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Looking at getting a new jacket in the next few weeks to cover me for skiing, walking, cycling etc. Do everything with one jacket. I was pretty set on The North Face Kichatna until I saw the Arc'teryx Beta LT jacket. Both are the same price and from what I can see pretty much the same specs. Has anyone had any experience with either jacket or have any other suggestions for alternatives?
Cheers
Given they're all (Goretex jackets) made in the same factory by W. L. Gore, it's just size and style that differs...
Isn't it just the fabric that's made in the same factory?
That's like saying an Apollo is the same as a Colnago because they're both made out of steel...
Isn't it just the fabric that's made in the same factory?
Nope, AIUI all GTX jackets are made in the same plant. A friend met them to discuss having a jacket made and got the whole sales pitch / tour. Gore approve the design and then make it for the company and finance the production run as well. That way they completely control product quality to maintain their brand value.
They also have a virtually flat management structure.
Edit: If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. A run of duff GTX jackets, due to poor design and / or manufacture would tarnish the whole GTX brand.
[i]They also have a virtually flat management structure. [/i]
You'd think it would be 3 layer, wouldn't you 😉
Sounds like a great place to work:
http://blogs.wsj.com/management/2010/03/18/wl-gore-lessons-from-a-management-revolutionary/
Hi
the fit of the Arc'teryx Beta LT is amazing, ut has a climbing cut to the body and arms, more room in the shoulders.
thats why I bought this over the others, but gore text is still goretex and this year they are changing the pro and removing one of the inner layers supposedly, so it needs more washing
all GTX jackets are made in the same plant
No they aren't.
Nope, AIUI all GTX jackets are made in the same plant. A friend met them to discuss having a jacket made and got the whole sales pitch / tour. Gore approve the design and then make it for the company and finance the production run as well. That way they completely control product quality to maintain their brand value.
One of my friends is an outdoor clothing designer and while Gore maintains very close control of the factories which are licenced to produce garments using its fabrics, does lots of testing and development of fabrics and also assesses garments to make sure they meet certain standards - they stick 'em on dummies in a simulated rain room for example to check for leaks for example - there are loads of factories with a Gore licence and they're not owned by Gore.
Not that it really matters.
I'd have a try on of the latest Mountain Equipment Gore-Tex Pro jackets btw. They've done a two-year development project with some Swiss pattern cutters to improve the fit of their jackets and the results are impressively good. Brilliant close-fitting cut without losing mobility. Not sure I'd want to use an alpine jacket for regular cycling though.
I love it when I'm right... 😉
If you think about it, how on earth could one factory make all the Goretex jackets in the world?? I have 2 or 3 different makes and I'm sure at least one of those is made in China whilst another is made in the UK...
while I've got all of your attention... 😉 any opinions on goggles for skiing? Oakley Canopy, Salomon X-View and Anon Hawkeye have all caught my eye. Any advice/experience on them?
How different is Goretex Pro from Goretext ProShell, which doesn't see to me to be that breathable.
It's appreciably more breathable ime. Gore claims 'up to 28%', but whatever the lab suggests, it's a difference you can feel in use. It's closer to eVent and similar than before, if that makes sense. They've taken the PU inner smear out and changed the way the membrane's constructed so it's 100% PTFE. You can still overwhelm it, but not quite a quickly.
Visual difference is that the interior backer fabric has micro-gridded, rip-stop pattern, they've also beefed up the face fabrics a bit.