Rafting Kilted down the Grand Canyon....again...Utilikilt Question

[jthk]

Hey there,

My comments are somewhat related to your post. Summer last, I hiked up the Cobbler in Arrochar with some friends. It was warm-ish and the weather ranged from fine mist to outright downpours. I hiked in my favourite Bedrock sandals (no problems there) and an older-school cotton Survival. A merino wool T-shirt on top. The relevant message to your post is about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up to the Cobbler, I realised my mistake: the cotton Survival was 100% soaked and while I was hiking upwards, my body heat did its job and kept me moderately warm. But when I stopped at the top to eat and then while walking ALL THE WAY DOWN, it was horrific. The wet cotton obviously didn't dry out, it kept all the water, and I was starting to get chilled. By the time I returned to "base camp", I stripped down and, shivering in moderately warm weather, put on other clothes. My success was the merino wool top layers I had been wearing. Even though that original T-shirt was soaked, I was warm enough. I will never hike in a cotton kilt again -- perhaps a polyviscose one from Rocky and Co., but whenever there's a chance of being stuck in the rain, I'll always go wool.

(I had a decent rain jacket at the beginning but it was warm enough that I was getting wet from my own sweat. I removed it and I then got wet from the rain -- which I preferred!)

Good luck on your adventure!
Jonathan