"Just as long as the hem line is below the knee and you're not wearing high heels, you should be fine."

Damn, that's going to crimp my style. I thought I looked good in a survival mini and spike heels. And now they tell me it isn't a practical outfit. LOL.

For survival clothing wool has often been promoted as the best material. Perhaps that is so up north. Wool down here in the wet, moist, bug infested south I have seen even high quality wool deteriorate to uselessness in a matter of months. A pair of wool gloves I had didn't make the one year mark before the bugs had eaten holes in it.

Cotton gets wet and stays wet. Effectively becoming less than useless as insulation. That said cotton resists abrasion, feels good on the skin (As long as it isn't cold and wet), cools the body when it is hot and it is fairly fire friendly.

For a warm climate cotton isn't necessarily such a bad choice. Wet jeans in the hot summer sun dry quickly and help keep you cool. When things get cooler you can make jeans more acceptable by wearing thin polypro long-john bottoms or panty hose under them. This maintains a thin layer of air between you and the cold, wet, abrasive jeans. Much more comfortable. The good news is that a pair of panty hose compact down to nothing and easily disappear into a pocket.

I can also testify that because our gay brothers have broken trail for us the number and intensity of glaring looks and rude comments a guy gets buying panty hose are way down from what they were a decade or two ago. Unless you wear your survival miniskirt and spike heels that is. If you do, good on ya. It's all good. Another decade of that sort of thing and the old finger wagging battle axe in the woman's wear department won't even bat an eye when I buy pantyhose.

Polypropylene fleece has been a major benefit. Light, tough, doesn't hold water and it is warm but breaths well when fluffed and loosened. Dunked in water it is wearable after being wrung and shook. Used to be poly was a high end item. I bought a North Face jacket on sale for $250 perhaps fifteen years ago. I still have it and it is still kicking. Funny thing is that I see good quality poly fleece jackets going for $20 and even the discount store ones going for $10 are pretty good. I have seen them on sale for $7.

Discount store poly fleece is a great bargain for long-term preparation. Cheap and effective it doesn't rot or feed critters. Bag it to keep it clean and it should remain ready to go for many, many years.

One of my latest finds was in Wally World. Sold as 'sleeping pants' for $10 they are light-weigh poly pants entirely suitable for moderate cold. Stuff these, or the heavier models, $22, that are suitable for anything short of a summit attempt, under a pair of pants made of a suitably wind-stopping fabric like the nylon trail pants and you have good, and adaptable, setup for the lower body.

Of course all that plastic is indeed subject to melting if exposed to fire. I don't see this as a major issue in most situations. If it is a major problem, like it might be if you flying and wish to prepare for the possibility of a crash or if you see a mass conflagration in your future, the ideal solution IMHO would be to substitute Nomex or PBI outerwear but these materials can be pricey. Of course the less expensive wool would work well and even jeans would lend some resistance to melting when exposed to heat.