Any tips for a beginner?

Not so much hate, more practicality and even a level of safety.

Cotton feels nice on the skin, but its fibers are great at holding water, like a sponge. They absorb it from the air on a humid day, they absorb it from your skin when you sweat, and of course... when it rains. Cotton does NOT wick the water away, it holds it in against you. The water will soak the heat away from your body, and bleed it away into the air, effectively forming a heatsink. It's almost impossible to dry a cotton shirt on the trail [unless you have the right conditions, but those are rare in my experience]. In cooler temperatures, this can actually lead to hypothermia as the water acts as a conduction medium between your body and the air. Normally your body can hold on to it's heat by contracting the skin, but water being in direct contact with the skin will allow it to transfer easier. I don't have the link availbile right now, but there was actually a study that proved wearing a wet cotton shirt in the cold was as bad, if not worse, than having no shirt on at all.

For hiking, camping... any real physical activity, you should looking into anything BUT fiber. In cool/cold weather, wool is an excellent choice, especially merino wool. It'll be more expensive, but it's worth it. Polyesters are great for the summertime, as they're thin enough to allow air through, and provide some protection from UV, bugs, and branches hitting you. Poly has an added benefit where, even if you get hit with a downpour, you can hang the shirt off your backpack and it'll be dry within an hour, so long as there's not +90% humidity out. Poly's wick water away, because there's no place in the fibers for water to stay.

If you have the space, pack a cotton shirt and socks when camping. It's nice to relax around the fire at the end of a long hike in a fresh cotton shirt and dry cotton socks.

/r/CampingandHiking Thread