Arctic Parkas - Surviving the Winter 'Inuit Style'
For those of us that reside in cold weather climes, winter bring the cold, snow, ice and freezing rain each year. Just the thought of going on the food store or dentist can feel daunting when it is -20c outside. Each year we re-evaluate our winter wear including gloves, boots, hats, pants, and lastly the ever-important jacket.
My philosophy is: Take a lesson from those who are now living in extremely cold climates. If the clothing they wear is adequate to outlive -40c or -50c, then it's definitely going to keep me warm at -20c. I first learned about extreme cold weather garments with a three week vacation to Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island, within the far Canadian North. The native Inuit people (don't give them a call Eskimo's!) wore a thigh length pullover coat using a fur-trimmed hood called a "parka".
Traditionally, the arctic parka was made from caribou hide, and fox fur. Nowadays, modern materials are used, as well as the design has been adapted to accommodate a front zip closure. Even the Inuit rarely wear the original garb in support of modern styles.
Arctic Parkas - Surviving the Winter 'Inuit Style'
For those of us that live in cold weather climes, winter bring the cold, snow, ice and freezing rain each year. Just the thought of going to the grocery store or the dentist can seem daunting when it's -20c outside. Each year we re-evaluate our winter wear including gloves, boots, hats, pants, and of course the ever-important jacket.
My philosophy is: Take a lesson from people who live in extremely cold climates. If the clothing they wear is good enough to survive -40c or -50c, then it's definitely going to keep me warm at -20c. I first learned about extreme cold weather garments on a three week trip to Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island, in the far Canadian North. The native Inuit people (don't call them Eskimo's!) wore a thigh length pullover coat with a fur-trimmed hood called a "parka".
Traditionally, the arctic parka was made from caribou hide, and fox fur. Nowadays, modern materials are used, and the design has been adapted to accommodate a front zip closure. Even the Inuit rarely wear the traditional garb in favor of modern styles.