6 ms·
On the other hand cotton fabric tends to absorb sweat better and is more airy thus allowing the human body to cool down much better than synthetic fabrics.
by webmobdev 3y ago
On the other hand cotton fabric tends to absorb sweat better and is more airy thus allowing the human body to cool down much better than synthetic fabrics.
- brokenkebaby 3y agoNot in my experience. Cotton takes your sweat, and makes you feel like you are soaking in it (and that's why it chafes more - skin loses elasticity in prolonged contact with water). Nothing is airy about it.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- webmobdev 3y agoDoes not sound like pure cotton at all - Since the earliest days of cotton cultivation, this fabric has been prized for its exceptional breathability and lightness. Cotton fabric is also incredibly soft ... Cotton is very water absorbent, but it also dries quickly, which makes it highly moisture wicking. - https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/cotton-fabric https://sewport.com/fabrics-directory/cotton-fabric
- brokenkebaby 3y agoYou literally quoting a piece of commercial copyrighting (=ad) to contradict knowledge by experience. It's not like one data point, cotton is highly unpopular in hiking, and athlete communities. 1. Because it's strongly hydrophilic it absorbs water, and keeps it. 2. It's sorta breatheable while it's dry, but not so much when wet, and see p.1. 3. I guess you can find a type of cloth which dries worse than cotton, but plenty of synthetics do it better anyway
- webmobdev 3y agoYour experience doesn't trump scientific facts about cotton's properties. But on re-reading your comment it sounds like your experience may be based on using cotton in cold climates - obviously in a cold climate, the sweat absorbed by the cotton won't dry fast enough making you feel like you are wearing a wet clothe around you (and hence the chafing experience). In hot weather, when you sweat, the cotton absorbs it and when it evaporates it helps in cooling down your body. That is why cotton is the most preferred, and recommended fabric, in any hot climate. In fact, it is so good at cooling down your body that some exaggerate that cotton kills hikers in cold weather - https://www.heddels.com/2020/01/does-cotton-kill-the-moisture-wicking-properties-of-various-fabrics/ https://www.heddels.com/2020/01/does-cotton-kill-the-moistur... ...
- JohnBooty 3y agoThis is backwards. Dunk a cotton shirt and a moisture wicking shirt into a bucket of water. Pull them out and tell me which one weighs more. Now hang them up and tell me which one drys first.
- webmobdev 3y agoThere's a reason why cotton clothes are preferred in hot climates - Cotton is very water absorbent, but it also dries quickly, which makes it highly moisture wicking.
- brokenkebaby 3y agoThe reason cotton is perferred is because it's way cheaper than all viable alternatives.
- brokenkebaby 3y agoBtw while cotton dries slower than PE, or wool in any case, it also worth to note that moisture wicking doesn't mean just drying quickly. It means water absorption happen in such a way that it makes skin drier. Cotton regretfully absolutely doesn't do it. Its microthreads literally keep water around themselves (that's why it's called hydrophylic). While drying, water constantly redistributes itself around threads. So even slightly wet cotton textile touches your skin with water.
- webmobdev 3y agoYes, I understand that synthetics are hydrophobic and thus don't absorb water. I guess our personal preferences are biasing us - I live in a country that is hot, and so I prefer cotton as it absorbs sweat and cools down my body faster, where as synthetics just makes me feel like I am bathing in sweat and makes me feel hotter because it traps heat better (which is why it makes me really uncomfortable when exercising).