Gore-Tex® vs Sympatex Fabric Technology: Which One is Better?

Gore-Tex vs Sympatex Fabric Technology: Which One is Better?

With the bad weather upon us, and knowing that it will continue getting worse before it gets any better, we all turn to our jackets and outdoor clothing to keep us warm and dry in such conditions.

While there is certainly no shortage of winter clothing out there, not all of them perform the same and as such, they come with certain features such as being waterproof, water-resistant, windproof, and so on, all terms that we are sure you have come across before.

The material and design of a jacket are what give it all of the abilities we mentioned above. By material, we don’t solely mean polyester, nylon, cotton, or any other type of normal fabric out there. While some of those might provide some level of protection, when it comes to wet and unstable weather those fabrics cannot cope on their own.

Enter fabric technologies. These fabrics are specially made to withstand heavy rain, snow blizzards, harsh winds, and wear and tear. But that is not all, as these fabrics are also designed to be breathable, a very important quality, especially for sports clothing.

In some of our previous fabric technology comparisons, we used Gore-Tex®, the most renowned waterproof technology, as the point of reference for other technologies.

Today we will do the very same, as we look at Sympatex, an eco-friendly fabric technology that is a newcomer on our site, as it has not been featured in any previous reviews or selections.

Let’s get started!

Contents:

1. Gore-Tex® Fabric Technology

Gore-Tex® is both a brand name and a fabric technology. As a brand, it was established in the 70s, after the renaming of the original company, which was established in 1959 by Wilbert L. and Genevieve Gore.

Read also: How Does Gore-Tex® Technology Work? An In-Depth Look

As a fabric technology, it came to be in the early ’70s, when the son of Wilbert and Genevieve created ePTFE, the core material of Gore-Tex.

Gore-Tex Logo

ePTFE is a microporous material, which is able to prevent water from seeping through, due to its very low adsorption rate. It is also incredibly durable, giving Gore-Tex jackets and clothes a reputation for being extremely long-lasting.

The millions of pores available per square inch, while preventing water droplets from moving through, do, instead, allow perspiration vapor to pass, giving Gore-Tex its breathable quality.

In terms of performance, Gore-Tex, as we have mentioned in previous comparisons, can be considered as:

  • a membrane, due to the ePTFE, which withstands water;
  • a laminate because the ePTFE is bonded between two layers of fabrics;
  • a technology because it can be used for different purposes and is breathable, along with being waterproof.

Gore-Tex is used in several outdoor clothing designs and gear, but it is most commonly recognized for its use in jackets and shoes.

Gore-Tex Threefold Nature Illustration

Read next: Gore-Tex vs Dermizax Fabric Technology: Which is Better?

Performance Options

There is not a single Gore-Tex fabric, as that would be too generalizing and lacking in terms of performance. Different activities have different requirements and as such, a fabric technology needs to adapt to that.

Gore-Tex is available in the following performance options:

  • Paclite – the lightest option, suitable for casual and light daily wear.
  • Pro – very durable and highly breathable, suitable for mild outdoor sports.
  • Active – highly waterproof and the most breathable of the options, it is suitable for physically demanding sports.
  • Pro Shell – typically used in shoes, gloves, and socks, made to be extremely resistant to abrasion.
What is GORE-TEX Product Technology

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You might also like: The Best Gore-Tex Rain Jackets for Fall and Winter

2. SympaTex Fabric Technology

SympaTex is a waterproof fabric technology made by SympaTex Technologies GmbH in Germany (here are some other German outdoor brands).

While it performs like a true fabric technology, there is something that sets it apart from the other options available, it is eco-friendly and 100% recyclable. The reason for this is that it is made of a hydrophilic polyether-ester polymer, which is a natural composition that is biodegradable.

To further guarantee its safety, SympaTex has received numerous certifications that express exactly that, one such certification being the Oeko-Tex Standard, which ensures that the material is harmless to our health. The Bluesign certification, on the other hand, ensures that SympaTex is not harmful to the environment either.

In terms of construction, it is a non-porous membrane, unlike the ePTFE of Gore-Tex.

Now, you might be wondering about breathability, since we mentioned above that the micropores are what allow Gore-Tex to “breathe” as a fabric.

Well, SympaTex does in fact breathe, and very well actually, but it does so through a chemical process, which is attributed to the hydrophilic nature of its components.

two people hiking

What happens is, as the membrane picks up high levels of moisture, it expands, thus allowing moisture from inside the body to move out through the molecule chains. Therefore, the warmer and the more humid the inside of the jacket, the more moisture the membrane is able to transport out.

Another quality of this membrane is that it can be used along numerous materials, which serve as a base, thus creating a laminate that can be used in different clothing items, including shoes.

Read also: Patagonia H2No vs Gore-Tex Technology: Which is Better?

Laminate Options

Just as we saw with Gore-Tex, SympaTex, too, comes in several options that serve different purposes. Some are lighter and the thicker-layer ones are more durable and weather-resistant. These include:

  • 2L Laminate,
  • 2.5L Laminate,
  • 3L Laminate,
  • 4L Laminate.
Sympatex Membrane - windproof, waterproof, breathable

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3. Comparison: Gore-Tex® vs SympaTex

Now that we have a better idea as to what to expect from these two fabric technologies, it’s time to take a look at how their performance measures up.

Waterproof Rating

Since we started with Gore-Tex, let’s first go through its waterproof rating, which measures at around 28.000 mm, and can go over that for some of the options. This categorizes it as highly waterproof, which means a longer duration under heavy rain or snowfall.

On the other hand, SympaTex has a base water column of 20.000 mm, putting it to an almost identical performance level as Gore-Tex, but in certain laminate layers, it can go up to 45.000 mm.

Therefore, in this regard, SympaTex has a slight advantage, but overall they perform similarly.

GORE-TEX Products Test #1: Waterproofness

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Breathability and Wind-resistance

As we mentioned before, breathability is the ability of a fabric to allow perspiration vapor to move through and out. This ability is measurable and in the case of Gore-Tex it is around 15.000 g/m2/24h at base level, and in the case of Gore-Tex Active, it can go above that. This same performance option has a RET (resistance to evaporative heat transfer) of 3, which is considerably breathable.

In the case of SympaTex, there is only a RET measurement available, which is around 0.5 RET, making it highly breathable.

In regards to wind resistance, both fabrics are windproof.

Durability and Wear

In terms of durability, Gore-Tex outdoes any fabric technology, as the ePTFE membrane is highly durable and does not really give in to the elements or wear. Therefore, out of the two, it will last longer.

When it comes to wear, SympaTex is the definite winner as it is a very comfortable fabric, that has the ability to stretch considerably. Gore-Tex, due to the ePTFE membrane is quite stiff, and as such it is not the most comfortable to wear.

mountains climber

Environmental Concerns

We did mention that SympaTex is an eco-friendly fabric technology, due to its components being natural and 100% recyclable.

ePTFE is a synthetic material, as such it does affect the environment, making it the least eco-friendly of the two. It is also very slow to degrade in nature, unlike polyether and ester, which are natural components.

The use of DWR treatment is present in both fabrics, but PFC-free DWR products are used in both cases, meaning a very minimal environmental impact.

Gore-Tex has also made considerable progress in minimizing its impact, but still, out of the two, SympaTex is the better option for those of you who are especially concerned with sustainability.

Which One Is Better?

We rarely have a straightforward answer to this question, the reason being that it all depends on what you are looking for.

Because these fabrics perform very similarly, there isn’t much to consider as to which is the better option.

However, with all that being said, SympaTex shows impressive performance qualities that we have not really seen often in previous comparisons.

Make of that what you will. We will see you in the next one!

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Read next: Columbia Omni-Tech vs Gore-Tex: A Comparison

13 Comments

  1. Very thorough comparison, I’m impressed. Just bought a pair of hanwag boots,the assistant said sympatex was twice as good as gtx obviously not

  2. I have a brand new Royal Canadian Navy issued Goretex rain jacket and pants and German Bundeswehr SympaTex rainjacket and bibs (used, surplus). I would say the RCN Goretex rain jacket is much stiffer and heavier than BW Sympatex one. So for my hiking trips, I would take my BW gear.

  3. What is the expected lifespan of Sympatex? I would feel silly buying emergency use gear that will start biodegrading in three years.

    I am extremely wary of Sympatex because I read that the membrane physically changes with humidity levels. How does it change, and maintain the same level of waterproof mm? DOES it actually change, or are they just saying that?

    As to Oceanograhers comment above, I would like to point out that there are multiple levels of Gore-tex and Sympatex, designed for heavier and lighter exertion. A Sympatex jacket designed to protect you from a spring shower while you’re on a hike smelling the flowers probably won’t cut it when you need a heavy Gore-tex coat to protect you from a winter blizzard while you trek through the snow checking on instruments.

    That’s not an honest comparison, of course, as I don’t fully understand, or even trust Sympatex’s claims yet.

    • Been using sympatex jackets for last fifteen years with no issues. Mainly for snowmobiling, alpine skiing, Cross-country skiing and more crawling around in snow (or heavy rain). Can’t back up my claims with any science but they work very well for me from -40°c to +15°c with humidity ranging from 0 to 100%. Swedish fall, winter, spring and parts of the summer. My current jacket is around ten years old and is still 90% fine (right arm needs new impregnation because it soaks up water if it’s very wet, rest is still good). I use it 8-9 months a year for everything and the right arm is probably much more worn because of my job as mailman. So the arm goes out my car window 6000~ times a week.

      I get incredibly warm when doing physical things and the jacket has been letting out the steam well regardless of weather

    • I have a couple of surplus BW wet weather suits from the 90’s and they still work well.

  4. I would really appreciate if it was described how do both technologies perform in relation to external temperature. The wear is used not only in cold temperatures then probably both of the technologies work well, but what about breathability when it’s warm or hot? But please don’t tell me to take off my jacket when its warm
    I’d love to see a simple table showing RET in relation to external temperature. Thank you in advance..

  5. Its like comparing apples and pears.
    Sympatex in fact does not “breathe” – it only transfers moisture outside.

  6. I’ve owned a Sympatex outer-shell jacket for snowboarding for 18 years. I’ve used it every year in cold / windy / snowy / warm / raining weather in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Alaska; It’s kept me warm and dry through it all. Not only is it effective, it’s also durable and comfortable. I’m about to buy another one, since my (ahem) body dimensions have changed over the years.

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