Discovery Ride - Cycling Across America 2002

Cotton is just about the worst material to make athletic clothing from. The downsides of cotton are as follows:

Heavy and bulky
Not very breathable
Absorbs sweat and holds it
Perspiration odor hard to wash out
Takes a very long time to dry
When it gets wet it looses its insulative value
Chafes the skin very easily

Synthetic materials have come a long way in the past few decades. All of the clothing that I'm taking is made of some type of synthetic material. Two pair of shorts and all the shirts I'm taking are made of CoolMax Alta fabric (DuPont). Coolmax is made of polyester fibers. Benfits of CoolMax Alta include:

Dries five times faster than cotton - see DuPont's study
Smooth hand (texture of fabric) and very comforable
Highly breathable
Washes very easily
Long lasting

The socks and underwear I wear are also made of Coolmax.

Nylon and polyester are materials found in the body of the tent, the backpack, the sleeping bag, the sleeping pad, and rain clothes. These materials offer great strength, flexiblility, and can easily be made waterproof.