I recently purchased a new "Gortex Type R Class 3" Rain jacket. the label claims an APTV of 31 cal/cm2 for the Hi-Vis portion, and 34 cal/cm2 for the black portion. Honestly though, it is terribly thin, and falls under my "too good to be true" category. There is literally no insulation padding I normally see in something with this rating. Is this new?

Hi there, I'm confirming that what you see is true. Gore-tex have developed some incredible fabrics that have very high arc ratings. The fabrics have multiple layers that are laminated to create a single layer, and don't require any insulation batting or pleating for the high level thermal protection. Of course, when seeing a label that identifies two different arc ratings, you need to go with the lower of the two as your protection. I encourage anyone to consider Gor-tex Pyrad products for arc-rated protection. Here is a link to their website for more information, <deleted link to commercial website>

Jim Pollard