Spring has officially sprung. Now is the time to Take It Outside and enjoy the best weather of the year. Now is also the time that all the new spring products arrive at your local outdoor outfitter. As you check out the new line up, you will notice a wide range of fabrics. In the not too distant past, you may have had one or two fabric options where today there are many. Read on to learn about a few of the popular choices now available.

First let’s look at a fabric option that you will not find in the outdoor section of your local outfitter, and that would be cotton. You may have read in your favorite hiking publication that "cotton kills" when worn on the trails. This does sound rather extreme but there are times when cotton can make a good day turn rather bad.

Cotton is a good insulator when dry, but when it gets wet it loses almost all of its insulation properties. Cotton also absorbs a lot of moisture, up to 25 percent of its own weight. And now that you are wet the cotton fabric dries very slowly. While it is drying the evaporation process of cotton will actually make you colder.

So a bad day in cotton would consist of getting soaked from a sudden unexpected storm. Now the temperature starts to drop and your wet cotton garment has lost any hope of providing insulation. As the moisture slowly evaporates that cooling effect will in turn make you colder. And to make your day even worse, if your body temperature drops below 95 degrees, hypothermia could set in. So under the right, or wrong, set of circumstances cotton can indeed cause a very bad day.

One of the most common, and popular, fabrics on your local outdoor outfitters racks is polyester. The fabric can be seen in the department year round. Its moisture wicking and quick drying properties make it a great summer fabric. During the cold winter that warm fleece that you wear is also made from polyester.

So what is polyester, you may be asking. It is a manmade, petroleum chemical based fiber. To become a fiber, the chemicals are first mixed in a vacuum at high temperatures. This mixing causes them to undergo a transformation. The product that results is further heated. At this point it is extruded and spun into a filament like fiber. This has been the extremely simple version of the polyester process; you would be close to correct if you were to call polyester a plastic thread.

During this chemical "spinning" process the polyester can be changed to meet the requirements of the garment it will become. Crimping the fiber, and also making it hollow, will give it more bulk that will make it a better insulator. It can also be made thinner and lighter, perfect for a summer wicking shirt.

The next most frequent fabric that you will find on the display racks is nylon. While nylon is petroleum based just like our new best friend polyester, it does have a few important differences. While nylon does not wick and evaporate moisture as well as polyester, it is much better than a natural fabric like wool or that evil cotton. Where nylon does top the list is in durability. Nylon can handle hiking through dense brush and still come out looking in good shape. Nylon garments pack well and can handle years of washing. This is why you will find nylon in a lot of travel clothes and hiking pants. Nylon does tend to cost a little more than polyester, but lasts longer.

While the previous two fabrics we looked at were man made, the next three come from nature. The first is merino wool. The wool from the Merino Sheep is softer and finer than human hair. You often find merino in baselayers and hiking socks. It has better moisture management properties than polyester. Being a natural fiber, merino is naturally anti-microbial or very odor resistant, which you will think is a plus after a few days on the trail.

The final two fabrics are made from cellulose fibers or plant based materials. Modal, which comes from Beech Trees, and Bamboo are first processed into a pulp material. From there they are extruded into a fiber in the same fashion as nylon and polyester. Both fabrics have good wicking and moisture management properties. Since these plants are a natural renewable substance, these fabrics are considered somewhat eco-friendly.

As with pretty much everything that you spend your hard earned money on, if you treat your fabrics with proper care they will last longer. Always refer to the care label on each individual garment, but in general most of these fabrics are cared for in the same way. And that is a mild detergent, no fabric softener and low heat in the dryer. If time allows pass on the dryer and hang your garments to air dry. All garments have a life span and proper care will help you get the most life out of your fabrics.

As you have learned, there are a few good choices when it comes to outdoor clothing fabrics. Visit your local outdoor outfitter for help in choosing the correct one for you next Take It Outside adventure.