Originally Posted by wolfchild

I still believe that cotton is a bad choice for any physically demanding outdoor activity in wet or snowy or icy weather conditions. In the winter of 2008 I fell through the ice when riding my bike.. it wasn' t too deep, up to about my thighs, it was -15 C , and I am very glad that I wasn't wearing jeans or any other cotton clothing, I was about 8 km from my home.
Wool, merrino wool, and synthetic clothing has been proven to work much better in extreme weather conditions. Many years ago when I was involved in teaching wilderness survival skills, we would Forbid the students to wear anything made from cotton when we took them out into the bush for an overnight trip with no camping gear in the middle of winter. Canadian winters can be very unforgiving. Proper clothing makes all the difference.