Don’t Wear Cotton While Hiking in Alaska. Here’s Why.

If you read much content about hiking in Alaska, you’ll hear this advice like a drumbeat: Don’t wear cotton.

That doesn’t mean you should run screaming at the mere idea of taking a short hike in jeans. You probably won’t melt or self-destruct. But when it comes to trips that take you out of your neighborhood, it is a very good idea to avoid cotton clothing in every way you can.

Why? It’s simple: When cotton gets wet it loses almost all of its insulating ability. Or to put it another way, it can no longer keep you warm. That wetness could come from rain or melting snow, but it can also come from your own body in the form of sweat.

Just to add insult to injury, cotton also tends to soak up water and hold it against your skin, which chills you even faster.

Nope — don’t wear cotton in summer

Cotton breathes well, which makes it great for use in hot, dry climates. But many parts of Alaska tend to have milder, moister weather. Even during out increasingly warm summers, cotton remains an iffy choice for these reasons:

1. Wet cotton can contribute to hypothermia — and that’s not just a winter problem. Experts say that hypothermia is possible when temperatures dip below 60 degrees. And they often do that. Heck, I’ve been snowed on in July.
2. Night temperatures often dip below 60 degrees — so if you end up getting stuck outside for longer than expected, that cotton could set you up for a problem.

What should I wear instead of cotton?

My favorite “un-cotton” material is wool. It’s great for regulating your body temperature and will keep you warm even when wet.

Happily, the itchy, scratchy wool sweaters of yesteryear are long gone. Nowadays itch-free garments made of merino wool are very common, and they come in lots of different weights — so you can get lightweight wool t-shirts for wear during the summer, and heavier wool garments for use in the winter. You can even get wool leggings, pants or tights.

Synthetic fabrics are also great alternatives — usually polypropylene or a variety of branded polyesters such as Capilene. Like wool, they’ll keep you warm even when wet.

However, for some people, synthetic fabrics collect body odor like nobody’s business. If that’s the case for you, wool is your friend. In fact, some wool garments are so stink-free that you can wear them for days on the trail without offending your friends’ noses — which means you can travel lighter and invest in a few good pieces of clothing, as opposed to having to buy lots of shirts or pants.

Here’s one more tip: While you’re shopping around for non-cotton alternatives, steer clear of rayon. Like cotton, it tends to soak up water and hold it against you, which makes for a cold and miserable outing.

What about down?

Ounce-for-ounce, down is the warmest and lightest insulating material you can wear (or pack) for your Alaska hike. But it shares one big problem with cotton: Down also loses its insulating value when wet.

That means that down is truly superb for winter use, when things tend to be drier — although you still need a certain level of experience and judgment to keep the down from getting wet and leaving you shivering.

For summer use, however, down can be a toss-up. Should you toss that lightweight down sweater or shirt into your pack for some backup warmth? That ultimately depends on how comfortable you are with your ability to keep the down from getting wet. Some varieties of down are treated to be water-resistant, but they’re not foolproof; so it’s still on you to keep those precious feathers dry.

Down sometimes poses an ethical problem too, because it may be harvested from waterfowl that are force-fed to create foie gras. If you can, buy your down gear and clothing from a manufacturer that guarantees ethical treatment of the animals they harvest from.

If those products are out of your price range, consider buying used down clothing and gear. Not only will you score great deals, you’ll also get what you need without creating more demand for unethically harvested down.

Image by skeeze from Pixabay