4 ms·

Sorry can you explain the situation where jeans lead to the death of a hiker? I don't buy it.

• calmbonsai 2y ago
  I've never experienced any deaths on hikes, but I have experienced folks suffering the initial stages of hypothermia (and not realizing it) when wearing jeans on a multi-day excursion when the weather went from dry and sunny to rainy, to icey-rain to sleet. Unwaxed cotton absorbs water, stays wet, and shrinks when wet to make close contact with skin--three properties that one does not want when its wet and cold.
  • Aeolun 2y ago
    So taking your pants off would work? Seems superior to wet clingy cold pants anyway.
    • calmbonsai 2y ago
      That depends on the specifics of the environment, trail, and your pants. Indeed, going "pantsless" for short periods can be less risky if your pants are already soaked-through, it's very humid, there's ice build-up, and there's little to no risk of skin abrasion from terrain traversal.
    • saagarjha 2y ago
      In the cold?
      • calmbonsai 2y ago
        If you're wearing "wet ice", convective heat loss from air is preferable to conductive heat loss from water. Water on skin is a really, really good mechanism for heat transfer (both ways)--hence why we sweat in the heat.