Wrapping up warm to toil against the elements has one problem: you can get too warm. Donning a fleece or heavy overcoat might protect you from the wind and rain, but any serious physical exertion will leave you hot and sweaty. Step forward GORE-TEX* a synthetic fabric that keeps you dry while allowing theskin to breathe.
GORE-TEX" is produced by expanding polytetra-fluoroethylene (PTFE)-a polymer comprising long carbon-fluorine chains—under high temperature. The material contains many pores, allowing perspiration from the wearer to evaporate and escape. The pores arc, however, much too small to allow passage of water droplets, rendering the material impenetrable to the elements. For comfort and protection, the special membrane is normally sandwiched between several fabric layers.
The invention of GORE-TEX* was a family effort; it was developed by Wilbert L. Gore (1912-1986) and his son Robert W. Gore, plus Rowena Taylor. In 1958, Gore Senior and his wife Vieve set up a company in the basement of their Delaware home to produce insulating material from PTFE for electronics. Around ten years later. Robert Gore discovered that rapidly stretching PTFE produces a strong, waterproof material, which he christened GORE-TEX* The first fabric application came in 1976, when the material was used as a tent covering. Coats, boots, and other outdoor equipment made of the material soon followed—even dental floss.
The merits of this breathable fabric are such that many armies dress their soldiers in outdoor gear made from the material. It has also found numerous surgical applications, providing the material for more than 25 million implants in plastic and heart surgery.
