Breathability testing???

[JP100]

Hey guys
For those who have not seen, this is quite a good wee test I think on breathability- Study Results: Gore-Tex Not Worth the Cost Based on Breathability Alone - Mountain Tactical Institute

Was wondering if anyone else has seen similar test with more brands/jacket styles.

Seems pretty simple to set, all you need is a treadmill, some scales, jackets and sweaty people haha.

Would be great to see an independent test of the main brands on the market

 

[5MilesBack]

From everything I've tested in the mountains, fleece breathes the best for me.......while anything that's deemed waterproof doesn't breathe at all. So I never wear waterproof clothing while on the move. This is one of those areas that I've just come to accept what stuff can or can't do, and adapt my hunting to that. In 2013 it rained pretty consistently most days for a two week period during our season. I was just as wet with sweat wearing my rain jacket as I was from the rain without it. So I just left the rain jacket in camp that season and changed out my wet clothes every day.

 

[JP100]

From everything I've tested in the mountains, fleece breathes the best for me.......while anything that's deemed waterproof doesn't breathe at all. So I never wear waterproof clothing while on the move. This is one of those areas that I've just come to accept what stuff can or can't do, and adapt my hunting to that. In 2013 it rained pretty consistently most days for a two week period during our season. I was just as wet with sweat wearing my rain jacket as I was from the rain without it. So I just left the rain jacket in camp that season and changed out my wet clothes every day.

As it says in the test, heavy sweaters do not benefit much from more breathable jackets.

Its all good and well to leave a jacket behind and just get wet, if its not that cold, and you can change everyday.
On a backpack hunt you cant really bring a set of clothes for every day, and then lug around wet clothes all the time.

I have done trips in extreme wet, and not worn a jacket as its pointless, but only in warm weather situations. If its cold you get into issues pretty quick

 

[5MilesBack]

I have done trips in extreme wet, and not worn a jacket as its pointless, but only in warm weather situations. If its cold you get into issues pretty quick

There's always that middle ground between warm and cold enough that precip is snow instead of rain. That range can be a problem for hypothermia for sure. But wet is wet regardless whether it's sweat or rain. There's still the problem of drying your clothes in either case if you don't have backup dry clothing.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

I would like to see this test with other waterproofing laminates such as eVent, dermizax, etc..

 

[JP100]

I would like to see this test with other waterproofing laminates such as eVent, dermizax, etc..

I am hoping that i can get a test like this done next year sometime with 5 or 6 of the 'top' brands. Would be great to see them tested in a real world situation

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

 

[ozyclint]

“You begin a brisk uphill hike, in 35-degree weather and steady rain. You are wearing a “waterproof, breathable” jacket and carrying a 45# ruck or pack. You begin to heat up, but must continue to wear the jacket or risk getting soaked through by the rain. If your jacket is 100% breathable, your base layers can vent and remove the sweat, if not, your base layers get soaked. After 60 minutes the temperature has dropped to 25 degrees, and for safety reasons, you have to stop moving. If your base layer is soaked with sweat, you begin to freeze.”

this the 1st paragraph of the test results. test not conducted under those conditions.

the more mountain hunting i do the more i feel i want a non permeable WATERPROOF shell. yes the vapor can't escape but in my experience the breathability of most stuff nears zero anyway in cold humid conditions like stated in the opening of the results.

it's just tough going trying to exchange warm vapor through a material into a cold +90% humidity environment. the moisture in warm air just likes to condense when in contact with cold air/surfaces.

"2. The more someone sweats the less effect “breathability” has on base layer sweat.
This was evident in a few places in the study’s data. First, our heavier sweaters were less effected by the jackets. Second the harder an athlete worked the less effective the breathability was at removing base layer sweat. And lastly, anecdotally, the heavier the jacket, the more the athlete sweated and the more sweat was retained in the base layer."

when your not moving actively i see even more value in a 'waterproof' shell.

 

[Benjblt]

Hey guys
For those who have not seen, this is quite a good wee test I think on breathability- Study Results: Gore-Tex Not Worth the Cost Based on Breathability Alone - Mountain Tactical Institute

Was wondering if anyone else has seen similar test with more brands/jacket styles.

Seems pretty simple to set, all you need is a treadmill, some scales, jackets and sweaty people haha.

Would be great to see an independent test of the main brands on the market

I see some holes in this study but it's nice to see an unbiased test. We need more of these along with real world un-biased reviews without all the fluff.