>>620636There were many functional articles of clothing that we still use today that were used during the western expansion of the US. I'm more confused why people wouldn't think that there were effective and ineffective examples of clothing from this period.
Wool. Hasn't changed, other than the addition of Merino and cashmere.
Waxed Cotton. Again, hasn't changed and is far more durable than goretex, albeit much heavier. For tarps I honestly prefer this, but that's mainly because it's just what I already own and am used to.
You'll want to avoid most untreated cotton in the winter, but I honestly wear jeans /out/ in the summer all the time as heat retention when wet isn't as big of an issue.
As far as modern synthetics, I think there's as wide of a variation of quality for modern as there are older materials. Polartec fleece is damn fucking good, cheap Walmart fleece not so much. Same with wool, or any other material. It's not one or the other.
>>620696Again, you can find warmer wool and warmer fleece depending on the brand and production process. The itchiness doesn't come from how expensive it is, it comes from how much loft it has and the type of wool it is. Merino wool generally is not itchy, but has less loft. "Itchy" wool is generally a more cost effective midlayer than Merino wool, as it provides more loft at less of a cost than Merino or cashmere. Regardless I agree with you, fleece can be just as a effective if it's of quality.
