I am working to get my packing done this week. Travel on Friday to Seagull Outfitter and into Quetico for a week on Saturday morning.

I have plenty of wool and poly clothing, but still take a pair of jeans. Nothing beats the comfort around camp like a good pair of well worn jeans. Yes, keep them dry. They are well worth the comfort factor.

Watching canoes dump on a windy day from camp on Sarah Lake, Aug 2012.

...a soft t-shirt to sleep in and lightweight cotton pants when relaxing in camp.
Like.

I carry nothing cotton, period. But I get to missing a cotton T shirt and boxers by the time I'm headed out.
If I knew it wasn't gonna rain or be damp, then yeah some cotton clothing is nice to wear in camp. But I never know that, so I'm all about fleece, polypro, under armor, etc. I don't have to get naked to bathe, just do it with my clothes on and it all dries by the time I get the firewood gathered and camp set up.
Joe

I wear merino wool t-shirts or long sleeved shirts traveling but usually pack a cotton t-shirt for hanging around in camp on warm dry days. Can't bear synthetic shirts (under amour, capilene, poly pro) like wearing saran wrap. I pretty much hate wearing jeans period- they just aren't made to fit me.

I have to have cotton. It is just so much more comfortable. I also don't think it is entirely necessary to wear poly/synthetic. People didn't have it back in the day.

If the defense is based on function cotton usually does not win the battle, but when it comes to comfort there is room for debate. In my mind that is similar to the debate is it worth the weight to carry in a camp chair, just for comfort. So if cotton is more comfortable it is your body and your trip.
Personally I prefer wool and poly to wear, but a really soft cotton hand towel is great for a quick refreshing splash of water over the face and then wipe it dry with that towel. It travels in my day kit handy to dry my hands when I want to grab the camera, etc. The backup towel is a great packing cushion for gear.

To each their own, I know you are not alone, in fact the BWJ owner probably does 40-60 days per year in the Q exclusively in jeans...I could not disagree more, not just cotton jeans performance if wet but just general comfort. I do think a cotton t-shirt is comfortable although a high quality merino T-shirt is just as good if not better...

T

bhouse46: "If the defense is based on function cotton usually does not win the battle, but when it comes to comfort there is room for debate. In my mind that is similar to the debate is it worth the weight to carry in a camp chair "

Well I get what you mean there however it isn't quite the same. Cotton takes no extra space or weight. A chair takes both weight and space. It's more like rectangle or mummy bags :)

A wet pair of cotton jeans takes forever to dry. On a rainy day, it's just a water wick.

No cotton jeans for me. Ever. I do wear cotton shirts since I can change them easily but most of my gear is synthetic now.

True, they didn't have synthetic clothes in the 'old days'. They didn't have penicillin either . Death by syphilis was common place back then and almost everyone had it.
Tom

tumblehome: "
True, they didn't have synthetic clothes in the 'old days'. They didn't have penicillin either . Death by syphilis was common place back then and almost everyone had it.
Tom"

Ha. Well that isn't quite the same comparison.

Thermoregulation is the key.. Wool and cotton excel.. Wool keeps you warm or cool ( desert dwellers when my father worked in Saudi Arabia wore wool)
Cotton can be wet to cool you by evaporative cooling.. Heat exhaustion is actually a common thing on northern canoe trips.. But I don't take cotton knit jersey as it does take forever to dry as do jeans ( thick)
Work pants that are cotton and poly dry fast and the best is a cotton long sleeve shirt with a tight twill weave.

YellowCanoe

Normally I go cotton either long or short sleeve T with quick drying pants (don't know the material... Northface I believe).

I have merino wool and fleece in case I ever need it but its pretty rare and that is only for colder weather. Even below freezing I don't wear much more than what I listed.

I can't justify the weight of denim to have around camp, but I do bring a cotton/poly shirt for camp. I just get tired of the 100% poly on my skin all the time.

x2jmorris: "

tumblehome: "
True, they didn't have synthetic clothes in the 'old days'. They didn't have penicillin either . Death by syphilis was common place back then and almost everyone had it.
Tom"

Ha. Well that isn't quite the same comparison. "

No not the same but it came to mind :)
I am old school, and a purist so I choose traditional everything when I can. But sometimes I need to be realistic, and logical. And since I travel solo and I'm getting older, I do prefer the lightest materials I can find.

I figured out the cotton thing on a trip some time back when my pants were soaked for more than a day. I now wear the quick-dry convertible pants. And they clean up easy too so one pair can last a whole trip. And merino wool unless it's hot. I love that stuff.
Tom

Light colored lightweight merino wool t-shirts are fantastic in hot weather. They dry fast, stretch with your motion and are resistant to dirt and stink. On really hot days dip the shirt and let it cool you as it drys.

Long sleeved light cotton dress shirts are good for sun protection and most bugs- plus you look stylish.

I am not a fan of cotton pants on trail, jeans or otherwise. I don't like the soggy butt feel if they get wet.

But I have always worn a lightweight cotton T-shirt (thin, not thick cotton) for paddling on a typical day. One of my cotton T's was worn on so many trips in my youth that it fell apart on my trip to Hudson Bay. My mom creatively used it as the matting when she had my trip map framed.

I am rarely cold, I usually run on the hot and sweaty side. I like feel of lightweight cotton when I am sweaty much more than the feel of a synthetic when I sweat. And I like the feel of it on my skin if I need to cool off even more by dunking the shirt in the water.

If you're wearing cotton, you're thermodynamically naked.

I do like to take a couple lightweight cotton tee shirts to wear on hot days.

Our you nylon or synthetic pant wearer's worried around fires of burning your pants? Our some flame retartant now?
I know many pants have a cotton-nylon mix.

When I started paddling, cotton jeans or jean "Cut offs" was the "Norm." That said, most of my stuff is nylon or Merino wool. But I like cotton to sleep in, so unless it's winter I sleep in cotton scrubs, or sweat pants. My favored canoeing pants was back in the '70's and '80's when I wore my wool baseball pants. You pull them up for wading, back down if needed.

All of my synthetics have little burn holes from fire sparks.
But I put on jeans on cool nites.

I compromise for my camp clothes.
I wear the 60/40 cotton/poly blend rip-stop cargo pants. I would never take blue jeans into canoe country.


BDU cargo pants

And you can get a 65/35 poly/cotton:

65/35

TominMpls: "If you're wearing cotton, you're thermodynamically naked."

So, you're saying that cotton-wearers are hussies? Well, then, shame on them!

Wearing cotton jeans is similar to having a down sleeping bag. Both are super comfortable and warm. But you have to keep them dry!

bobbernumber3: "Wearing cotton jeans is similar to having a down sleeping bag. Both are super comfortable and warm. But you have to keep them dry!"

Not really. The analogy is flawed.

Modern tents and stuff sacks make keeping down bags dry easy with a modicum of common sense. Down is both lighter and compacts smaller than the alternative. Down bags offer a distinct advantage to the alternative. Jeans don't.

I never thought I would go back to cotton, and I still wouldn't pack blue jeans just because of the weight and slow dry time. But I've discovered a line of clothing, at least in shirts, that strikes a nice compromise between the synthetic and 100% cotton. Tasc makes their shirts out of 52% cotton, 43% bamboo and 5% Lycra. Incredibly soft, light weight and wicks moisture quite well. It just doesn't dry as quickly as a pure synthetic fiber. The one advantage is that it has a naturally occurring UPF value of 50+. But I also agree that merino wool is probably the best; it just tends to be the most expensive. But I haven't worn cotton or nylon socks for 10 years, thanks to Smartwool.

There must be some synthetics better than others and some a little less fire resistant?

Banksiana: "

bobbernumber3: "Wearing cotton jeans is similar to having a down sleeping bag. Both are super comfortable and warm. But you have to keep them dry!"

Not really. The analogy is flawed.


Modern tents and stuff sacks make keeping down bags dry easy with a modicum of common sense. Down is both lighter and compacts smaller than the alternative. Down bags offer a distinct advantage to the alternative. Jeans don't."

Ouch!

Well, in defense of my analogy: An analogy is, according to Webster’s, "a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way."

My point being made, that you missed, is that down and cotton are similar in that they need to be kept dry. All analogies fail when you add additional comparisons beyond the intended point being made.

Banksiana: "Light colored lightweight merino wool t-shirts are fantastic in hot weather. They dry fast, stretch with your motion and are resistant to dirt and stink. On really hot days dip the shirt and let it cool you as it drys.


Long sleeved light cotton dress shirts are good for sun protection and most bugs- plus you look stylish."

Plus you get to reuse your light cotton dress shirts for something useful!

My favorite lightweight cotton tee shirt also burned up really fast when hit by sparks from a campfire. Fortunately I wasn't wearing it at the time.

If you have plenty of tech clothes and don't mind the extra bulk and weight of adding a few pieces of cotton, why not?

TominMpls: "If you're wearing cotton, you're thermodynamically naked."

Huh?

Have you suffered in Alaska in June under a broiling sun directly overhead at the solstice? Cotton when damp keeps you cooler. It can be over a hundred degrees where there are no shade trees.

KarlBAndersen1: "I compromise for my camp clothes.
I wear the 60/40 cotton/poly blend rip-stop cargo pants. I would never take blue jeans into canoe country.



BDU cargo pants

And you can get a 65/35 poly/cotton:

65/35 "

Thanks for posting this. I hate wearing jeans when working outside during summer. When I think of buying more camo lightweights I also have forgotten where I purchased the last pair. The price is low. Hope they're durable.

bobbernumber3: "Wearing cotton jeans is similar to having a down sleeping bag. Both are super comfortable and warm. But you have to keep them dry!"

I have always traveled with a down sleeping bag...only every got wet once...when someone else swamped a canoe back in the days before dry bags.

I really, really like having a broken-in cotton shirt.....in the vehicle when I finish the trip.

I lived in Arizona for a few years, and I probably tried almost every synthetic. Huge variation from the cheap “wicking” shirts to the comfort oriented synthetics. I have a few REI brand synthetic hiking t-shirts that are more comfortable than most of my cotton t-shirts. I also have a wide variation in the comfort of my cotton. Generalizations are generally wrong. Assuming it’s not dangerous cold, wear what you want. Especially lounging around camp.

I personally just wear the same clothes around camp that I wore all day and invest the pack weight into a flask that gets lighter throughout the trip.

I like to wear Rail Rider adventure pants. They can be hot in August, but they are tough . . . mine are 15 years old. I like to wear merino wool underwear, socks and t-shirt. I wear a Filson Shelter Cloth cotton shirt for on top for sun and bug protection. It if is blazing hot, I wet the shit and am cooled by evaporation. The shirt is the same vintage as the pants and is just starting to break in a bit.

I don't wear jeans in the bush. I understand why some do, but for me, the fact that they take so long to dry limits their usefulness for me. And I find that the black flies really dig the color blue. I stay will light tan and greens.

KarlBAndersen1: "I compromise for my camp clothes.
I wear the 60/40 cotton/poly blend rip-stop cargo pants. I would never take blue jeans into canoe country.



BDU cargo pants

And you can get a 65/35 poly/cotton:

65/35 "

I do like the mixture-combo,you get a compromise of the benefits of both.

Get soaked from rain or dumping or whatever. You need to dry stuff. Try drying out synthetic around a fire. try cotton, Big difference. Other than Merino Wool - I really like cotton and actually prefer over synthetics.

I usually bring a cotton t shirt for those amazingly nice days. Noting is more comfortable and cool than a cotton shirt. I keep it well protected at night because as we all know once it gets damp it will rarely get dry again and they start to smell of mildew. But I think it's worth bringing. Usually it's my Flying Moose T.

WhiteWolf: "Get soaked from rain or dumping or whatever. You need to dry stuff. Try drying out synthetic around a fire. try cotton, Big difference. Other than Merino Wool - I really like cotton and actually prefer over synthetics. "

I've been soaked in cotton and while it does take forever to dry there is something amazing about when it does dry and I can get out of my only other clothes which happen to be rain gear.

So jeans are your relaxing clothes???
If you want your mind blown you should try some cotton sweatpants lol

Our first BWCA trip was in 1973. No hi tech clothes then.

Actually as it was our first extended trip of any kind so we had no idea what we were doing we had two big garbage bags full of clothes.. Yep jeans. Yep sweatshirts. It rained every day.. We had spare jeans and sweats. ( man those bags were heavy).

When we got back to Grand Marais we were out of clothes so we had to go to a laundromat before we went back to New Jersey. We filled three washers with our camp clothes which now stank of mildew.

The other patrons in the laundromat immediately left whether or not their wash was done.

My daughter and I recently got caught in the rain wearing jeans. It was so incredibly nasty. I could not wait to take those babies off, and normally I live in jeans. Yes, ok
...only wear them in camp. Still water is everywhere up there. Not too hard to get wet in camp.

Also just the weight of one pair of jeans vs. quick dry pants and IMO it's a no brainer.

Cotton shirt, though: whatever. Have fun

Well I get what you mean there however it isn't quite the same. Cotton takes no extra space or weight. A chair takes both weight and space. It's more like rectangle or mummy bags :)"

What? A pair of jeans weighs more and takes up more space than two pairs of Columbia PFG convertible pants of the same size.

Also, you don't need a fire to dry synthetics. Sahara or PFG pants dry in the air in about 4 minutes, while you're wearing them.

Personally, I'd never take jeans on an outdoor trip. If you want to, that's cool, but don't delude yourself into thinking jeans are better or more practical. They're heavier, take up more space and are more dangerous when wet. At least with a down sleeping bag, it's lighter and takes up less space than a synthetic fill bag of the same temperature rating.

That said, I do take a cotton t-shirt along for wearing in camp sometimes.