People who wear black clothes on a HOT day

[SteveAZee]

I never understood. Don't we sweat to cool off our bodies?

True, but maybe/probably there's a point where you're producing more moisture than is evaporating (for evaporative cooling) so you're just being damp and drippy at that point.

 

[Hockey89]

When I first moved to NC from Vermont, I found the heat extremely punishing. In my apartment I kept the AC set at about 62 degrees and was still sweating (mostly because of humidity, I'm told). That first year the summer temps hovered between 95 degrees and lava. We had more than one day when the thermometer hit 106. That same summer my apartment complex replaced all the roofing and those guys, mostly Latino, were in heavy boots, jeans, flannel long sleeve shirts and big ole sun hats. How they didn't die is anybody's guess. Except for the hat, none of those things were light colored.

That you are from VT, is the least shocking news of the day.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I never understood. Don't we sweat to cool off our bodies?

Yes, that's true, but it's the evaporation of that sweat that cools us down.

Moisture-wicking fabrics pull the sweat away from your skin so it can evaporate in the open air (and cool you) more efficiently, while allowing your skin to stay more comfortably dry. In contrast, if you're wearing something that absorbs your sweat and holds it against your body (e.g., 100% cotton), or that can't absorb your sweat at all (e.g., Spandex), then your clothes are making it harder for your sweat to evaporate and cool you down like it's meant to.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That you are from VT, is the least shocking news of the day.

I'm really not sure whether that is a compliment or some attempt at an insult. I'll take it as a compliment... Thank you!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

I tend to wear black, brown, navy, or dark gray shorts or tops at WDW (even in August), but as others said, it's all about the fabric. My WDW outfits are made of fabrics that are moisture-wicking, breathable, and light as a feather, and I select styles that aren't tight-fitting or revealing (not for modesty as much as for comfort: any skin that I'm baring isn't getting the benefits of that cooling, moisture-wicking material, and has to get slathered in a layer of sticky sunscreen).*

I understand that scientifically, dark colors absorb more light/heat from the sun, and I did used to adhere to that idea in selecting vacation clothing, but as I've tried various outfits over the years, the only difference I've personally noticed between a white top and a dark one, for me, is that the white one makes me look way fatter in pictures!

*Footnote: Off-topic, but in case anybody cares what I've found works best for my Mom bod (and my bargain-shopper mentality) in 90+ degrees: my favorite go-to shorts are black Duluth Trading Company "Dry on the Fly" shorts intended for boating and fishing, which are super-light and quick-drying, but are still tailored and have usable pockets. For shirts, I have a variety of breezy tech fabric short-sleeved tops (I try to look for ones that have interesting necklines or other details that set them apart from a typical tee) from Walmart, Old Navy, and L.L. Bean. If I want to wear something dressier, I have an L.L. Bean "Fitness Dress" made of tech fabric that is very cool and comfortable, as well as a black Athleta skort dress, designed for hikers. Some of those brands are admittedly expensive, which is why the pricier items were all purchased on eBay or off of clearance racks, at a fraction of the retail price.

Just an aside: I Love Duluth Trading Co. My husband buys all his t shirts and cargo pants/jeans from them. They are incredibly durable and comfortable. I love their tv ads, too, LOL.

 

[thomas998]

I think we are all programed to think that light colors are cooler. The reality is that it's not the color it's the fabric. If you have a fabric that breaths (lets air through it) the color doesn't matter. If the sun is beating down on you it will be the same temperature no matter what color. I know we are trained to think that light colors reflect the suns rays and they might but that thin piece of cloth is not going to make a whole lot of difference.

It is true if the sun is shining and you wear a white shirt you will be cooler than if you wear a black shirt of the same fabric. Yes, the ability to wick away perspiration is important... but the color does matter if the sun is shining. As long as the cloth you are wearing is thick enough to block the sun it does make a big difference in how hot you get. I've worked more than enough days in construction outside in the summers when in college to know the color of your clothes can make big difference. Even a difference if you are wearing a white hard had versus a dark colored hard hat. Color matters.

 

[thomas998]

I'm really not sure whether that is a compliment or some attempt at an insult. I'll take it as a compliment... Thank you!

Having lived in the north and the south, your being from Vermont is simply an explanation for why you don't understand the relevance of color in trying to stay cool. Come down to Dallas and spend the summer outside and you'll soon realize the sun in the south is at a completely different level than when you live in the north. Folks around me don't know what cold is unless they've lived in the northeast, but folks up north don't know what hot is either unless they live it.... Florida isn't even nearly as hot as a hellish day in Texas, probably because Florida usually has some level of clouds in the sky... But a cloudless summer in Texas shows you the power of the sun.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Having lived in the north and the south, your being from Vermont is simply an explanation for why you don't understand the relevance of color in trying to stay cool. Come down to Dallas and spend the summer outside and you'll soon realize the sun in the south is at a completely different level than when you live in the north. Folks around me don't know what cold is unless they've lived in the northeast, but folks up north don't know what hot is either unless they live it.... Florida isn't even nearly as hot as a hellish day in Texas, probably because Florida usually has some level of clouds in the sky... But a cloudless summer in Texas shows you the power of the sun.

Vermont temperatures that I have seen in my lifetime range between -36 degrees F and over 100 degrees F. That is a common yearly fluctuation. I do know that the difference is very slim when it comes to colors, but that the material of clothing is what makes the difference. Any of those temperatures are the temperature of the air. How comfortable one is in any temperature depends on wind, humidity and activity. I will give you the idea of the angle of the sun. Different degrees only matter on what ones tolerance is at any given time. I moved south 12 years ago and I knew that the heat was going to be different, however, now I can tolerate it better because my body had adapted to it. 100 degrees is100 degrees no matter where you are it's the other factors that make it bearable or not. Colors may have a factor but a white shirt made of Dacron, for example, will feel hotter then a black one made of cotton. We dress for the season, but I was never colder wearing light colors in the winter or noticed any difference wearing dark colors in the summer.

 

[thomas998]

Vermont temperatures that I have seen in my lifetime range between -36 degrees F and over 100 degrees F. That is a common yearly fluctuation. I do know that the difference is very slim when it comes to colors, but that the material of clothing is what makes the difference. Any of those temperatures are the temperature of the air. How comfortable one is in any temperature depends on wind, humidity and activity. I will give you the idea of the angle of the sun. Different degrees only matter on what ones tolerance is at any given time. I moved south 12 years ago and I knew that the heat was going to be different, however, now I can tolerate it better because my body had adapted to it. 100 degrees is100 degrees no matter where you are it's the other factors that make it bearable or not. Colors may have a factor but a white shirt made of Dacron, for example, will feel hotter then a black one made of cotton. We dress for the season, but I was never colder wearing light colors in the winter or noticed any difference wearing dark colors in the summer.

Colors have little to do with it when you are in the winter because the sun is rarely a big factor given the earth's angle. Yes some fabric will make you miserable because they trap moisture... but wear some black jean in the summer sun, then wear some light blue jeans... same fabric but you will be significantly hotter with the black ones on. You can even just put black and white fabric out and measure the temps of it after setting in the sun for an hour and see the difference. It is the reason they paint the tops of school buses white.

 

[King Capybara 77]

Colors have little to do with it when you are in the winter because the sun is rarely a big factor given the earth's angle. Yes some fabric will make you miserable because they trap moisture... but wear some black jean in the summer sun, then wear some light blue jeans... same fabric but you will be significantly hotter with the black ones on. You can even just put black and white fabric out and measure the temps of it after setting in the sun for an hour and see the difference. It is the reason they paint the tops of school buses white.

Then why do Bedouin men in the Sinai desert wear black robes ?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Colors have little to do with it when you are in the winter because the sun is rarely a big factor given the earth's angle. Yes some fabric will make you miserable because they trap moisture... but wear some black jean in the summer sun, then wear some light blue jeans... same fabric but you will be significantly hotter with the black ones on. You can even just put black and white fabric out and measure the temps of it after setting in the sun for an hour and see the difference. It is the reason they paint the tops of school buses white.

Can we agree to disagree! BTW, there is a major difference between the exposed area on a bus and a shirt or pants on a human being. It will make a difference when that much area is "directly being constantly bombarded with the suns rays.

 

[thomas998]

Then why do Bedouin men in the Sinai desert wear black robes ?

Because they are robes. They don't lay directly against the skin like most western clothes, and because it does get hot but has airspace between the wearer and the robes it help to create a convection current that moves air to keep the person cooler. It also doesn't reflect back heat from the body of the person wearing it because the black absorbs the energy. If you wanted the best cloth to wear it would be white on the outside and black on the inside.

 

[King Capybara 77]

Because they are robes. They don't lay directly against the skin like most western clothes, and because it does get hot but has airspace between the wearer and the robes it help to create a convection current that moves air to keep the person cooler. It also doesn't reflect back heat from the body of the person wearing it because the black absorbs the energy. If you wanted the best cloth to wear it would be white on the outside and black on the inside.

So in the same statement you are saying it's the type of clothing that makes a difference not the colour. Then you say it's the colour.
I'm confused.

 

[thomas998]

So in the same statement you are saying it's the type of clothing that makes a difference not the colour. Then you say it's the colour.
I'm confused.

I'm saying the colors matter if you wear clothes that rest against your skin. If you are not wearing clothes that touch your skin then black will absorb heat and be cooler. If you had a fabric that was white on the outside and black on the backside then that would be the best thing to wear. Most people in the west don't wear flowing robes, so the material be a pair of jeans or shirt will tend to be in contact with the person's skin. If it touches your skin then you will feel any heat absorbed by the fabric. Black fabric will get hotter than white fabric. Go touch a black asphalt road in the summer sun and touch a light gray concrete road... they are both in the same sun, but lighter surfaces reflect more energy than darker ones.