still the lie goes on

THE LIE CONTINUES

The following comments were taken directly from the September online issue of SNEWS OUTDOORS whose motto is “WE KNOW OUTDOORS”. They eulogized all of the patents attributed to Bob Gore and of course his inventing of the ptfe film laminated to nylon fabric to make what never worked, a waterproof and breathable material. What he did foster was a vehicle that not only made money for the gore company but for numerous other companies who perpetrated the lie initiated by the gore company that was a product of Bob Gore’s mind.

“Robert W. “Bob” Gore, chairman emeritus of the board of directors of W. L. Gore & Associates and the inventor of Gore-Tex outerwear, passed away on September 17 at the age of 83.”

Bob Gore DID NOT INVENT GORETEX OUTERWEAR. It was the goretex film combined with nylon that was used by companies such as North Face and hundreds more who actually made garments using the film laminated to fabric so they could make the outerwear garments. Because of the lie about what the film added to the material when advertised the general public bought into it big time. Years ago, a guy working at Natick told me they knew it did not work but generals in Washington wanted what the general public was using, so gore became a significant supplier to the military, and still are, again even though it does not work.

“During his tenure as president, Gore became a billion-dollar enterprise. Marking the occasion in 1996, Bob Gore said, “We plan to leave a legacy to society and to future generations: And yes, people that just have more fun in the outdoors because of our Gore-Tex Outerwear.”

The legacy with respect to outerwear for future generations I believe is that they learn waterproof breathable fabric or a combination of fabrics does nor exist and that goretex has proven beyond belief just that.

“Gore’s commitment to research and development led to his 1969 discovery of a versatile new polymer form, expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (e PTFE). The substance provided myriad new product applications including Gore-Tex Fabrics, the world’s first waterproof-breathable outerwear and a product that through the years has become synonymous with the outdoors.”

The world has yet to see a waterproof breathable fabric, but what the world has heard from the gore company is a lie about what they have sold to countless manufacturers. The first manufacturer to use the goretex film laminated material was Early Winters owned by Bill Nicolai in 1972. He made a single wall tent using the nylon laminated to the goretex film. He learned very quickly that the moisture from his body and breath accumulated on the inside of the two man tent he made. He also made rain jackets.

Think about it, if Bill’s products actually worked, he would have grown into the largest producer of goretex tents and rainwear in the country. BUT they didn’t because they couldn’t. The single wall tent is an excellent idea but moisture from your breath as well as moisture from your body will condense as soon as it, in a vapor state reaches the inside of the tent which is the side that is the goretex film side. Imagine that, he also learned that the perspiration from the human body wearing a goretex laminate fabric was tantamount to wearing a plastic bag. So, having acquired this knowledge Bill walked from the goretex product did other things until he sold out to Orvis in 1980. If the products were so good that Orvis bought them where are those products today? They do not exist. Whatever Bill got for the company was a win for him. Orvis had a write off I suppose since it was not a successful acquisition.

It was the successful promotion of the goretex product such as sponsoring Will Steger’s dog mushing trip across Antarctica. It was shown in three segments on television, I do not recall the channel. They did get national attention. That said, every company making outerwear wanted in. It still didn’t work. As an aside, Will visited with me at an outdoor retailer trade show when I was still exhibiting and he told me if it hadn’t been for my Muk Luks he wouldn’t have made. I did not know he had a pair, so it was good to know.

The fact that there was already evidence that goretex did not work did not matter, not only did the manufacturers not care but over a dozen companys started selling their own waterproof breathable composites which they claimed equal to goretex for less money. Their products were equal in the fact that they also didn’t work, but an industry was born and still exists.

The legacy of goretex is that it is as I have said the biggest lie ever perpetrated on the textile industry and that it created others to also produce the same basic product perpetuating the lie and we have but one man to thank for this, guess who.  

Bob Gore was a member of the scientific community and never accepted why the goretex product didn't and could not work, he never under stood or cared to understand the laws of physics because he saw the financial gain by perpetrating the falsehood of his products ability to work, in my opinion. How many millions of dollars have been spent on all products categorized as waterproof breathable as a result of goretex entering the market place over 50 years ago?