Hi, James!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

AH>  People say it gets cold in Calgary too....  :-))

JB>  I knew I'd hear it sooner or later,


           IOW, you knew you'd get a rise out of me... [chuckle].



JB>  and you nailed a *huge* point. That moisture can bring
JB>  your "wind chill" *way* down.


           Uh-huh.  "It ain't the heat, it's the humidity." 
Having been in Los Angeles when it was hot & in Las Vegas when it was
much hotter, I found the dry heat easier to take.  My experience of winter
in Saskatchewan was similar.  :-)



JB>  I get away with one of the biggest sins in cold weather
JB>  survival, in wearing cotton as my first layer. Because I
JB>  can unzip, and that will be dried out in no time, I can
JB>  usually *survive* in it. (-;


           I wear cotton as my first layer too.  What dries out "in no
time" in Alberta might take a week to dry out here, but I think the
general principle is the same.  Back to basics... cotton absorbs sweat
& it's easy to wash.  Wool is what enables sheep to survive during the
winter in the Rocky Mountains & in the Scottish highlands.  Although it
serves the same purpose for human beings, it's more difficult to wash.  So
you put the cotton layer where it will absorb sweat & you put the
insulation on top... that way you get a pocket of air between the two &
you can clean your woollies once a year whether they need it or not.  ;-)



JB>  Around you, a person should really go to at least a
JB>  synthetic "wicking" layer, to be comfortable in the
JB>  slightest chill.


           Yes, there are synthetics which have a "wicking"
effect.  Some of my shirts are made from "Coolmax" polyester
& I'm very happy with them.  Years ago I avoided polyester because it
didn't "breathe"... but times have changed.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+