: Gortex is just a trade name for that fabric, there are many other breathable
: fabrics that work the same way. My Bpod suit has a different brand name
: breathable fabric that works just fine.

: Bill H.

Bill, all breathable fabrics are not equal. I'm 100 percent convinced that GoreTex is still currently the best performing breathable fabric out there.

I've owned a Tropos dry top in the past and returned it after a couple of uses. Tropos is breathable but not to the same extent as GoreTex. Tropos is a brand name of waterproof breathable material designed by Kokatat, I assume so that they'd have a price-point product to compliment their Meridian GoreTex line.

If you're a person who doesn't perspire a whole lot, then Tropos might be a good choice for less money (there's a reason why it costs less). I tend to paddle a bit on the warm side and found that I was getting tablespoon sized puddles of water (sweat) forming in the elbows of the Tropos dry top (yuck). I can honestly say that I don't have that problem at all with the GoreTex XCR drysuit even on hot summer days. Note also that in winter months, the Tropos will no doubt seemingly perform better because of the overall lower temperatures.

I don't know anything about the durability of Tropos over the long haul, but it seems to be a lot lighter than GoreTex.

Kudzu, if you're mainly looking for something to keep you paddling safe during the winter months, the Tropos suit might be quite adequate.

Dan

http://www.westcoastpaddler.com

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