en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en hbs_lat en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en is is is is en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en is en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en da en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en it is de fi hu hu de en is en nb is en es en de en pt en en is hu en is en is is is is nb en en pl hu hbs_lat de en sk de de hbs_lat en fr hu hu en pt sv en en en en is gl en is de cs pt is en en is en en en en en en en en en en it en en en hu is is pt ca en de da nl en is hbs_lat en en is id nl nb en en en hu de cs gl it it is en ga en cs hbs_lat en is en en nb en de hu hu en is de is is en en nl en de et da is is fr en hbs_lat hu is en nb en nl cs is et is id pl en en en hbs_lat is is en en hu en en en en hbs_lat en it fr de pl id en de en it fr en de en en hu is en is is en is en sk de en en en en nb it en hu fr de is is es ga nl is en en is fr sk en hu ga nl en en en es en hu de en is cs is en en is hu en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en fr en en en en en en en is fr is en vi en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en de
What to Wear for Iceland's Climate - Cold Weather Tips
Take a Walk on the Ice Side
Walk through Ice and Fire
Glacier Walk and Northern Lights
South Shore, Glacier Walk and Ice Climbing
Glacier Walk and Secret Lagoon
Sólheimajökull Glacier Walk and Ice Climbing
Glacier Walk and the Glacier Lagoon
Golden Circle and Magical Nights
Volcanic Wonders of the Reykjanes Peninsula
Iceland Northern Lights and Lobster Jeep Tour
Hot Springs and Lava Cave
Northern Lights and Ice Cave Adventure
Golden Circle and Glacier Getaway
Kingdom of Volcanoes and Glaciers
The Saga of Volcanoes and Fjords
The Crossing of Fire and Water
Kingdom of Glaciers and Northern Lights
The Laugavegur with a Backpack
Laugavegur - Light and Fast
The Ultimate Iceland - Greenland Trek
Hiking at the End of the World
In the Shadow of Vatnajökull
Trails of the East
The Wilderness of Glaciers
The Complete East Iceland Trek
Explorer’s Peak to the Canyon of Fire
The Wilderness of Strútur Trail
The Backroad to Landmannalaugar
Trek of the Trolls
The Complete Volcanic Trek
The Rivers and Glaciers of Vatnajökull
Backpacking along Vatnajökull Combination
Coast to Coast - The Iceland Traverse
The Three Peaks Challenge
On bike from Laki to Landmannalaugar
Iceland’s Best Single Tracks
Knitting and Hiking between Fire and Ice
Icelandic Spring Knitting & Hiking Holiday
Knitting and Hiking under the Midnight Sun
Hiking and knitting with the Elves
Authentic Iceland Knitting & Hiking
Mountains and Fjords of the North
The Peaks of Siglufjörður
Skiing between the Fjords
Westfjords Ski to the Sea tour
Oceans, Valleys and Peaks
Hiking at the End of the World
Laugavegur Trail Self Guided
South Coast Self Drive
Tour of the Icelandic Highlands
Mt Gunnbjörn, the Highest Peak in Greenland
The Peaks of Greenland
East Greenland Winter Expedition
The North Pole – Skiing the Last Degree
South Pole - All the way
South Pole – Skiing the last degree
Ski Touring – Beginner Course
Ice Climbing I Course
Ice Climbing II Course
Other Tours & Services
Ice Climbing Day Tour
Semi-Guided Ice Climbing Trip
4WD Tours in Summer
4WD Tours in Winter
Alpine Mountaineering - Day Tours
Backpacking Tours in Greenland
Backpacking Tours in Iceland
Cross Country Skiing Tours - mountain huts
Cross Country Skiing Tours - winter camping
Cross Country Skiing Tours in Greenland
Ice-Climbing / Winter mountaineering
Ski Mountaineering / Alpine Touring
Ski Mountaineering / Alpine Touring in Greenland
Trekking Tours in Greenland
Hard Ice Guide Beginner Course
Level I Hard Ice Guide Exam
Level II Hard Ice Guide Exam
IMG Mountain Guide Exam
Crevasse Rescue for Super-Jeep Guides
Be a responsible traveller
Adventurer of the Week
We offer our site in the following languages:
Hiking & trekking in Iceland & Greenland since 1994
Call us: +354 587 9999
The Danger of Cotton in the Extremes of Iceland
Adventurer of the Week
Subscribe to the blog
Other Tours & Services
The Danger of Cotton in the Extremes of Iceland
Cotton absorbs and retains moisture from the air and from your body, which makes it a dangerous fabric to wear when trekking in the extremes of Iceland.
Iceland is a land of extremes: extreme types of terrain, and extreme and sudden changes in weather conditions. Expeditions in Iceland, be it hiking, cross-country skiing across a glacier, or scaling a rugged peak require proper gear, and one piece of gear you don’t want is clothing made of cotton. Dramatic as it sounds, cotton can kill you.
To know why this is true, several terms needs to be understood:
Wick/Wicking: 1) to absorb or drain a fluid or moisture, like a wick; 2) a fabric that wicks away perspiration. When dealing with clothing, a fabric that soaks up body moisture and drains it from your skin to the outer surface of the fabric is said to have good wicking properties.
Hydrophilic: 1) having a strong affinity to absorb water; 2) having a tendency to mix with, dissolve in, or be wetted by water. An hydrophilic fabric gets wet and stays wet — lacks wicking properties, and instead holds the moisture against your skin.
Cotton is comfortable, and a good flannel shirt has great thermal properties to keep you warm when you’re dry. Many folks wear denim jeans as a matter of choice. Cotton, however, is an hydrophilic fabric, which means it absorbs water, from the air and from your skin. Your expedition might begin with an easy trek across flat land, but by hour three you might be traversing the side of a volcano. On a warm day, you’ll most likely start to sweat. Because of the terrain, you’ll probably sweat even at temperatures around −1C (30ºF). Once you start to sweat, a cotton garment gets sopping wet. Or maybe, just around a particular bend in the path, you’ll get drenched in a downpour. If that happens, a cotton garment will wear like a soaked log.
Once wet, a cotton garment becomes uncomfortable; It gets heavier — soaks in 27 times its dry weight — loses 95% of its thermal property, and gets clammy on your skin. Also, something else happens. Cotton takes awhile to dry, and as it collects water the air spaces between the threads and in the threads themselves fill with water. Because cotton does not “wick” the moisture away from your body, instead traps your body inside a cold and damp cocoon, you run the risk of hypothermia—the condition when your body temperature drops below 35ºC (95ºF). On average, three people die every year in Iceland from exposure.
A possible scenario: You might begin to sweat while hiking south from Nýidalur to Eldgjá across sandy plains, rough lava, and rugged cliffs, then scaling atop Mýrdalsjökull for a trek across a glacier, only to get caught by a cold Atlantic wind at sunset. In Iceland, the terrain and the weather change at nearly every bend in the path, and around every corner.
To be on the safe side, avoid garments that are denim (jeans), flannel, duck, or corduroy. You will fair the weather better in garments made from lycra, polyester, fleece.
From Icelandic Mountain Guides, Iceland's premiere adventure tour operator. Choose from a great selection of day tours, glacier adventures, multi-day tours, and expeditions.
You might like to visit our Equipment List page:
Subscribe to the blog
You Might Also Like:
What To Do In Reykjavik With...
What you need to know about...
10 Iceland Travel Hacks
Tel: +354 587 9999
See what our customers have to say about us!
Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association Member of ITA
Certified Travel Service Vakinn - Quality System Vakinn - Quality System
Certified Travel Agency by the Icelandic Tourist Board Certified Travel Agency
Certified Tour Operator by the Icelandic Tourist Board Certified Tour Operator
Member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association ATTA Member
mountainguides.is has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 382 ratings and reviews
Subscribe to the Icelandic Mountain Guides Blog
Outdoor adventure in Iceland is our specialty. Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to learn when to go, what to do and where to have the best adventures in Iceland.