Originally Posted by
gauvins
[we've had record cold this week, so this may be a good time to discuss heath
]
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I am not convinced that trying to reduce fluid loss is a good thing (if you aren't cooling off, you'll sweat more), but there could be an argument against high performance synthetics that wick sweat away from your skin, therefore reducing(?) the cooling factor.
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Plenty of good responses already, especially the basic recognition that what works for one may not work for another. I'll just address 2 things, one of them is in the OP's quote above. ...
if you aren't cooling off, you'll sweat more
No that is not true. Scientifically if you establish certain humidity level on your skin then your body does
NOT sweat more. Body slows down or stops sweating. This has been especially proven by studying the effect of wearing vapor barrier clothing in extremely cold environments.
The second thing is to talk about cotton in cold environment ... i.e. cotton kills. ... yes wearing cotton sweat pants and a cotton t-shirt and a cotton hoodie in the winter mountains will not keep you warm, will sag your heat and contribute to hypothermia (kills you) condition.
However, there are cotton garments worn traditionally and even in some modern clothing (Fjallraven) that are working very well in polar environments if used properly. Cotton anoraks worn by native Inuit or traditional fur trapper hunters in the barren lands of Canada are one example.
Yes there are some modern fabrics that will strategically work similarly while weighing less but overall the use of cotton in polar regions is indisputable.
Some helpful links here;
https://www.warmlite.com/vapor-barrier/
https://lureofthenorth.com/traditional-winter-camping/