+1 on the GoreTex craze - it is not worth its salt.

Many years back I bought into the hype and bought everything I could get my hands on that had GoreTex in it - for skiing, roadracing and hiking. BIG MISTAKE. It is just not worth it, it clogs up or 'cracks' - especially in gloves and boots it's proven to be even counter-effective and doesn't last a very long time.

Whenever I'm in doubt, I now always revert to the tried and proven old-school 'dress in layers' method. Cheap and efficient...