Wrap up warm!

Finding ways to keep warm are central to some of the oldest tales about human survival.

A design for life

1. The need to stay warm kept humans – and Neanderthals – occupied from our earliest days. Stone hide-scraping tools to make simple warm clothes from animal skins are found in archaeological deposits stretching back more than one million years.
2. Clothing technologies became more complex during the colder conditions of the Pleistocene epoch – a period of time between around 1.8 million and 11,000 years ago, in which modern humans first appeared and the Northern Hemisphere experienced an Ice Age. Toolkits for working fur and leather have been found at cave sites that could be 120,000 years old.
3. Design continues to be important and some classics defy time and trends. Carved figurines suggest that the Indigenous peoples of the Arctic Circles may have been wearing some version of a ‘parka’ for 22,000 years. These were traditionally knee-length garments made from caribou or seal skin, sometimes lined with fish oil to increase protection. They were also lined with fur for extra warmth and featured a raised collar or hood to protect the head.
4. For at least the last few centuries, many Inuit women have worn a tweaked version of a parka called an ‘amauti’, which allows them to safely carry small children while keeping their hands free for tasks.
5. The Nordic commitment to functional design and the local cold temperatures is reflected in the popularity of snowsuits. These full-body suits are likely a descendant of the ‘parka’. They are popular for children and, in Denmark, are also commonly worn by adults to cycle or walk outside during winter in the city and the country. A waterproof outer shell is padded for warmth, with the ankles, hoods and wrists elasticated for extra protection against the wind. They are made from both synthetic and natural materials.

Fur real

1. The earliest materials used for warmth were animal skins and these remain popular in many places, sometimes for associated ideas of style or tradition but mostly for practicality. Many pastoral Indigenous communities of the Arctic, like the Nenet and Sámi for instance, continue to wear the skin of the reindeer they herd for its exceptional warmth.
2. The need for more sophisticated fabrics may well have contributed to the Agricultural Revolution around 10,000 years ago, as conditions became warmer – and wetter. Woven fabrics emerged, using natural fibres such as wool and cotton. These manage moisture better than leathers and furs while still doing the necessary work of retaining heat. The world’s oldest-known woven garment, the Tarkhan Dress, is made from linen and is more than 5,000 years old. It was found in Egypt.
3. Furs continued to be popular. In fact, demand for furs, both luxury and staple, was one of the driving forces of early European exploration, and later exploitation, of North America from the 16th Century. Fur trade companies could make huge profits from beaver, fisher, fox, lynx, marten, mink, muskrat and otter pelts, wanted for both their aesthetic qualities and warmth.
4. Silk has traditionally been valued for its material properties as well as its beautiful appearance and scarcity. It was a common status symbol among the elites of the Mongol empire and other Central Asian nomadic groups throughout history, partly because of its thermal conductivity – it keeps the wearer cool in hot weather and warm when it gets cold.

Techno textiles

1. Smart high-performance textiles, engineered to continuously adapt to their environment, are often inspired by natural materials. Thermo-regulated fabrics are a key area of research for astronauts as well as outdoor explorers. One example is jackets that adjust body temperature in real-time by using lightweight, flexible, carbon-fibre, heating components, managed by an intelligent thermostat and housed in stretch insulation.
2. Other smart textiles make use of mechanisms like the Maillard reaction to transform zein, the byproduct of corn processing, into a hydrophobic, wearable fabric that can reduce cold-weather impact on outdoor workers, especially in remote locations where the temperature changes dramatically between day and night.
3. Researchers are working to enhance the structural and material benefits of knitted fabrics, while overcoming production and breathability issues to make them suitable for extreme winter sports. In this process, superhydrophobic polar bear hairs and moisture-permeable tree-like fabric can both serve as inspiration. Biomimetic materials can then be ‘knitted’ into material for winter athletes – simultaneously combining ‘old school’ techniques with next-generation textiles.

Antarctic adventures

1. Captain Scott’s team wore a range of natural materials on their doomed Terra Nova expedition to the Antarctic in 1911, including some that were different from the rival Norwegian team – partly because of their different methods of transport over snow. Scott’s men drew on Sámi expertise of the harsh conditions, wearing traditional reindeer fur boots lined with felt and insulated with a type of hay called ‘seannegrass’. They also wore traditional reindeer fur gloves and used reindeer sleeping bags.
2. Scott’s transport included sledges, made from leather, rope and wood, which were hauled by his men and Siberian ponies. Special snow shoes were made from bamboo to protect the ponies’ feet against the cold, shaped with wire and attached with leather. They were abandoned because of concerns about the ponies’ ability to walk in them, although Scott quickly, and unsuccessfully, sent men back for them.
3. Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ 2013 winter expedition to Antarctica stocked up on bespoke, down-filled kit for the journey, applying lessons from the successes and failures of Scott a century before. Heated boots insoles, gloves and head visors were used, with the second layer of clothing modified to house battery packs, radio and power distribution systems. Despite this, their attempt to cross Antarctica in winter was still not possible.

The great outdoors

1. Rock-climbers often have to navigate variable climate conditions, depending on the stage of the climb. Base layers are key. They wick sweat and provide extra warmth when needed – and the choice is usually between merino wool and a synthetic equivalent, designed to wick sweat faster. Gloves are also essential, with many climbers opting for a 2-in-1, where a detachable exterior shell provides warmth when necessary while the base layer allows for dexterity.
2. The Nenet reindeer herders of Siberia migrate through the winter, usually moving every few days, often in temperatures of -30oC and lower. They stay warm in conical tents called ‘chums’, supported by 25-60 poles and covered with sewn-together reindeer hides. Wooden planks covered in hides provide insulation and stability and some chums have thick plastic windows for light.