It's durable, comfortable, easy to wash, cheap, and won't poison you with plastics. It's negative characteristics are a non issue because your base layer is too thin to absorb any significant amount of water, it's close to your body heat, and it's the innermost layer and the least likely to get wet. I wear relatively thick 100% cotton Carhartt work shirts and even those dry very quickly and don't cause me any problems in cold weather.
Cotton is a bad choice for outerwear and insulation layers of course, but it's just fine as a baselayer and there's no advantage to anything fancier. The "cotton kills" phenomenon is just retards who go out in freezing downpours with cotton hoodies and jeans.
im inclined to agree that splitting hairs over cotton vs merino is stupid, but sweat accounts for a huge amount of moisture.
A T-shirt or work shirt isn't thick enough for it to matter. If I'm snowshoeing in a T-shirt and cotton briefs with polyester hoodie and pants over that in 20 degree weather and manage to sweat I'm completely fine and the cotton layers dry very quickly.
In hot weather, cotton getting wet with sweat is a feature not a bug.
In cold weather it sounds miserable.
Based contrarian opinion OP.
Cotton and jeans are perfectly acceptable clothing for cold-weather outings. Anyone who says otherwise just parrots dumb memes like "cotton kills" and is incapable of thinking for himself.
Ah yes I love the cold wet rag sensation on my back when putting on a backpack after a rest.
it also turns into a cool plate armor in freezing temperatures
nice to knock on it and imagine arrows flying around but not so comfortable
The idea is that you are still wearing suitable cold weather layers OVER the cotton baselayer. I swear this sub has the worst reading comprehension I've ever seen.
but i dont like feeling wet or cold i prefer warm and dry or moist even to an extend depending on the season
also you´re not doing you´reself any favors talking about subs
Okay, I never feel wet or cold wearing cotton shirts and underwear underneath my normal polyester and wool outerwear and pants. That's the whole fucking point of this thread.
well i live in a place that has snow sometimes 8/12 months per year and im not a big fan of cotton be it underneath or on top
granted it is not made from plastic and you can dry it on an open flame no bother but it retains moisture and it is really hard to walk off unlike wool or polyester, you basically just get more wet and have to extert yourself more to get it off
You live in a place where it snows 8 months out of the year? Do you live in a scientific research station in northern Labrador?
we have this saying that it is not a real midsummer celebration if there is no snow around
Baselayer material is only noticeable if you're out for more than just the weekend outside of summer season.
Its irrelevant for you.
Well, I live in my car, so the effectiveness of my clothing against the weather and drying times etc is actually a pretty big deal for me. That's exactly why I threw away my expensive meme thermal underwear, it's not worth the space it takes up in my clothing bag, my cotton Walmart shirts and briefs I wear all year are perfectly fine as long as I have good outerwear.
ah so a vanbum is giving blanket PrepHole advice again
I spend more time outdoors than everyone on this board combined. I'm cooking dinner outdoors right now and that's what I do every day.
potentially, but that doesn't make your experience even remotely relevant for the activities that most of us do. thanks for weighing in, homo
I encounter people like you miles out on the trail all kitted up with the latest gear on your annual vacation trips while I'm just rambling around in snowshoes watching reruns of Twin Peaks on my phone with my EDC pack and a coffee thermos. Sometimes you even see me.
>I have outdoor experience because I live in my car
>I MEAN I GO ON HIKE lS TOO!
>PLEASE BELIEVE ME!
no
And one of these days I won't come back. Won't even need the car anymore.
Yes, of course.
you had to invent a bunch of inaccurate cope about me to attempt a response. Pic related - its distance from the nearest trailhead is probably much further than whatever walks you've taken from your mobile meth/hot dog cooking station.
i believe you anon
ive had my years when i have been sleeping more PrepHole than /in/ posting freezing from a sleeping bag and having a great time eating cooked fish and falling asleep with a phone in my hand next to a fishy stream but i never said im going more PrepHole than everyone else even if it was true
being homeless isnt cool, anon
If you can get past the first year and downsize to a hatchback sedan (I started in a full size pickup), yes it is. I have more money and freedom than I ever thought possible. I'm moving 1000 miles away in a few weeks just because I can. I can take as long as I want and live off my savings while I get a new job. And survival skills are just part of every day life for me, so I'm passively developing expertise in what I love and take pride in. Things couldn't be much better right now, I don't envy fucking anyone.
Not a lot to read in the wilderness.
>sub
Ain't no way redditor
tried it. I sweat a ton when I x-country ski and the cotton base layer was soaked...then turned into freezing cold mositure when I stopped. really bad idea. cotton is terrible for sweating in the winter
Are you talking about thick long Johns or just a T-shirt and briefs? "Winter" cotton baselayer is not a great idea because it's thick enough to absorb water and cause problems. And why are you sweating so much in winter? You're not wearing a shell are you? I live in Maine and I can't wear a jacket of any kind during strenuous physical activity unless it's like below 10F and windy. I usually just wear a breathable midweight polyester hoodie at most, and then a rain poncho over that if the wind picks up and I get chillier than I expected, which is rare. Jackets and coats are overrated, the world is not as cold as people think it is, not even up here.
>why are you sweating so much in winter?
I was x-country skiing. It was about 15°f with 15-25mph winds. I had thin polyester long sleeve shirt over a cotton t-shirt with a shell for wind/blowing snow (and a light pack). Shirt was soaked. I began to freeze as soon as I stopped skiing.
I believe you but I'm that same situation all the time and never have any problems. The only time cotton ever killed me was when I was 18, I found a cool looking cotton barn coat at Goodwill and wore it walking home from work in a rain storm in November. The thing got so heavy and cold I thought I would die before I got home. T-shirt weight cotton baselayer has never harmed me.
the wind was a huge factor. I always sweat when I ski and try to wear as little as possible and try not to over heat but with the wind if you stopped you got cold but if skiied you overheated. lesson learned.
6/10 troll. You're stupid but at least you know how to pass off PrepHole.
Okay you fuking idiots. Wear wool wool and wool if ur running in snow wax your cotton outer layer with wax wax wax also when moving wear as little as you can to prevent exes sweating. Greeetings from lapland hail hitler!
i dont have the PrepHole gold account thingy so i have no idea what is going on here anymore
The "best choice" arguments are fruitless. Like the endless debate over the best "bushcraft" knife. This is exactly why real deal instructors at schools like BOSS prefer the Mora HD; because it is cheap and rugged and really all you need. It doesn't have to be perfect because the best skills will always be more important than the best tools.
In the case of cotton, you are so correct that the "cotton kill" mentality is bullshit. In the deserts of the southwest cotton was a lifesaver for me during the daytime. A nice baggy cotton dress shirt is required gear at a BOSS course (running for 28 days with the bare minimum of gear). It dries quickly, holds moisture better, helps to keep you cool. You want that in the southwest.
Ultimately the helpfulness of any given object in a survival situation depends on your skills and your environment. You claim cotton is the best base layer, but in what environments? Even if you can name a broad range of environments, what does that achieve in the broader scheme of your ability to thrive PrepHole there?
It is better to remain adaptable and knowledgeable. Learn the land, and for your specific region
"Real deals" use hatchets.
I've spent most of my life in Northern New England and cotton hasn't killed me yet.
Depends on where u are. In ohio its dead weight. I can scrounge enough dead wood and twigs to have a comfy fire all night long with minimal effort and when its cold i have a fire almost every night just for morale (homeless technically)
>dries quickly
Compared to what? It’s one of the slowest drying materials out there.
I like cotton. but go hike somewhere humid like Appalachia and that shit does NOT dry. No, you won't die. But your clothes are going to be fucking wet and it's gay because I do love cotton.
Idk about base layers, I live I a subtropical region, but it is probably the best all purpose fabric in general.