Staying Dry.

Byline: MIKE STAHLBERG The Register-Guard

THE RAIN, it's plain, can be a pain.

Especially for people who want to play in the outdoors without getting soaked.

Oregonians - after enjoying a couple of unusually dry and mild winters - are being rudely reminded this winter of the fact that good rain gear is important in the Pacific Northwest.

But this year's rain clouds have a silver (anniversary) lining, so to speak.

It was in 1976, you see, that Early Winters placed the first commercial order for a new fabric made of a petrochemical called polytetrafluoroethylene.

The new textile was called Gore-Tex, after its inventor, Bob Gore, and it did something amazing:

It not only kept the rain from getting in, it allowed water vapor produced by the human body to escape through microscopic pores in the fabric. It "breathed," which meant active people no longer had to be steamed in their own sweat.

In 1977, Early Winters mail-order catalogs began offering the first Gore-Tex rainwear, calling it "possibly the most versatile piece of clothing you'll ever wear."

As the new textile approaches the 25th anniversary of its debut, it can be argued that Gore-Tex did more for outdoor recreation than any other technological development of the 20th century. It certainly has been embraced by more people than have cell phones, GPS devices, or trail maps downloaded on the World Wide Web.

"You'd be hard pressed to name a single outdoor recreational activity that hasn't been improved by outerwear or footwear containing the Gore-Tex laminate," said Steve Shuster, consumer fabrics business leader for W.L. Gore & Associates of Elkton, Md.

Prior to 1976, of course, there was really only one choice if you wanted to keep moisture out - you had to wear something, usually coated with polyurethane, that also trapped moisture in.

Not a big problem if you were working as a highway flagger or sitting in a football stadium during a downpour. But if you were hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing or otherwise exerting yourself enough to sweat, you were going to feel like you were in a steamy sauna.

"Before Gore-Tex," Shuster said, "people were a lot less comfortable and a whole lot wetter."

In the 25 years since Gore-Tex hit the market, other companies have come up with similar "waterproof breathable" materials. And improvements in technology have resulted in materials that are lighter and allow even more water vapor to escape.

The downside is that shopping for rainwear is not as simple as it was 25 years ago.

Any serious search for rain gear begins with one word: Waterproof.

Not "water-resistant." Not "water-repellent." Waterproof.

This is Oregon, remember. You'll need something as impervious to moisture as a duck's back in a downpour if you plan on spending the day outdoors.

But not everyone needs the high-tech (and higher priced) rain gear containing Gore-Tex or similar "breathable" membrane.

"The way we help people choose rain gear is ask them what they are going to do with it and try to tailor their purchase to that," said Julie Harris, speciality shop manager for REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) in Eugene.

For example, she said, REI sold "tons" of inexpensive rubberized rain jackets and pants in the days leading up to the Oregon-Oregon State football game.

This type of rain gear is "perfect for sitting and watching a ball game" or non-aerobic outdoor activities such as bird-watching, Harris said. "They are very, very waterproof, but not at all breathable - meaning if you perspire on the inside, you're still going to be wet - it's not rainwater, but you're still going to be wet."

Waterproof rainsuits are available starting at about $30; you'll pay more depending on the thickness of the material, quality of construction, and number of features (such as lining and number of pockets). Generally, the heavier the material, the more durable it will be.

Shopping gets a little more complicated if you're the kind of person who stays active even when the sky is acting up, which means you'll be a lot more comfortable if you're wearing something that is both waterproof and breathable.

Garments of this type will have at least two layers. The outer layer is normally made of nylon, treated with a water-repellent material that will cause water to bead on the outside and roll off.

The real proof in the waterproofing, however, is provided by the second layer. That is a membrane or laminate made of Gore-Tex or one of the many similar materials now used by major outdoor clothing manufacturers.

All work on the same principle, Harris said. "The pores of the laminate are smaller than water in liquid form, but larger than water in vapor form."

Most of the waterproof, breathable membranes are a shiny white, filmy material, often hidden by a third layer, the garment's inner lining.

Today's waterproof breathable fabrics are much improved over the stuff that made such a big splash 25 years ago.

"Every year, they improve the breathability," Harris said.

In fact, manufacturers tend to argue over whose material is actually the most "breathable." Gore-Tex, for example, now boasts "9 billion pores per square inch." (Talk about counting angels on the head of a pin!) But there is no accepted, standardized test for quantifying this.

You can conduct your own simple experiment on "breathable" with garments right at the clothes rack.

Hold a section of the jacket's inner lining up against your mouth and blow through it. The more moist warm air you feel coming through the jacket's exterior, the more "breathable" it is.

Reversing the test (by trying to blow air through the exterior of the jacket) should demonstrate that the material is also "wind-proof," that is, the air will not pass through the garment from an outside-in direction.

OK, so you've decided your new rainwear will be made of waterproof, windproof and breathable material. But there's more to think about.

First and foremost, Harris said, is to make sure rainwear fits comfortably in all the ranges of motion your favorite outdoor sports require, whether it's pedaling a bicycle or swinging a golf club. That includes making sure there's enough room to allow you to wear additional "layers" of clothing, if needed. And don't forget to check the hood to see if it fits your needs - some hoods are made extra large to allow room for wearing a climbing helmet inside them.

After fit, there is the matter of features.

One feature that most quality waterproof breathable rainwear provides (but check to make sure before you buy) is "taped seams." That means that all of the seams have been reinforced with a thin strip of waterproof laminate, to prevent any water from migrating through the holes created by the needle when the seam was sewn.

Speaking of migrating water, you really don't want any coming through your zippers or your sleeve cuffs. Many jackets use Velcro to hold waterproof fabric overlays in place over the zipper enclosure. Others use just snaps, around which water is more likely to move.

Adjustable cuffs are a good feature, Harris said, because "you might want to wear your cuffs differently if you were biking than if you were skiing with bulky gloves on." At the other extremity, zippers in the pant leg near the ankles will make it much easier to pull a pair of rain pants on over boots or shoes when a sudden downpour hits.

Another feature worth considering is manual venting - some jackets provide zippered vents, or openings through which heat and water vapor can escape when you're exercising heavily.

Which brings up an important point about "breathable" fabrics: even the best cannot breathe fast enough to carry away all the water vapor created during vigorous excercise.

Harris likened the breathable fabrics to a fine mesh screen.

"If you toss a handful of sand on that screen, all of it would go right through, and if you perspire a little bit, all the moisture is going to come up through the jacket," she said.

"But if you back a dump truck up to that screen and dump the whole truckload of sand on it at once, probably not all of that sand would filter through - and the same kind of thing goes for the breathability of a jacket."

Mechanical vents help reduce the heat overload. Pit vents are zippered openings in the armpit area. "Core vents," so-called because they are located in the chest area and carry heat away from the body's core - are simply zippered pockets made of mesh, through which air will easily pass.

Speaking of pockets, the number and location of those are also "features" in both rain jackets and rain pants.

Another feature is weight, or the absence of it.

Lightweight rain gear that can be carried in a small packet can be important for people - such as long-distance backpackers and cyclists - who find themselves in a downpour by chance, not by choice.

One of the lightest jackets on the market, Harris said, is the "Precip" by Marmot, which sells for about $100.

"They've taken a waterproof, breathable jacket and taken all the liners and the cushioning and all the inner pockets out of it to make it as light as possible.

"It wouldn't be the jacket I would pick for downhill skiing or mountain climbing - it's not incredibly durable. But if I were going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail and every ounce counted, this would be the rain gear I'd choose."

CAPTION(S):

The invention of `breathable' fabrics, such as Gore-Tex 25 years ago, revolutionized the rain gear industry. NICOLE DeVITO / The Register-Guard Outdoor enthusiasts can exercise as much as they want without getting soaked by sweat thanks to the advent of `breathable' rain gear. "You'd be hard pressed to name a single outdoor recreational activity that hasn't been improved by outerwear or footwear containing the Gore-Tex laminate." STEVE SHUSTER W.L. Gore & Associates - STEVE SHUSTER, W.L. Gore & Associates