{"id":4509,"date":"2020-12-09T20:02:31","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T02:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/?p=4509"},"modified":"2021-03-02T05:27:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T11:27:36","slug":"cotton-as-a-base-layer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/cotton-as-a-base-layer\/","title":{"rendered":"Cotton As A Base Layer: Good Or Bad Idea?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Much has been written about cotton in clothing. Whether good or bad, the fact remains, cotton will always be used in garments one way or another, as it is soft, non-itchy, breathable, and durable.<\/strong> However, does it work as a base layer? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you are an outdoors person, an athlete, or if you live in a cold climate, you will understand the benefits of layering your garments in such a way that you can add more on if you are cold and need to get warm or take something off if you are too hot and need to cool down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cotton fabric is not ideal as a base layer for hiking or other outdoor activities. When cotton becomes wet from your sweat, the air pockets in the fabric fill up with moisture and can become saturated, which means you lose your insulation. Additionally this means your sweat isn\u2019t evaporating as efficiently.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing many different layers of clothing at one time is something that we all do at some stage in our lives. Finding a good fabric for a base layer is all-important as you need to be able to keep yourself warm<\/strong>, while at the same time not overheating or having a damp layer against your skin because of a fabric that does not wick away moisture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Cotton Work As A Base Layer?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Cotton is not ideal for a base or foundation layer against the skin in cold weather.<\/strong> Cold-weather clothing keeps you warm through insulation. Insulation typically works by trapping the air warmed by your skin from escaping which helps you retain your body heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When hiking, cotton soaks up moisture and draws all the heat away from the body, which leaves you feeling cold because the air can no longer be trapped and you don\u2019t have protection from the cold weather!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cotton can work fine as a base layer in mild weather.  <\/strong>If you\u2019re hiking or otherwise adventuring in 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit weather in non-humid conditions, your clothing won\u2019t stay saturated and your cotton shirt will stay comfortable and will work fine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cotton is not ideal for hot conditions as a base layer. <\/strong>If you\u2019re hiking or exerting yourself, you\u2019re going to sweat. If you live in Texas, then you\u2019re going to sweat just being outside. Cotton has almost no moisture-wicking capabilities and is generally heavier than synthetic fabrics. It will absorb and retain heavy amounts of moisture, leaving you uncomfortable and lugging around a soggy base layer against your skin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, this is where it can be a bit confusing\u2014since people actually use wet towels to cool off in warm weather, why wouldn\u2019t a cotton t-shirt be the best type of base layer? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is that it is complicated by a lot of factors:  the thickness of the fabric, the outside humidity, and how much you sweat among some.  If the fabric is thick enough, for example, then the water is not going to evaporate quickly enough to keep you cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From personal experience, I\u2019ve worn cotton shirts in very hot conditions and I\u2019ve not had a terrible experience.  If, however, you are trying to use cotton as a base layer while exercising in hot weather, then I wouldn\u2019t use cotton because all that sweat is going to stay with you. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cotton can absorb as much as 2700% of its own weight in moisture, while polyester absorbs up to 0.4%. Merino wool 33% and silk 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counter-Argument: Perhaps Cotton As a Base-Layer Isn’t So Bad <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So I’ve been doing a lot of research about cotton and base layers over the past several months, and I found an extremely interesting study<\/a> that has a different perspective on cotton as a base layer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Essentially, the study finds that a wearer often cannot tell the difference between cotton, wool, or polyester base layers. The most important thing is not the material itself, but rather the thickness of the material! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, another finding is that whether a base layer is cotton, wool, or polyester doesn’t change out much water the base layer absorbs, but rather the thickness of the material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now it’s still possible that cotton base layers are not the best idea for extreme cold conditions, but one perspective is that your layering system matters far more than the material type, as well as the insulation properties of the mid-layer and the impermeability of your outer shell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ll continue to explain the concepts as they are generally understood and hopefully you find this helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Moisture-Wicking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Moisture-wicking refers to the fabric’s ability to quickly move (wick) body sweat to the outer surface of the fabric and then to dry rapidly so that the fabric does not remain saturated with sweat. In other words, to move the sweat off your skin.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moisture-wicking fabrics have the ability to move liquid such as sweat through the tiny spaces within a fabric. For use as an under-garment layer that touches your skin, look for labels on fabrics that advertise moisture wicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best moisture-wicking fabrics are synthetics such as nylon or polyester, as they are water-resistant and are excellent moisture-wicking fabrics as opposed to cotton which is generally considered as non-wicking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can You Use Cotton for Hiking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can absolutely use cotton for hiking<\/strong>.  If you\u2019re in cold-weather conditions, though, I\u2019d really recommend another fabric for your base layer. Layering your garments using a combination of wicking fabrics and insulation fabrics is the best way of keeping warm during a hike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For myself, I have been using a polyester base layer to great success.  My Coldpruf<\/a> (Amazon) dual-layer thermals that I\u2019ve had for a few years are very warm but not uncomfortably so (unless it gets above 70 degrees Fahrenheit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another excellent base-layer fabric against your skin is merino wool. Merino Wool, even though it does not wick like synthetic fabrics, is breathable and should be used as a thick layer of insulation, which will keep you dry and warm.  Wool also retains a lot of its insulation properties when it gets wet, which is crucial in colder weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An added benefit of merino wool is that it is odor resistant, which is useful on long trips. Wool has the great ability to hide dirt and grime and has the additional added benefit of being fully dry within 45-60 minutes while being worn on a sunny day.  I can attest to this with my merino wool socks\u2014they stay really warm and they also dry quickly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s So Bad About Cotton?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To summarize the issues with cotton, you can boil it down to three basic points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n