Gore-Tex Pro Shell Leather in detail

We told you about Gore-Tex’s new waterproof leather a couple weeks ago. Now we know how it works. The three-layer material consists of specially treated leather with a Gore-Tex membrane laminated to the inside. A liner is then attached, protecting the membrane and keeping the leather from abrading your skin in a crash — just like a normal leather jacket. Laminating the membrane to the leather allows the two materials to move and stretch together, so it will feel just like leather to wear.
It’s not just the laminate that makes this material special though. The leather itself is treated to improve its performance in a wide range of weather conditions. To make it more suitable for hot weather, a special dye is added to the leather to make it capable of reflecting up to 30 percent of the sun’s energy. The membrane is also breathable, allowing a rider’s body heat and moisture to escape. For wet weather, the leather is treated with chemicals to make it water repellent. This means it will soak up less than 10 percent of its weight in water and dry faster when the sun comes back out. Both processes can be done with normal or perforated leather, and the company claims neither alters the leather’s natural aniline texture.

Dainese, Rukka, Aerostich, Alpinestars, Hein Gericke, Kushitani and Stadler have already signed up to include the material in their ranges. We can’t wait to try it out.

Gore-Tex