Mountaineers and outdoorsmen have a saying. "Cotton
kills." What
they mean is that cotton holds a lot of water and doesn't allow it to evaporate
quickly. Consequently, once
you're wet, you'll likely be wet for a while.
Being wet
in the outdoors can be dangerous.
People have died from hypothermia in the summer at temperatures in
the range of 50°F.
Further, cotton is transparent to
ultra-violet light meaning you can be
sunburned through a t-shirt.
However, not
only is nylon tough, quick drying and
lighter
weight, it's also 100% opaque to
ultra-violet light, and it
can still
keep you warm even while wet.
|
| NYLON |
COTTON |
 |
 |
| At the time of this
picture, these nylon pants/shorts were
four years old and had already held up against the deserts of the southwest,
the jungles of Belize, the forests of Canada, and a lot of beer drinking
around camp. I expect 'em to last another four years! |
Conversely, these
typical cotton jeans were less
than a year old and only lasted through about two weeks of
field work before they were ridden with holes in the knees and seat.
Clearly, nylon is the more economical and field-worthy choice. |
|
Note: As a
drawback, nylon is dangerous in fire situations whereas cotton or wool then
becomes the preferred choice of clothing. However, it's not too often that
the geologist encounters
forest fires.
|
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