What are "Wicking" / "Breathable" Fabrics???

When clothing gets wet from perspiration it sticks to the skin and hinders the evaporation process. The evaporation process keeps our body temperature at its appropriate level to keep us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. In the summer months, keeping cool is pretty obvious, surprisingly, in the winter, the same process keeps us warm. When we work or play outside in the cold our body temperature heats up, causing us to sweat. The sweat soaks into our clothing, causing it to stick to our skin and hindering the evaporation process. The wet fabric lies on our skin, keeping us cold even while we continue to work or play hard. Add rain or snow to this mix and we get some real problems trying to keep warm and dry!! Cottons, nylons and polyesters have always been notorious for hindering our evaporation process. While wool has been known to be warm when wet, it weighs a TON when in this state. But, thanks to modern technology, we have learned how to battle the elements in a ...  more