Answers to the questions people ask most often about GORE-TEX products and
technologies. If yours is not here, ask us — or start a claim or repair when the
product itself is the issue.
Claims & repairs
A problem with your product?
A leak, a tear, a broken zip — or you want someone to check whether the
guarantee applies. That request does not belong in the FAQ.
Technology, care, where to buy, or how the guarantee works in principle.
The answers are on this page, below.
Ask directly
Product, care, advice, or shipping — this is where a conversation
starts, without turning into a service case.
General
An ingredient brand built around comfort and protection for time outside.
The technologies are developed with apparel and footwear partners, who make
the finished products people buy.
No. Durably waterproof, windproof, and breathable products carry the black
diamond and the Guaranteed to Keep You Dry promise. Products with the white
diamond are made for wind and changeable weather. They shed water. They are
not durably waterproof.
For black-label products, a membrane sits between textile layers — for
example face fabric, membrane, and lining — and is bonded by lamination.
Seams in apparel are sealed with tape. Construction, zippers, and certified
factories are part of the same standard, not only the membrane.
Black-diamond products with the waterproof promise contain a GORE-TEX
membrane, in garments, footwear, gloves, and accessories. Windproof products
with the white diamond use a windproof, breathable membrane of their own.
Laminates are not sold on their own. Finished jackets, shoes, gloves, and
packs come from brand partners and retailers. The site shows examples of
how that works.
Buy from brand partners, specialist retailers, and GOREWEAR. Counterfeits
can look close, but they are not made in certified factories and they do
not pass the same rain testing. If a purchase looks wrong, contact consumer
service with photos of the label and hangtag.
Follow the care label on the product and wash regularly. Care is what keeps
waterproof and windproof pieces performing. If the product is damaged, that
is a repair — not a care question.
The Guaranteed to Keep You Dry promise
Only products with the black diamond hangtag that says Guaranteed to Keep
You Dry. Windproof products with a white diamond are not included.
Look for the black diamond hangtag. If it is gone, the mark is often still
inside the product. If you are unsure, consumer service can check.
It covers waterproofness, windproofness, and breathability for the useful
life of the product, for the original owner of an item bought new. There is
no fixed number of years, because a running shoe and a mountain shell are
not used the same way.
The time a product can still deliver the performance it was designed for.
Regular care extends that. A product is past useful life when damage or
wear means waterproof, windproof, breathable performance cannot be
restored. Gore judges that one product at a time.
The guarantee itself is free for consumers. You pay to ship the product in
for assessment. Return shipping is covered. Outside a major market, Gore
looks for a way to keep the inbound cost reasonable.
No. Tears, punctures, and heavy abrasion are for the owner to have repaired.
Broken zippers, buttons, and similar manufacturing faults belong with the
place you bought the product, or with the brand that made it. To start a
repair, use the claim-or-repair path above — not this FAQ.
A receipt shows price, date, original owner, and that the product is
genuine. Those facts decide whether a returned item still has useful life
and whether the guarantee applies. A digital copy is enough.
GORE-TEX products
The range with the black diamond: durably waterproof, windproof, and
breathable. Choose by activity. Every product in that range shares those
three properties. Some add others.
Alterations can open the waterproof construction. Embroidery needs seam
sealing, which only an authorised facility should do. Unsealed needle holes
let water in. If a change is unavoidable, ask before anyone cuts or sews.
WINDSTOPPER products by GORE-TEX LABS
No. They are made for wind, cold, and the odd shower. Some shed water. They
are not durably waterproof, and the Guaranteed to Keep You Dry promise does
not apply. Look at the diamond hangtag to tell them apart.
When the day is dry, cold, or windy, and you want breathability and wind
protection more than a waterproof shell. Gloves, headwear, and jackets in
the range are built for that.
Care
Usually at 40 °C with a small amount of liquid detergent. Skip powder
detergent, fabric softener, and chlorine bleach. The care label on the
garment comes first. After air drying, a short time in a dryer on low
refreshes the repellent finish. If the label says no dryer, do not use one.
As often as dirt or smell requires. Washing and drying also revive the
repellent finish. It does not need a cycle of its own. A second rinse helps
clear detergent. Stain removers and bleach are a bad idea.
Durable water repellent (DWR)
DWR is a thin finish on the outside fabric so water beads instead of soaking
in. The membrane can still be waterproof when the face fabric wets out, but
the piece feels cold and clammy. Dirt, sunscreen, detergent, and wear use
the finish up. It is not permanent, and it is not what the guarantee covers.
Wash, dry, then add heat — a short dryer cycle or a low iron with a cloth
between iron and fabric. If water still will not bead, apply a wash-in or
pump-spray treatment and follow the pack. Heat activates it. Gore does not
endorse one brand of reproofing product.
When water stops beading. The product can still be waterproof. Comfort is
what drops. PFAS-free finishes need this refresh more often because they
resist oil less. Washing regularly is part of keeping them working.
Concept mock for discussion. Layout references the public GORE-TEX FAQ. It is not the
live site, and it is not linked from the demo navigation.
GORE-TEX
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