# Why Cotton Will Kill You on a Hiking Trip



## Eagles700LvL (Apr 10, 2014)

A local range posted this today, nothing new, but good information

Why Cotton Can Kill You on a Hiking Trip


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## hawgrider (Oct 24, 2014)

^^Good post !^^


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## James m (Mar 11, 2014)

Carhartt looks like it uses a lot of cotton.


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## Kahlan (Sep 16, 2014)

Thank you, great article. I just had to go and check the items in my ghb to make sure none of it was cotton. They weren't!


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

I have a more adverse reaction to cold weather in general that with cotton.

In Texas, anything but cotton will lead to heat exhaustion and death.

YMMV.


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## dannydefense (Oct 9, 2013)

James m said:


> Carhartt looks like it uses a lot of cotton.


They use primarily Duck (cotton), and while their clothing is extremely heavy duty and warm, you won't find a lot of people scaling Everest in it. Or your local mountains for that matter. It's great if you're out in the fields, tossing hay, or fixing a tractor, nothing better. The fact that it gets such heavy use by everyone from roughnecks to farmers to city urchins who want to look cowboy probably means it's also in a lot of prepper packages, and if you're one of those people, you really ought to reconsider it!



Kauboy said:


> In Texas, anything but cotton will lead to heat exhaustion and death.
> 
> YMMV.


There's a metric ton of breathable materials that will survive just fine in Texas, or Nevada or any of the semi-arid desert regions we've got. Under Armor is one of the few brand names that can live up to their hype.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

Change your clothes and socks before climbing into the sleeping bag. Any clothes that have absorbed sweat during the day will cause you to freeze your kiwi's off at night!


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Great reminder.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

Kauboy said:


> I have a more adverse reaction to cold weather in general that with cotton.
> 
> In Texas, anything but cotton will lead to heat exhaustion and death.
> 
> YMMV.


I disagree. I wear synthetics in the extreme heat at work in the summer. Shirt, pants, socks and underwear. I hate staying soaked all day when I'm active. I've also found I don't need as much body powder when I wear synthetics. If you drink lots of water and slow down you won't get dehydrated or heat stroke/exhausted. When you're sweating like crazy due to high activity the wicking shirts will cool you down by evaporation much better than cotton. You just have to stay hydrated. If I ever find myself in a desert survival situation I might change my mind.


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## GTGallop (Nov 11, 2012)

I'm in deep shit. Everything I own is cotton.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

For me it's not a one is better than the other proposition when it comes to synthetic vs natural fabric. Each has a use that it excels in and likewise each has it's down fall. 

You can take a narrow slice of all probabilities and spin it anyway you like. In the article it's a slice of cold wet weather, and synthetics excel in that environment. In hot climates the fact that cotton absorbs and retains water is a plus. 

I live in what is considered an extreme climate zone above a hundred in the summer below zero on the winter and everything in between, that's the conditions of a high desert. I have a mix of clothing that is both synthetic and natural. It is not a matter of one being better than the other rather that one is better suited to a particular weather situation than another.


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## scramble4a5 (Nov 1, 2012)

GTGallop said:


> I'm in deep shit. Everything I own is cotton.


Time to go shopping!


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## sparkyprep (Jul 5, 2013)

Cotton is necessary in the heat and high humidity of Florida. Synthetic fabrics just don't " breath" enough. I work construction, outside. Cotton is key, so says I.


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## jro1 (Mar 3, 2014)

cotton is fine for when your at work, nothing collects "stink" like synthetics do in the heat! But I agree 100% that wool is the way to go for surviving the cold. even when wool is wet, it retains 70% of it's heat! Synthetics are a good alternative when hiking or mountaineering, as it is extremely light weight and dries quickly! but...Synthetics will not keep you warm like wool can! you can pic up some good light weight wool clothing from hiking stores, the technoloy is changing all the time. icebreaker is one of my favorite companies that make high quality, light weight, wool clothing....only thing....you pay dearly for it $$$
Icebreaker | New Zealand Merino Wool Clothing and Apparel


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Kahlan said:


> Thank you, great article. I just had to go and check the items in my ghb to make sure none of it was cotton. They weren't!


Don't throw I all out based on this Cotton has it's place


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## Kahlan (Sep 16, 2014)

Smitty901 said:


> Don't throw I all out based on this Cotton has it's place


The only clothing I have in my ghb is underarmor and some wigwam socks. For winter weather they seemed the best choice. Neither are cotton. Though after reading all the responses I can see how the fabric could vary depending on climate and season.


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## Daddy O (Jan 20, 2014)

I wear cotton all the time, but then I live in the desert. Not crazy about camping and synthetics, they do not fare well around campfires. Wool is not even an option.

What are long underwear made of? I do wear some of those in synthetics and they work really well. Haven't tried getting wet while wearing them though.

I had a friend who got hyporthermia in August in Tucson AZ. No kidding. Mixing alcohol and teenage stupidity, and a little stream water, middle of the night, and you got the recipe for waking up dead. He survived that event but died a few years later (from unrelated drunkenness and speed).


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

can't go wrong with ECWCS layer 1 silkweight feel and wear great in all weather.

Rothco is fairly affordable I highly recommend them


they're very breathable they're anti-bacterial treated and laundered with just soap and water. they look great too I have had people steal them from me. they are fashionable enough to get you into a club for the uppers


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## graynomad (Nov 21, 2014)

My main garb is always cotton, but depending on the conditions I layer with polypropylene long undies and over clothes.


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## TacticalCanuck (Aug 5, 2014)

Thanks that was a fantastic read. Now to reasses my clothing.


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## Pir8fan (Nov 16, 2012)

Anyone that's spent a lot of time in the wilderness knows that cotton is an absolute mistake. Even in the middle of summer, my socks are merino wool, pants and shirts are synthetics. Take cotton to a place like Southeast Alaska and at best you'll be absolutely miserable.


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