jawnn said:
is ther any material that wicks as well as wool???? or even close??
FWIW. Basically, as
Alienator (!) noted, for moisture to move between the inner boundary of a GoreTex garment/shell/tent and the outer boundary, the humidity has to be lower outside the "garment" ... that's usually not happening when it is actually raining. The inability of a GoreTex laminated fabric to breath when compared with a tightly woven fabric is ONE reason that zippers were introduced to the underams of backpacking/climbing shells.
About 30 years ago, (roughly) concurrent with the introduction of GoreTex lined "shells" for backpacking & climbing, it was recommended that the individual
wear a POLYPROPELENE layer against his/her body to wick-away the moisture ... and, the then "new" word to the common lexicon that was used was "synergy" to describe the layering system the end-user was supposed to use to achieve the greatest benefit from the GoreTex outer layer -- polypropelene / shirt / sweater / GoreTex shell.
Polypropelene garments come in several "weights" ... yes, it's the same material used for bristles in many brooms!
Go to REI ... or, anyplace that sells hunting-and-camping gear (e.g., KMART, WALMART) ... and, ask for the weight that is suitable for
XC skiing.
You don't need to wear GoreTex to wear use polypropelene under garments ...
So, when you are riding in conditions when it isn't actually raining, as I mentioned in another thread, you may want to consider other windproof fabrics which are moderately water-resistant (i.e., water droplets will bead on the fabric for a while ... but, eventually, the fabric will become saturated) -- 60-40, 65-35, Supplex, etc. -- all are "good enough" (to varying degrees) for a light rain IF you are wearing the proper under layers ... you can spray your windproof fabric with some SCOTCHGUARD if you want to increase their water repellency.
BOILED WOOL garments are windproof & water resistant (probably the stuff that Mallory, Hillary & other early expedition climbers used just underneath their outer shells ....), but much heavier than other fabrics/garments ... and, not cheap.