Here's the deal:

I have an 15-year-old 2-ply GoreTex jacket. It's served me well, but its day as a waterproof breathable is done.

However, the zippers/snaps and outer nylon shell are still good. It would make a great wind shell for our dry winter climate.

I've cut out the inner nylon liner. Now I need to peel the GoreTex membrane off the outer nylon. It's bonded to it. Barring a better solution, I'm thinking about taking it to the car wash and taking the 2000 psi hose to it.

Any brilliant ideas?

What? What was wrong with the jacker? if the membrane originally started to delaminated, then it's time to use the lifetime warrant on gore-tex Usually i destroy the zippers way before that happens... (no life warranty...)

Yeah, if a brand name Goretex garment highly likely to get a free replacement from the manufacturer. They apparently like to get back failed stuff to test and evaluate. Fifteen years is a pretty good run in any event.

Hmm, thanks for your thoughts, but it hadn't even crossed my mind to return it.

That feels akin to abuse to me, considering I paid $100 at a store's going out of business sale, and got a dozen years of highly reliable hiking/backpacking use out of it. L. Gore & Associates doesn't owe me a thing; they make a bloody fine product IMHO.

I already have a new GoreTex jacket, with many miles left on it.

What I really need is a light, full coverage, breathable wind shell for outdoor adventure in our dry, cold Alberta winters. You can't get these things for love nor money, at least not any more.

It would amuse me greatly (aside from being very practical) to rework this jacket into something "new" and fit-for-purpose. It has a lot of history, and a lot of good memories.

I have received free replacements for peeling linings from both Helly-Hansen and REI.

If I remember correctly, the cleaning instructions say "Do NOT dry clean", which may be because it will cause the lining to peel. Not a suggestion, just a thought.

If you cannot get hold of a Ventile Cotton jacket (e.g. Westwinds) then perhaps you might be able to get hold of a much lighter (half the weight) EDZ Epic Sierra Jacket with Hood.

http://www.thermalshop.co.uk/product/epic_sierra_jacket_with_hood

http://www.nextec.com/epic_softshell.html

Thanks for the ideas. I'll let you know how it turns out.

You might try heat, although I think the older Goretex was some form of Teflon. Try a small place first.

Lay paper over the spot and set a dry iron on it. If it works at all (no guarantees), you might have to adjust the heat level -- start at LOW. Ideally, the film will soften and stick to the paper like a blotter so it can be lifted off.

But here is a site that may be able to provide some suggestions (see the chart about 1/4 of the way down: Gore-Tex: An Introduction to the Material and Treatments

Sue

Thanks, Sue. A very interesting read. Chemically, the stuff seems indestructible. And who knew you could make wires out of pure goretex/PTFE?

Controlled heat might do the trick. I was thinking about a steam iron with a damp tea towel in between to regulate the temperature. That may take more patience than I can muster, though.

Doug, from past experiments like these, I would avoid steam and other forms of moisture. Just use a dry iron and gradually raise the temperature until the stuff lifts off, or the base fabric melts or catches fire...

Sue