Cotton and winter camping November 7, 2006
Posted by Jim Galley [ASM] in : general , trackback
There’s a common saying in the hiking / camping community that "cotton kills." The history behind this has to do with moisture management in cold and cool conditions. In fact, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wearing cotton when you can stay dry and warm. The problem is, it is much harder to stay dry and warm when hiking than most people think.
Problems with cotton occur when the cotton gets wet. Cotton does not wick moisture and can become abrasive when wet. When this happens you must watch out for blisters and packsores esp with cotton socks (Vinny, take note). Because it holds so much moisture, it can hold that moisture against your body and sap extra warmth from you. This can quickly lead to hypothermia. Cotton also gets heavy. If you wear cotton while hiking, you generally need to carry more "emergency" clothing in case your cotton does get wet (sweat, rain, or falling in while fording a river will all get you wet).
Likewise, silk loses it’s insulative properties when it gets wet and does not wick like modern hydrophobic fabrics.
Wool, on the other hand, will stay "relatively" warmer when wet but will absorb a great deal of moisture and become heavy. It will certainly shed water for some period of time, but if you get truly soaked, even the natural wool will hold a great deal more water than comparable synthetic fleece.
All of these fabrics take much longer to dry once wet than comparably weighted synthetic fabrics.
Remember this when you are packing for a winter trip: being cold can ruin a trip experience - sometimes seriously. Be prepared, and you will have an enjoyable experience.
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