Thermal evaluation of Government of Canada cold weather clothing and Indigenous garments

Government departments with operational requirements in the Arctic have commented that the typical clothing ensembles worn by their personnel are a limiting factor for successful operations in the north. Frostbite, hypothermia, and challenges with basic usability of equipment with bulky outerwear, are all example trials faced by personnel. Clearly, personnel conducting northern operations must be properly attired for their required tasks. Indigenous Peoples provide leadership when it comes to protecting people from the elements in northern, often harsh, environments. Canada’s northern residents have hundreds of years of successful development of clothing to protect themselves from the environment. This project brings together Indigenous Knowledge and western science in order identify the components of traditional clothing ensembles that are most suitable for operational activities in cold climates. The overall objective of this project is to investigate the ability of Indigenous clothing to protect the wearer according to its construction and purpose, providing guidance for its use as harsh weather personal protective equipment. This will lead to increased personal safety and security in Arctic environments. The four main tasks for the research project are: 1. Collaborate with crafting partners to determine the different types of garments to be evaluated, and procure garments from crafters located across northern Canada. 2. Measure the thermal protection provided by these garments using a thermal manikin. 3. Conduct interviews with the crafters, Hunter and Trapper Organization members, Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Canadian Rangers to collect knowledge on relevant clothing types, preferences, garment care, and use. In addition, conduct interviews with Government of Canada staff with northern operational experience. 4. Perform a high level evaluation on the considerations of how garment construction, care, costs, and contracting may influence the ability of federal departments to purchase these examples of Indigenous clothing for incorporation into personal protective equipment, or uniforms, for their staff. This report will focus on the second task. Nineteen Indigenous-made garments were tested as part of this project, along with various garments used by Parks Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard, as part of their issued personal protective equipment kits for their staff. The garments were combined to create different clothing ensembles. The thermal insulation (clo value) of the various garments and ensembles were measured using a 23-zone submersible thermal manikin, NEMO, in the National Research Council of Canada’s Thermal Measurement Lab. All tests were conducted in 4.0°C air while NEMO maintained a mean skin temperature of 40.0°C. The larger Indigenous-made garments (e.g. parkas and pants), provided a high level of thermal protection equivalent to, and sometimes exceeding, that provided by garments used by Parks Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard. An ensemble composed entirely of Indigenous-made garments had the highest measured clo value out of all those tested, which would allow a physically active person to remain warm in -60.0°C air. All of the Indigenous-made hand garments had higher clo values compared to the NRC standard base layer Gore-Tex mittens and Parks Canada mittens. Based on previous research not affiliated with this project, we can deduce that the insulation provided by the Indigenous-made hand garments can help protect against frostbite for up to 180 minutes in -30.0°C air. Similar to the hand garments, the Indigenous-made foot garments had higher clo values compared to the combination of NRC standard base layer neoprene boots and Parks Canada socks. The Indigenous-made head garments (hats and neck warmers) had clo values similar to the base layer, and Parks Canada items. However, the lack of difference in clo values can be explained by dressing variations, and the compressibility of some garments. When examining the amount of power required to maintain its skin temperature, NEMO required less when wearing some Indigenous-made garments indicating that they provided more insulation compared to the base layer items. Overall, the thermal evaluations showed that the Indigenous garments performed very well across a range of temperatures. Particularly at the extreme cold range, the clo value measured by these garments indicate that they would provide an excellent degree of protection in harsh environmental conditions. When compared to previously-posted requirements from Government of Canada Departments and Agencies on the Buy and Sell procurement site, the Indigenous clothing would meet or exceed the technical requirements, such as clo value, to be considered for inclusion as part of Government of Canada personal protective equipment kits.

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