Even if you look at it modestly, you're just excited! What has evolved in the new GORE-TEX PRO? What will happen next? I asked the person inside

A robust outerwear that protects you from the rain, wind, snow, and cold is essential to enjoy mountain activities in harsh environments such as mountain climbing, climbing, and backcountry skiing. I think it is well known that "GORE-TEX Product" is the pioneer in fabrics and materials that support this.

The key material of GORE-TEX products is a fluorine-based resin film (membrane) called "ePTFE," which is made from the mineral fluorite. There are countless fine holes that allow water vapor to escape, but no rainwater from outside can pass through. Products with the black tag saying "GORE-TEX ~" all contain this membrane, whether shoes or gloves.

As GORE-TEX products evolved, they created a variety of variations depending on the application. the GORE-TEX PRO Product was developed in 2007 with the aim of being used in the most harsh situations on the planet, and is still the world's highest level of durability and waterproofness .

This is the fall/winter 2020 season, and the technology has been revamped for the first time in seven years since the last time.

One day, I immediately asked someone from Gore about what characteristics this new material has and what possibilities it has, so please come and take a look!

This is where the new GORE-TEX PRO products evolve - 3 GORE-TEX PROs to choose from

-Thank you for your continued support today. Let's start with, what concept did the new GORE-TEX PRO product go under?

As you know, GORE-TEX PRO products are for outdoor specialists and core outdoor enthusiasts who need the most durable and durable protection of GORE-TEX products. A survey conducted with the cooperation of GORE-TEX athletes, mountain guides and brand partners found that GORE-TEX PRO products had excellent performance, but also found that there were two groups of users. These are the groups that place the most importance on durability and the groups that place the most importance on breathability.

With such feedback, this renewal was the result of our research and development efforts, which have been carried out until we are satisfied with this review.

--What would you say to simply list the features of the new GORE-TEX PRO product?

There are two major points in the evolution of the new GORE-TEX PRO product technology. The first is three types of GORE-TEX PRO technology that achieves durability, breathability, and stretchability.

First of all, the basic concept of GORE-TEX PRO is to maintain the highest durability and robustness that can withstand long-term harsh environments. Furthermore, at the same time, the GORE-TEX PRO product has now been selected from materials with three different characteristics, such as the following, to suit even more diverse needs and uses.

1. [Extremely sturdy] GORE-TEX PRO most rugged technology
2. [Excellent breathability] GORE-TEX PRO most breathable technology
3. [Stretch] GORE-TEX PRO stretch technology

-What are the characteristics of each of the three types?

First, GORE-TEX PRO most rugged technology , as the name suggests, is the robust GORE-TEX fabric that we offer in the outdoor sports category.

GORE-TEX PRO products have set the strictest standards of our company, from the selection of materials and parts to the construction of clothing, cutting and sewing. Among these, this technology is particularly employed by newly developed membranes, and the outer material must be made from thick fabrics ranging from 70 to 200 denier. Naturally, it is suitable for harsher activities where there is a lot of severe wear and expected.

--That means that the robustness that has been made up to now has been further improved. Next, please tell us about "extremely excellent breathability."

Next, GORE-TEX PRO most breathable technology is a fabric that combines the high durability and excellent breathability of GORE-TEX PRO, providing comfort by increasing breathability in harsher environments.

The secret is that it is now possible to use a thin fabric of 30 denier, which has not been used in GORE-TEX PRO products (of course, standards such as durability that can be called PRO have been maintained, as they have been in the past). Therefore, breathability at the actual usage level results in greater comfort than ever before.

-I see. Finally, what about stretching?

GORE-TEX PRO stretch technology is probably the most symbolic evolution of this renewal . By adopting a new, improved ePTFE membrane, it allows for up to 20% stretch while maintaining high moisture permeability and durability.

Of course, GORE-TEX fabrics still have stretchability, but the new GORE-TEX PRO stretch technology has a unique advantage in that it meets strict standards such as durability of GORE-TEX PRO products and achieves stretching capabilities.

By combining it, it can meet a variety of uses and needs

tried touching a sample jacket with GORE-TEX PRO stretch technology on the back It's easy to bend your upper body when you reach for it. By the way, is it possible to create a final product that uses these three types of GORE-TEX PRO products by combining them in one model?

That's exactly the key point this time. Manufacturers and brands that actually design apparel products can develop these three types of technologies into one product. By providing more options, we are now able to create clothing that is more specialized for each activity than ever before. I'm really looking forward to seeing what products each brand will come up with.

GORE-TEX PRO continues to steadily advance towards true sustainability

--Please tell us about one of the major renovation points: your efforts to sustainability.

We have been working on sustainability for many years. We are committed to improving the environmental impact of products by applying the "Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)," an international standard tool that quantitatively evaluates the environmental impact of products.

Furthermore, with this renewal, we continue to make efforts to improve the environmental impact of the products during the manufacturing process. The new GORE-TEX PRO product has been able to reduce water consumption by approximately 45% when dyeing, particularly by reviewing the dyeing method of the lining (microgrid backer), while maintaining high performance (excluding stretching).

In addition, we are steadily improving our environmental footprint, such as using recycled nylon, which provides sufficient performance, and reducing water consumption using the above dyeing method.

Summary and future fun

The new GORE-TEX PRO items will be released in autumn 2020 by other outdoor manufacturers such as ARC'TERYX, Burton, DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN, Haglofs, Helly Hansen, MAMMUT, mont-bell, MONTURA, Mountain Hardwear, Patagonia, Phenix, Rab, THE NORTH FACE and other outdoor manufacturers.

As was the interview, what I'd like most about the new GORE-TEX PRO is that, as before, it is possible to choose a wide variety of functions to suit your needs and purpose, while still maintaining the basic concept of high robustness and durability. For better or worse, I'm not the only one who has had the impression that GORE-TEX PRO tends to have a product with a certain degree of similar characteristics, perhaps due to its high demand for quality. However, this renewal may lead to the creation of various types of "ultimate GORE-TEX jackets" that have never been seen before.

For example, it's so much fun to see what concepts each manufacturer will be using to update existing products, or to introduce new products with a completely new concept, such as hard shells that are particularly sturdy in areas where wear is severe, such as shoulders, waists, and sleeves, highly mobility hard shells that have a bold, stretching range of motion, or "fast and light" hard shells that are extremely lightweight and breathable.

Learn more about GORE-TEX PRO (GORE-TEX official website)