FAQs

The GORE-TEX® membrane has 9 billion pores per square inch, with each pore 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet. These tiny holes are too small for water and wind to pass through from the outside, which is how we can guarantee you'll stay dry and warm in a garment made with GORE-TEX® fabric. But these same pores are large enough for moisture vapor to pass through, so your body's perspiration is able to escape and you don't get clammy and uncomfortable.

GORE-TEX® fabric will last for many years. It's incredibly durable, and unlike other "waterproof/breathable" fabrics that can lose waterproofness after repeated laundering, flexing, abrasion, exposure to body oils or insect spray, the waterproofness and breathability of GORE-TEX® fabric is guaranteed under any conditions you may encounter.

Just put your GORE-TEX® garment in the washing machine in warm (104° F/40° C) water. Use powder or liquid detergent, don't use fabric softener and chlorine bleach. Then tumble dry on a normal warm setting and you're ready to go. That's it. Be sure to read the care tag in your garment for specific instructions.

Wash your garment as often as you need to. In fact, washing and tumble drying will actually help restore the water repellency performance of a GORE-TEX® garment.

Gore shell fabrics, the outermost fabric layer of a GORE-TEX® garment, are treated with an ultra thin polymer coating known as DWR, or durable water repellent. This coating causes water to bead up and roll off the outer layer of fabric, instead of being absorbed. Water repellent outer fabric provides additional insulation and prevents liquid from saturating your garment's outer fabric, a condition known as "wet out" that can make you feel damp and clammy. Your garment may even feel like it's leaking, although it's not. Regular wear and tear, plus exposure to dirt, detergents, and other impurities, causes DWR failure. The effective life of the DWR depends upon how you care for your garment and how rigorously it is used. The most effective way to maintain your garment's water and stain repellency is to wash, rinse, and put it in your dryer. Keep it clean! Be sure to read the care tag in your garment for specific instructions.

You can totally restore the water repellency (DWR) by using a topical DWR treatment product for outdoor fabrics, available at outdoor retail stores. (Note: We do not recommend wash in treatments.) These special treatments help maintain and restore the DWR on the outer shell fabric of the product so that it remains water and stain repellent. Anyone can properly maintain the DWR. When water no longer beads on your garment's outer fabric, simply apply a topical DWR treatment product according to its directions.

If the inside of your GORE-TEX® garment feels damp, a leak could be the problem, or it could be time to renew the durable water-repellent (DWR) waterproofing. As the waterproofing on the outer material starts to wear off with increasing garment age, leaks can develop, particularly in the shoulder and upper back areas. Even though the inside layer of GORE-TEX® remains watertight, liquid can then be sucked into the outside material, creating a feeling of dampness and causing a loss of heat. See the section on renewing the waterproofing.

Seam tape is used to seal the tiny holes created by sewing when GORE-TEX® fabric is made into garments. These holes may be small, but they can cause leaks. We specially manufacture our own GORE-SEAM® Tape and regulate the seam taping process to ensure compatibility with our fabrics and ensure the durability of seam waterproofness.

GORE-TEX® fabric is available only to our licensed manufacturers, who create garments and footwear to our exacting standards.

The GORE-TEX® membrane won't deteriorate with time, and our garments are guaranteed to be durably waterproof and breathable. Please use common sense and wear your garment for its intended use; i.e, don't wear a lightweight cycling jacket on a backcountry camping trip. If you maintain your garment properly, you can expect it to last.

Go ahead admit it. You tested the limits of your GORE® Wear product. Our products get that a lot, especially from us and they almost always pass with flying colors. But every once in a while, a small tear or puncture does occur.

In such cases you can trust our repair service partner Rainy Pass Repair. GORE® Wear is offering a repair service in the United States for our GORE-TEX® products. We are partnering with Rainy Pass Repair, a GORE-TEX® Fabrics Repair Specialist for over 25 years. If you are looking for an estimated quotation for the repair of your GORE® Wear garment, please contact Rainy Pass Repair at:

Rainy Pass Repair 4415 Stone Way North Seattle, WA 98103-7422 888-747-7867 / 206-523-8135 www.rainypass.com

WINDSTOPPER® fabrics utilize an ultralight inner membrane technology that combines total windproofness with maximum breathability. Engineered for a wide range activities and weather conditions, our fabrics are so comfortable and versatile, they often become favorite everyday outdoor garments as well.

There are four basic categories of WINDSTOPPER® fabrics: WINDSTOPPER® Active Shells are the lightest, most packable garment offering total windproofness, maximum breathability and water resistance. WINDSTOPPER® Active Shells keep you comfortable for enhanced performance during highly aerobic activities. WINDSTOPPER® Soft Shells offer total windproofness and maximum breathability, combining the comfort of a soft mid-layer and the water resistance of a shell in one garment. WINDSTOPPER® Soft Shells keep you comfortable with the freedom of movement you need for enhanced performance in a wide range of activities and weather conditions. WINDSTOPPER® Technical Fleece provides more warmth and comfort than non-windproof fleece with less bulk by combining total windproofness and maximum breathability. WINDSTOPPER® Technical Fleece is effective as a mid-layer or outer layer, keeping you warm and comfortable in cool and windy conditions. WINDSTOPPER® Insulated Shells provide lightweight warmth by combining total windproofness, maximum breathability and water resistance. WINDSTOPPER® Insulated Shells are designed to keep warm air in and the cold wind out, while allowing perspiration to easily escape. They are ideal for cold and windy conditions.

No. Because our ultralight WINDSTOPPER® membrane technology is built right into the fabric, it retains its windproofness over use — even after 100 wash and dry cycles. Other windproof products, such as some microfibers, can lose windproofness after only one wash cycle.

WINDSTOPPER® garments are windproof and breathable. While water resistant, they are not waterproof. GORE-TEX® garments are waterproof, breathable, and windproof. Both fabrics are extremely durable.

Hard-copy catalogs are supplied only to our specialist retailers, but an overview of our current collection is always available on the Internet. Our web pages are specifically designed for end users, and include a lot of information that is not provided in the retailer catalogs.

At the moment, there are no direct sponsorship arrangements for GORE® Wear. Your local retailer may be prepared to equip you with our products under a ‘Local Hero’ sponsorship deal. Please contact your retailer directly.

The product materials are shown on the garment care label.

All of the products in the current season’s line are shown on this site, but you will not see past-season products. If you can’t find something on the site, try using the Search, starting with a specific name or term. If the Search does not return the right match (or any at all), it could be that we do not make that product any longer, or that it is not available for the season.

There are many ways to check the status of your order. Check the email account you used to place your order, and take a look at the order confirmation message you received. Click the link for track my order'. If you created an account before or during the placement of your order, you may log into your account online on our home page and view your order history within my account' section. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to message our customer care team (https://support.gorewear.com/hc/en-us/requests/new) or call us toll free at (800) 551-2324 Monday - Friday 9am - 6pm EST.

When you place your order on GOREwear.com, your ultimate source for GORE® Wear apparel, you'll be asked to select a shipping timeframe. We offer multiple shipping options. Most orders ship within one business day of the order being placed and take 3-7 business days to arrive by standard ground shipping.

We want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase, but if something isn’t right, let us know and we will refund your purchase price.

You may return unworn and unwashed merchandise, with original tags intact, with your original packing slip within thirty (30) days of original purchase date, and we will refund your full purchase price. Refunds will be made in the form of a credit to the payment method used for the original purchase. If you are returning a gift, the purchaser will receive a refund on the original form of payment. Final sale items may not be returned. For exchanges, please process a return for the original purchase and place a new order on GOREwear.com. For returns and warranty claims where the items were not purchased on GOREwear.com, please return back to your original retailer or point-of-purchase.

Follow our return process, detailed below, to return your items and receive your refund. Step one: If you have the original invoice/packing slip that came with your item, fill out the bottom portion with your purchase and return details. Step two: Affix the enclosed pre-paid return label to your package. Write down or take a picture of your return label to keep a record of the tracking number. Step three: Take your package to your nearest UPS drop-off location. Step four: Look for your refund on your credit card in 2-3 weeks to account for shipping time to our warehouse, processing your return, and 3-5 business days for your bank to process the refund.

Currently we ship to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States. Please use the country selector to choose the correct site for your country.

GOREwear.com currently accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and PayPal for all orders.