Dude, as much as you'd like me to agree with you, I won't. I'm not an outdoor SNOB, I'm one of the original grovelling dirtbags that was wearing 60/40 cloth parkas before Goretex was even invented.
I'm sharing my experiences too, Viperz.
This is about the OP and other greenhorns lauding goretex as the golden fleece of outdoor clothing. IT'S NOT.
You're bogged down with your 20th century outdoor fabrics paradigm, viperz.
Might I suggest something with a bit better performance characteristics for the majority of your outdoor activities?
(When I was working at Marmot, I was lauded by one of the regional Goretex reps as being extremely knowledgable on softshell jacket technologies.
He was doing some secret shopper type research and i got to talking to him. After he let on he was with Gore, he said I had given him the "BEST explaination of outdoor shell technology he'd ever heard." The W.L. Gore Europe people even heard about me, and came searching me out, to talk about softshell jacket technologies and consumer perception when they were in the Northwest.)
there are BETTER FABRICS for aerobic activities like winter bicycling, ski mountaineering and the like than Goretex. I can certainely suggest some lighter tents too....
And, in case any of you HAVEN'T noticed, W.L. Gore and associates is putting a lot more tech into their softshell fabrics the last few years.... look at Gore bikewears many different, NON-waterproof fabrics offered in their bike clothing lineup.... Jarery has some merited criticisms of Gore windstopper technologies however. Gore is even using and pimping nonlaminated fabrics...
theres a lot of R&D going into NON-WATERPROOF clothing technologies. But hey, if a Gore rep thinks I could explain outdoor fabric technologies so well he used me as an example at a national sales meeting, told Gore Europe about me and then THEY came to talk to me about jacket technology,
I guess my advice and experience is the same as yours, viperz?
I'm just trying to help. stop being so harsh on your elders, viperz.
When it comes down to expertise, viperz, sometimes people that know what they are talking about, KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.