HAs anyone tried(a clothing question)

**hoosierarcher** · 03-22-2009, 02:03 PM

I have really taken to heart the "Cotton Kills" after my recent hermitage. I was wondering if any here have tried any of the newer lines of 100% nylon clothing for hot weather. I know I'll need to avoid open flames while wearing it but wool and silk are both too warm for me(I run hotter than a standard model). All I have read about this new nylon clothing is that it is super fast drying and breathes incredibly well. As I have never used it I didn't feel right about recommending it as jungle clothing but I think if half the claims are true it would excell in that roll. I'm also interested in any other synthetics you may have experience with. By the way The Western US state Search and Rescue guys call polypro "shrink wrap."

**Rick** · 03-22-2009, 07:00 PM

HR - Actually, I like cotton for hot summers. The very thing that makes it lousy in the winter makes it great in the summer. It soaks up water/sweat and cools you by evaporation. A pair of BDU pants and a cotton T shirt can keep your cooler in the summer than many of the synthetics because of the evaporation. I posted in the other thread that I do carry thinsulate underroos, top and bottom, as well as a light weight fleece jacket and a change of clothes all summer. When nights get really cool, I can slip into the thinsulate, fleece or other clothes as necessary and let my day clothes dry.

I usually string up a piece of paracord for a clothesline at night and hang any wet gear as well as the socks I wore that day and let all of them air dry.

**hoosierarcher** · 03-23-2009, 03:23 AM

Rick, The clothing I'm asking about it tauted as being cooler, more breathable and faster drying than cotton.

**Rick** · 03-23-2009, 08:18 AM

All I can say is buy some and try it. I have some Columbia hiking pants that convert to shorts. I like them but I always seem to end up wearing the BDU pants. I judge them more rugged and I just like the feel of cotton a little better. But that's just my person opinion.

**Tony uk** · 03-23-2009, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by hoosierarcher

Rick, The clothing I'm asking about it tauted as being cooler, more breathable and faster drying than cotton.

You want might to look into this, I have a t-shirt made out of a blend with this fabric and its exellent as a base layer or on its own in the summer time.;-
http://coolmax.invista.com/

**endurance** · 03-23-2009, 11:02 PM

I admit it, I hike in "death cloth" ripstop BDUs most of the time. They're comfortable, durable and cheap. I've destroyed at least three pairs of nylon hiking pants and I love the idea of zip off legs, but usually the zipper gets stuck, fails and that's that. Other times, they just wear thin in the knees and butt. I don't know if I've tried the columbias, but whatever I've owned was unimpressive. I know one pair was ex-officio and the zipper failed the third or fourth time I wore them. Thank gawd for safety pins.

I try to mitigate wearing cotton by carrying a pair of polypro longjohns and wind pants. I'm a huge fan of these new vacuum ziplock bags, as they allow you to carry more clothing in a smaller space than ever before.

**aflineman** · 03-24-2009, 01:03 AM

I have used both coolmax and underarmor when working in the desert. I like them both. They seem to work better than cotton for me. I wore cotton over them (DCU shirt), and it got soaked. The sweat then evaporated and left me cooler, but my skin was not soaking wet. Coolmax is cheaper than the underarmor, and works just as well (at least for me). It was not quite a durable though (again, in my experience).