Whether you’re buying a jacket, pair of shoes or backpacking sleeping bag, there are a lot of different fabric technologies to choose from. Choosing the right one can be daunting, but knowing some of the specifics of different technologies and how they differ from each other can help you narrow down your options.

gore tex pfoa

For the first time, Gore is offering a version of its key waterproofing membrane that does not contain the toxic chemicals known as PFOA (perfluorooctanoate). These chemicals are found in many household products and are persistent in the environment, and their elimination from all products is a top priority for many outdoor brands.

Gore’s new option, called ePTFE, will still use the same material as its existing product, but it uses a different coating treatment that does not require PFOA. Gore says its ePTFE will offer similar performance to the existing product in the same areas where it is used, including protection from rain and wind.

Invented by Wibert Gore in 1976, this space-age material is made from porous expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and is best known for protective, breathable rainwear. It’s also widely used in the military for helmets and other gear, as well as in a variety of applications in industry, including wires that transmit electricity at lightning-fast rates underground in oil drilling operations and under the sea in submarines.

PTFE has outstanding electrical properties, which are why it’s also used in ribbon cable for computers. It can even be used to replace human tissue in vascular grafts. It’s strong, biocompatible and can carry blood at arterial pressures without leaking. It can also be formed into small forms to create insulated electrical wires for the brain probes that help doctors diagnose cancer and other serious conditions.