I used to prefer cotton and linen when I lived in the southwest, but now in the northeast its almost deadly. After the switchover to synthetics I realized how short the lifespan on natural fibers was. The Blaklader X1900 work pants I have use cotton ripstop as a base layer and it wouldn't last more than 9 months without disintegrating, while the nylon parts looked brand new. Same with t-shirts, they'd start falling apart after 6 months or less sometimes. Probably the humid environment though.