Hanks Clothing Newsletter and Blog

Gore-Tex Logo

Most people have heard of Gore-Tex waterproof membranes but quite often they don’t have a full understanding of what Gore-Tex really is. Gore-Tex is actually only a trademark for a waterproof breathable product. So it’s actually Gore-Tex “brand” membrane. Lots of items have been marketed so vigorously by the inventing companies that they think the trademark is an actual product when it isn’t. Many companies make waterproof membranes now and some have advanced past Gore-Tex in terms of durability and function. Other items that the trademark is thought to be the product are Thermos, Escalator, and Velcro. In one of my next post I’ll talk about our experience with Velcro brand hook and loop closure but for now back to the Gore-Tex. Continue reading after the jump for more…
Gore-Tex’s Main Patent Expired
Once the main patent on the Gore-Tex fabric expired it opened the door for other companies to duplicate it and even make it better. Now many companies use their own brand of waterproof membrane in boots, shoes, jackets, pants and more. Our experience here at Hanks is that we haven’t seen any noticeable difference in performance with the other brand membranes. We sell a lot of boots with waterproof membranes form Carolina, Rocky, Timberland, and Red Wing with their own brand of waterproof membrane and our return rate for leaking boots has not varied at all from when Gore-Tex was the primary membrane in most boots we sold. When I started at Hanks there were no waterproof leather boots. They all leaked. Then along came Gore-Tex and it worked and worked well, although expensive. In those early days of Gore-Tex it was a hard sell to get them out the door. The boots were expensive and the customers skeptical. Now it’s hard to sell boots without waterproof membranes! The difference in cost is minimal and they work well.

So remember Gore-Tex is a brand…not a product.
So in closing just remember that when you refer to Gore-Tex it’s Gore-Tex brand waterproof membrane. Most brand name boots today make more boots with their own brand membrane than Gore-Tex because it works just as well and the cost is a lot less. One smart thing Gore-Tex does is label all products that carry their brand very well so there is no doubt that it is Gore-Tex Brand waterproof membrane. They use hang tags and most boots with Gore-Tex have a label with the Gore-Tex logo sewn in a visible area of the boot. Companies like Velcro, who I’ll discuss in another post, don’t seem to supply manufactures with marketing materials to let people know that the hook and loop closure in the product is Velcro brand and not another brand of closure. So today most any brand of waterproof membrane seems to work as well as Gore-Tex and you can save enough money to go have a nice dinner. Thanks for taking a look and I’ll be back with more soon!

Brian

Brian has worked at Hanks Clothing for over 27 years and knows all the ins and outs of the clothing and shoe business. He is inspired to share his insight and experience with others. Brian has lived in scenic upstate NY for most of his life.

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