FutureLight - The North Face
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Jason4
The comparisons to OR's AscentShell membrane don't sound like it's the revolution that TNF is hyping. I had a pair of OR Skyward pants last winter and loved them for touring and wanted GoreTex for lapping chairs. I loved the breathability and stretch of the pants as long as I was standing and didn't sit on a wet seat or let precip accumulate on my thighs but comparing the waterproofness to GoreTex is not realistic.
From what I know, it’s all just based on how you tune the membrane. Its a continuum between breathability and waterproof - size of the ‘holes’ in the membrane. Different activities and climates require different tunings. There is no magic material (yet?).
Waterproof -> Breathable
Goretex — Event — Neoshell — Other?
Not sure where FutureLight is being positioned. OR uses a variety of tunings I think. Rab is going past Neoshell maybe?
Powershield opened up the idea of not-quite-waterproof many years ago with microperforations, this is just an evolution of the concept, with better control over the ‘perfs’.
Remember though that you can kill a high breathability membrane with poor choices of face fabrics and backing materials (just like you can kill a ‘breathable’ insulation).