COMPARISON OF TRADITIONAL AND MANUFACTURED COLD WEATHER ENSEMBLES

Inuit elders stress the importance of wearing caribou skin clothing fo r winter trips. Although laboratory tests for thermal insulation value s of clothing are extensive, caribou skin clothing is rarely tested. T he purpose of this research was to compare the thermal comfort of cari bou skin clothing, military winter issue clothing, and northern expedi tion clothing using experimental and ethnographic methods. To collect the experimental data, each subject wore the ensembles in an environme ntal chamber designed to simulate travelling on a sled pulled by a sno wmobile in the Arctic winter. Skin temperatures and comfort ratings we re analyzed using analysis of variance and multiple regression methods . Ethnographic methods were used to collect 'traditional' knowledge fr om Inuit elders. Findings indicate that the average skin temperature a nd comfort ratings dropped significantly less (p < 0.05) when wearing the caribou skin ensemble compared to changes observed when wearing th e military or expedition clothing ensembles. There were no significant differences between the military and expedition clothing ensembles. I nuit elders use years of field experiences as a base for their recomme ndations to use caribou skin clothing for long-term protection for sed entary individuals exposed to a cold winter climate. They also point o ut the advantages of specific style features and materials for cold we ather clothing. In conclusion, the combination of laboratory tests and traditional knowledge has given 2 distinct perspectives which provide a more holistic answer to cold weather clothing needs for people trav elling during the Arctic winter.