Ever since the rainy annual camp I went on as a young Cadet in which is got soaked through with sweat while wering a "waterproof" British army issue jacket and trousers I immediately developed an aversion to modern fabrics and in particular goretex. This only got reinforced from reading all the negative comments that echo my childhood experience, so I quickly parted the small fortune and became a fan of ventile and wool and subscribed to the water managment philosophy where you expect to get wet, but try your best to avoid getting soaked through, thinking it was the only practical way there is.
Last week while browsing the local charity shop I came accross a brand new British army issue MVP combat jacket liner NSN: 8415-99-869-2235 which is a thin lightweight single layer goretex pocketless jacket with fully taped seams and a hood so vast that you can barely see infront of you when it's pulled over your head!
For £5 I thought it was a low-risk experiment to give goretex another chance and today in Nottingham it's been torrential rain all day so I donned my new Goretex jacket as well as the 5.11 rain pants I bought years ago when the 5.11 tactical gear was going for peanuts on the m&m direct online shop, mounted my bicycle and went for a 5 miles ride and to my delight I was both completely dry at the end of the ride and did not feel clammy or sweaty even when pedalling hard.
Needless to say I am now a fan of goretex and I reckon what I wore in the cadets was the old pre soldier 95 plastic garb rather than the newer MVP (groetex) stuff.
Last week while browsing the local charity shop I came accross a brand new British army issue MVP combat jacket liner NSN: 8415-99-869-2235 which is a thin lightweight single layer goretex pocketless jacket with fully taped seams and a hood so vast that you can barely see infront of you when it's pulled over your head!
For £5 I thought it was a low-risk experiment to give goretex another chance and today in Nottingham it's been torrential rain all day so I donned my new Goretex jacket as well as the 5.11 rain pants I bought years ago when the 5.11 tactical gear was going for peanuts on the m&m direct online shop, mounted my bicycle and went for a 5 miles ride and to my delight I was both completely dry at the end of the ride and did not feel clammy or sweaty even when pedalling hard.
Needless to say I am now a fan of goretex and I reckon what I wore in the cadets was the old pre soldier 95 plastic garb rather than the newer MVP (groetex) stuff.