Gore-Tex Stretch Fabric

Gore-Tex Stretch Fabric

By Silvia Galliani

Improved comfort and freedom of movement

Whatever the outdoor sport, from hiking to skiing, up to climbing, running or cycling, being able to move freely is a fundamental aspect. For this reason, the Gore-Tex fabric with Stretch technology provides a completely new way to guarantee a greater freedom of movement that the previous waterproof fabrics did not allow. This new fabric technology is characterized by low resistance to distension and high elasticity, but without compromising the performance of persistent impermeability.
Up to now, in fact, the existing waterproof stretch fabric was limited by the maximum possible mechanical relaxation of the combination of outer fabric and waterproof membrane.
The Gore-Tex fabric with Stretch technology is instead elastic almost four times as much compared to the best technology of Gore’s previous waterproof stretch fabric.
To allow a greater relaxation, the realization has completely changed. In fact, this technology uses a three-dimensional topographic structure with integrated elastic properties. The three-dimensional structure is an essential element to guarantee to the fabric its exclusive elasticity. The low elongation force avoids compressing the underlying layers, maximizing insulation and heat and still allowing the garment to move easily together with the wearer. This allows the Stretch fabrics to be used as inserts in selected areas of the garments in which it is desired to exploit the advantages and in which flexibility is essential, such as the upper back and the side panels of a jacket or the lower back, knees and the groin area of ​​the pants.

All this results in a better fit, thanks to extreme mobility and recovery, garments respect the size, flexing up to 100% accommodate the changing layers of clothing below. Stretch inserts, which require very little effort to stretch out, allow you to wear more or fewer clothes below the outer layer without the garment tightening or impeding freedom of movement. Therefore, a single garment can easily adapt to various clothing layering possibilities. A better fit increases breathability by up to 25% more, creating higher levels of comfort without compromising protection or functionality.