is it okay to wear cotton during summer?

“well?”

“No. You must go nekkid!!


Seriously. Nude is best.”

“that would be a way of saving money!!!”

“Cotton is OK, it is a matter of personal comfort. The main "problem" with cotton is that it retains moisture.”

“so moisture during summer is good right? (thinking about how I always want to jump into a creek when it gets too hot)”

“Nekkid swimming is good too.”

“walkindude must be on something tonight. you okay??”

“Coolmax shirts really do make a world of difference. Cotton acts like a gigantic sponge and holds sweat. With coolmax, it wisks away from your body and evaporates much, much faster. I usually hike with a coolmax t-shirt and a pair of nylon shorts in the summer, works good for me. :-)”

“I read something that said that cotton was ok in extreme heat. Like in a desert”

“I wore cotton in the summer for years. It didn't kill me. It will even keep you a little cooler, because it holds the water closer to your skin and you may not sweat as much as in a polyester shirt. However, it also takes longer to dry, which can be uncomfortable if you choose to go for a swim in your clothes or if you get caught in the rain.”

“it's hard to find short that look at least a little cool and are not cotton, that's why I am asking”

“Naw, I'm just silly. Don't you remember, I don't drink or do drugs. I'm totally straight.

In all seriousness though, I have hiked nude before when it was real hot outside.”

“I thought the name was WalkinDude not WalkinNude, LOL


And I definitely prefer cotton for desert hiking in hot weather.”

“I would have to say NO!

8)”

“hahaha, I am picturing it right now. No hiking nude for me tho! I am too shy”

“Nekkid Hiking Day... Summer Solstice every year, LOL”

“i'd think you would get a rash hiking in wet cotton for a few days.
in the desert with no humidity anything will stay dry. cotton is good there because it will stay wet a little bit longer and you will realize you're sweating. in a synthetic you might not even realize how much you are actually sweating because it dries so fast.”

“I can just see it now!

8D”

“Where do you live? Where I come from, wearing cotton everyday is as normal as bathing.”

“Biz
You live in Arizona where there is a dry heat. In the East, we get a muggy heat. You pretty much stay soaked with sweat.”

“I'm in SC, so pretty darn hot and hummid. NC mountains are a little cooler.

I guess I'll find another pair of non-cotton shorts. I just hate the going up to the waist part. It bothers me. Oh well”

“Gemini, Columbia makes some nice nylon shorts that have draw string waists, so they don't ride high on the waistline. If you have a Galyans down there check it out, they had loads to choose from last summer.”

“Heck, I wore cotton in the winter, as you can see here. The trick is just to be sure you have something that will insulate you if it gets cold.”

“If you like cotton, try a 50/50 cotton synthetic mix. It's cheap, comfortable & dries fast. I've been hiking for over 35 years & after trying many other products, have gone back to this (aprx)50/50 mix. Wash it several times first.”

“Or similar to what walkindude said...
Juust wear the cottonballs over the headlights and cameltoe.”

“I always try to go with a synthetic or atleast a blend of synthetic and cotton. First of all 100% cotton holds moisture which is great when you are trying to cool but If the temperature drops you could become chilled or even hypothermic due to the fact that cotton has next to no insulating properties whem wet.

The motto is "cotton kills".”

“I am going to check out the local stores today. Heard on the radio that our local "the backpacker" has a huge sale.
I think I stick with no cotton for now. Sas: I'll check out columbia pans.”

“LMAO @ Buddur!!!!!”

“Last year, we had one of the hottest summers in a long time so I tried a 100% cotton long sleeve tee shirt for cycling in the extreme heat. I have to wear long sleeves because of sun damage on my arms. What makes cotton bad for the winter made it cooler to wear in the hot weather. There was a definite cooling effect from the sweat soaked cotton that I could feel. For really hot rides I plan to use it this year and a use synthetic cycling jersey like I have in the past for other days. As long as you have a dry shirt to put on after hiking, I don't see a problem with it. I think the problem with it is for days when it isn't really hot out and it's cooling effect and long drying time would be a disadvantage.”

“Cotton is fine in the summer depending on where you are.”

“cotton isn't a good idea. Even in the summer it can get cold, so once you're wet from sweat and it gets cold you will stay cold in your cotton clothes.”

“And it is possible to get hypothermia in summer, isn't it?”

“yeah, I have heard about hypothermia in summer. I have jumped so many times in a pool or creek with my cloth on. Never got any hypothermia, so I am wondering. I am figuring that the temperatures cool down and if you're still wet you are more prone to get hypothermia. I can't imagine getting it during 90 degrees weather. But then..what do I know!”

“Cotton feels better than plastic against the skin.

Cotton is not for sissies!

Cotton(baumwoll) smells better when soaked repeatedly with sweat.”

“Hemp, it's the OTHER cotton.”

“Seersucker is great, but only after Memorial Day.”

“Beards are OK before Vernal Equinox”

“Cotton is THE miracle fabric of summer. Everything that makes it bad for winter makes it good for summer.

Nekkid, can you spell; sunburn or perhaps squamous cell carcinoma, or even malignant melanoma.

The summer killer is heat exhaustion and heat stroke, wet cotton cools faster than just wet skin, provides a sun barrier and retains the moisture next to the skin.

I wear a cotton baseball cap which gets dipped into passing streams to provide cranial cooling.

With shorts I do rinse them out each night to remove salt and sweat which reduces chafe.”

“I go for the running stuff by adidas, the climadry kit is fantastic, they do shorts too, also much lighter than cotton :o)”

“Heck Yeah! Ooh it's so soft! The twins prefer it.”

“I bought a Coolmax T-shirt last year - I will never go back to cotton - except maybe on a dayhike when there is no chance of rain. If you get cotton wet - it doesn't dry for days.
dawn”

“Ok...this may be one of those questions that I should know. Since we are talking cotton. What is the preferred sock for summer? Cotton would not be good correct?”

“Cotton always sucks for socks, except maybe around the house or town. And then I find it just gets too damp also...”

“Cotton shirts soak up gallons of water. They don't dry overnight. They're still soggy in the morning. I have purchased all synthetics for this season.”

“Crazygurl, try some smartwool or simular wool/synthetic blend socks.”

“oh boy!!! Still can't decide! I guess I'll try my cotton shorts on one of my dayhikes, but buy more of the non-cottons for trips where the weather is questionable.

Thanks all!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Thanks Sas..that is what I was wondering. I have wool type from winter and was thinking that they would be too hot for summer.”

“Smartwool socks - even in the summer - they stay dry and comfy - they are not overly hot like you would think.
dawn”

“Dahlgren low volume hiker socks!!! :o)”

“What's a cameltoe? {heh heh}”