring, get under your tarp, and maintain tools, have a think, etc.
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u/_scorp_ 3d ago
Waxed cotton