Cotton is not clothing — it’s capability.

Cotton earns its place in the 10Cs because it does multiple critical jobs when things stop going according to plan. It can be turned into char cloth for reliable fire starting, used for medical care, cleaning, and filtering water for turbidity before boiling. It absorbs, chars, burns, and protects — synthetics don’t.

When fuel is gone, gear is wet, or improvisation is required, cotton still works.  That’s why it’s here.