This is mostly for our Canadian friends since they are the ones out in the really cold weather. This will sound like a goofy question, but I am serious about wanting to know the answer.

I've been reading a lot on www.wintertrekking.com about really cold weather camping. It seems that far from trying to be lightweight, what those guys are wearing looks more like 1908 than 2008 with wool and of all things, cotton like the Empire Canvas anorak, plus big fur hoods and bomber hats like the cops are wearing in Fargo (the movie, not the town itself).

They seem to kind of pooh pooh modern materials. What's the deal? High altitude climbers wear all the latest and greatest in really cold weather, so what makes the difference?