Im late on the thread, but here is goes.
Cotton is the worst thing to have in outdoor sports. Its the material of choice for suburban outwear because it looks good and they can overcharge the gear due to cheap production. Here is the fact: Cotton soaks, does not wick sweat and does not dry up. All those factors will kill you in the back country. For example, You hike for 2 hours in -10C and sweat quite a bit. By 3 pm, temperatures drop, you are wet and you get to the bottom and have to hike back to the car. If you dont warm up your core temperature on time, you will get hypothermia. Without anything else to wear (cotton is bulky) your cotton hoodie will freeze and you might as well be swimming in Arctic waters.
Technical wear is nylon polyester with other woven fabric to wick the sweat (breathing), a waterproof top layer and thinner insulation to prevent overheating. You should think clothing for touring as multiple layers. A base layer to wick sweat, a softshell for waterproof and a hardshell for cold weather or difficult condition as well as transitioning.
But if your touring at a resort and going in after 1 hour in perfect sunny days...you dont need anything special.