Where does Gore-Tex come from?

Gore-Tex comes from Newark, Delaware, the United States, first documented in 1976.

Plate No. 141fabric

The smooth technical shell of the waterproof-breathable laminate.

First documented: 1976
Origin: Newark, Delaware, Delaware, United States
Fiber: ePTFE membrane, nylon, polyester
Weave: laminate: a microporous membrane bonded to a face cloth
Family: manufactured

Plate No. 141 · fabric

Gore-Tex

Gore-Tex is not a woven cloth but a laminate, built around a thin microporous membrane of expanded PTFE, the stretched form of the same fluoropolymer as Teflon. The membrane's pores are too small for liquid water drops to pass but large enough for water vapor, so it is waterproof from the outside yet lets sweat escape, the trick called waterproof-breathable. Invented when Bob Gore stretched heated PTFE in 1969 and brought to market from 1976, it bonded to ordinary face fabrics and remade rain gear, mountaineering shells, and waterproof footwear.

Illustration: a mountaineer in a hooded waterproof shell seen from behind on a storm-lashed alpine ridge, rain driving sideways, a coiled rope and ice axe, grey peaks vanishing into cloud — A mountaineer in a hooded waterproof shell seen from behind on a storm-lashed alpine ridge, rain driving sideways, a coiled rope and ice axe, grey peaks vanishing into cloud.

Named for

A trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates, from the company name plus the Gore family who founded it.

Common questions

What is Gore-Tex made of?: Gore-Tex is not a woven cloth but a laminate, built around a thin microporous membrane of expanded PTFE, the stretched form of the same fluoropolymer as Teflon. It is traditionally made of ePTFE membrane, nylon, or polyester.
Where does Gore-Tex come from?: Gore-Tex comes from Newark, Delaware, the United States, first documented in 1976.
What is Gore-Tex named after?: A trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates, from the company name plus the Gore family who founded it.