True story:
This is more of a "no sh!t, there we were" story than a "it was a dark and stormy night" story...
My buddy and I went camping on the shore of Lake Michigan in early April a few years back. It was cold and drizzling.
My clothing and gear was all top of the line (at the time) backpacking gear. No cotton. Nylon pants, a light Gore-Tex overjacket, and a polypropylene long-underwear top. My buddy was wearing jeans, a cotton T Shirt, and a cotton flannel. He laughed at me for spending the money I spent on my kit.
As were walking, the dune grass was brushing up against us as we made our way along the coast. The wind was blowing in at about 25 mph (yes, it was very windy, not uncommon here). I was merrily walking along, and the wind was drying me as all the dune grass, laden with water, was brushing up against me. My pants were bone dry, and I was unaware anything was amiss.
My buddy, on the other hand, had fallen behind, and threw down his pack to get close enough to me to yell to me (it was windy....) I went back to see what was wrong. He was soaked to the bone, and was starting to get worried about his exposure. The act of backpacking prevented him from becoming hypothermic, but we had to immediately retreat behind one of the dunes to get out of the wind and allow him to change. (Into more cotton.)
We stayed behind the dunes for the rest of the trip, he got damp yet again, and we stopped early to light a fire and dry out his stuff. The trip was over.
The lesson I learned was the stark contrast in gear quality and how it affected the trip. This was a guy, with a rather high discomfort threshold. He was done, in a situation where I was plodding along happily. It was the GEAR that made the difference here.
So, if you want your wife to join you again, regardless of the terrain or conditions on your upcoming trip, invest in decent gear. Skimping on quality will help ensure she never sets foor into a hiking boot again.
Don
