Danger of the Cotton T

Danger of the Cotton T

Cotton t-shirts may seem like the most benign article of clothing in your closet, especially in warmer climates. We have all heard that “Cotton Kills” but that is because of hypothermia. So does this apply to the warmer climates as well? Cotton may not be as likely to kill you here but it can be it’s own hiking horror. Let’s talk about one of hiking favorite controversies: the cotton T-Shirt.

Walking your Dog - The Neighborhood Hike

You grab your dog’s leash, put on your walking shoes, and reach in your closet for a comfy shirt that has never seen the synthetic light of the office. You reach for that old cotton shirt from college, the one that has that funny saying on it that still makes you giggle every time you see it. But is it okay to wear for your walk?

For one to two mile hikes, especially where the risk of getting lost in the woods is low (such as your neighborhood), it’s perfectly fine to wear a cotton shirt. You won’t be wearing it long enough to saturate it thoroughly with sweat to cause an issue. All it will do is keep you cool. That is why a lot of people believe wearing cotton in the heat is fine, because it doesn’t take it’s toll until the activity level increases. If the same one to two miles involves an aerobic activity like running, you may want to check into alternative fabrics.

Day Hike - Blend it Up

It’s the weekend, you hop into the car and take off to your favorite State Park for a nice daylong hike. You have your water, lunch, and extra layer of clothing just in case, but are you wearing your cotton shirt? On longer hikes we recommend leaving your cotton shirt at home. Quick wick, quick drying and poly blends are going to keep your hiking trip a lot more comfortable than a cotton shirt. If you are intimidated by the cost of modern quick drying clothing, consider scrubs. They are still a polyblend material that will dry quicker than pure cotton. If you prefer sticking to natural materials, clothing made out of bamboo fibers, merino wool and linen are great alternatives as well.

You head onto the trail, deciding to wear a cotton shirt because it is a nice warm sunny day and hypothermia is not going to be an issue.  Plus your shirt is light colored and has a clever aphorism on it. The first couple miles are fine, but as the sun blazes on your back your shirt is already starting to get heavy. The saturated fabric feels great in a breeze but the breeze has turned stagnant in the afternoon heat.  What was a nice cooling device has turned into a heavy towel that is starting to chafe against your skin. You are also starting to wonder if you remembered deodorant this morning.

There is a reason that the best towels are made out of 100% cotton - it is great at absorbing moisture. However, would you want to have a cotton towel on your back the whole time hiking? That is basically what a cotton shirt is doing. Quick drying shirts and even polyblends to some extent, will move the moisture away from your skin and let it evaporate quickly.  As the sweat wicks through the shirt, it allows your skin to breathe so you can keep cooler.  

All the sweat that your cotton shirt retains also causes another issue. The reason we crave salt and electrolytes so badly while hiking is because our body sweats it out. Most electrolytes, and salt are actually made out of small crystals that build up in the fabric as you sweat. The build up of solid material will make your shirt stiff and eventually will lead to chafing. In generally, a stiff shirt will make for a very uncomfortable experience. With enough of a buildup of minerals, you can actually make your own t-shirt shaped sandpaper. The crystals will create small abrasions on your skin as you walk and your skin rubs against the shirt. On multi day hikes, or just a hike that is hot enough, you can actually get small cuts that can get infected if not cleaned correctly.

Multi Day Trip - Hypothermia can Happen

“Pfft, it’s Florida,” you think to yourself, “you can’t get hypothermia here.” Even though hypothermia is relatively rare in Florida compared to the rest of the country, it can still happen and one of the reasons is cotton. There have been a few cases of people in sweat soaked shirts getting stranded in what was suppose to be a one day adventure and freezing to death.  Remember, it doesn’t need to be below freezing to enter a hypothermic state.  

In less humid areas of the country, it is fine to sleep in cotton. However, if you have hiked in swampy or humid areas of the country you know that even the nights can be hot and uncomfortably sticky. Many of us have woken up as a sweaty mess even with only a thin sheet covering us. In these situations, opt for linen, poly blend, or other cotton alternatives. Sleeping in wet clothing can eventually lead to chills and in some cases to even worse. If you wore a cotton shirt during the day hiking, it is also very unlikely to dry out during the night due to the humidity. Cotton’s sponge-like qualities cause it to slowly release moisture from its fibers. Even if it does dry out it is very likely to be stiff and uncomfortable, and not to mention smelly.

In conclusion, leave your cotton shirts at home when hiking unless you are taking a quick lap around the block. It may not be as deadly in the warmer regions but there is no reason to take a chance and have an uncomfortable hike.

Bonus

A lot of us hike in cotton socks not thinking about how the same moisture issues apply. Even in the hottest parts of the US, hiking in thin wool socks will keep you drier and keep chafing at a minimum.  Wool or synthetic hiking socks will minimize sweat, keep the odor down and make your feet much happier.