TAIGA USER’S GUIDE
TAIGA USER’S GUIDE
The right clothing is vital for people who work outdoors. The right equipment will get you a long way, but you can improve your situation still further by improving your knowledge. With this booklet, we want to spread some of that particular success factor – knowledge.
Taiga User’s Guide – written in collaboration with Ingvar Holmér, professor of climate physiology at the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden.
WHY
HEAT
TAIGA’S HISTORY
Taiga was founded in Varberg 1982 by Paul Rydholm, who already had 30 years of experience in garment manufacturing. Two years earlier, he travelled to the wilderness of Alaska seeking inspiration and returned home with a new business focus. He wanted to create the world’s most advanced clothing for demanding work environments, and extreme weather conditions, where optimal function and safety are crucial.
Since then, Taiga has always focused on the needs of the customer: function, quality, fit, and durability. Our products are developed in close collaboration with users, experts in climate physiology, suppliers, and through extensive testing. Today, some of the world’s most exposed professional groups choose Taiga as their supplier, such as polar researchers, mountain rescue teams, ambulance personnel, and specialized military and police units.
AND PHILOSOPHY
In extreme conditions, there are no margins or room for mistakes. Our clothes are developed to allow you to work as unhindered as possible. Whether you’re operating in tropical heat, facing strong winds with driving rain, or in minus 30 degrees and snowstorm.
We know how to dress optimal – regardless of climate. Understanding how the human body works in different temperatures and working conditions is critical to ensure a good working environment. To maintain a good performance and ability to concentrate, you need to control temperature and moisture in your clothing system. Therefore, our Clothing System philosophy is based on several layers for easy adjustment of your heat- and moisture balance.
Functional garments shall keep you Dry, Warm and Secure without restricting your movement and performance. Each layer in the clothing system has it’s specific function, and the garments complement each other in an efficient way.
The high quality of our advanced workwear allows them to be used for a long time, and besides reducing the economic cost for the customer, it also consumes fewer natural resources. We also have a processing workshop where we repair garments that can still be used for many years to come. This is a way for us as a business, and you as a user, to extend the lifetime of the workwear and to avoid unnecessary manufacturing of new textiles.
People are designed to exist at a temperature of +28 °C in the shade. Preferably with no wind.
SENSITIVE TO HEAT AND COLD
especially the head and torso area.
COOLING SWEAT
HANDS & FEET often get cold in our climate.
a function unique to humans. NO PROTECTIVE FUR to keep us warm. provides poor protection against rain and wind.
THIN SKIN
According to the most widely accepted theories of human origin, our species developed from the Homo Erectus somewhere in southern Africa. The climate there is warm and comfortable – ideal for humans.
Biologically, humans are designed to live at temperatures of +28 to +32 °C. Our body functions optimally in this temperature range, and needs no clothes to keep it warm. If we get too hot or cold, our body can cool or heat itself.
All creatures are born to live in a specific climate. But people gradually began migrating across the globe to places with completely different conditions and demands.
Humans have adapted their lifestyle to different climates, and have also undergone biological changes. Different pigmentations, body proportions etc. offer advantages in various climates.
There are 1,600 storms happening on the earth at any one time, and 45 lighting flashes occur every second
The number of reported natural disasters has increased recently; over the last 40 years, the figure has risen from 100 to 400. The situation is tough – and our ideal average temperature of +28 °C is fairly uncommon. Add to this strong winds, rain and other challenging environmental factors. In Scandinavia, such conditions are the rule rather than the exception. Scandinavia’s capital cities are on roughly the same latitude as Anchorage in Alaska, so our tough weather conditions are hardly surprising.
Scandinavia has among the world’s largest temperature fluctuations
The lowest temperature ever measured in Sweden is -52.6 °C, and the highest is +38.0 °C. This means a difference of 90.6 °C. The Swedish climate is also characterised by high precipitation and strong winds. The extreme weather variations in Sweden and Scandinavia are caused by cold westerly airstreams which collide with warm southerly airstreams. In fact, Scandinavia is considered to have one of the world’s highest temperature fluctuations.
Adélie Land. Annual daily average of 48 m/s (174 km/h). WINDIEST
HIGHEST ANNUAL PRECIPITATION
Lloro, Colombia. Annual precipitation of approx. 13,300 mm.
COLDEST
Antarctica (the southern cold pole).
Annual daily average of -58 °C.
HOTTEST
Dallol, Danakil Desert, Ethiopia. Annual daily average of +34.5 °C.
Please note that these are only the daily average figures. The hottest temperature ever recorded is +57.8 °C (El Azizia, Libya). The coldest ever recorded is -89.2 °C (Vostok, Antarctica).
AIR HUMIDITY ...
People start feeling the effects of high air humidity at temperatures of about 0 °C and higher. In the province of Skåne in southern Sweden, for example, the moist climate feels “raw” in the winter. By comparison, the climate further north in Sweden feels more comfortable despite being several degrees colder. This is because the air in Skåne has higher humidity. The reason is simple: the warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold. This is illustrated in the Mollier diagram to the right.
Air humidity also makes hotter climates feel less comfortable. At temperatures above +34 °C, it becomes difficult for sweat to evaporate from the skin if the air is humid. This is because when we sweat, our body tries to eliminate moisture through evaporation. But this is difficult if the air is already saturated with moisture.
In a cold climate, air humidity affects our clothing. In the microclimate (temperature, air humidity etc.) inside a clothing system, there is a temperature of around 30–32 °C nearest the body. This allows the air against the body to hold more moisture than the colder air outside. As the warm air escapes from the clothing system, it cools down and can no longer retain the moisture. Instead, the moisture remains in the clothing.
Functional clothing materials eliminate the moisture from the clothing system. By contrast, clothes in other materials such as cotton absorb the moisture, which remains in the clothing. This greatly reduces the clothes’ insulation capacity, while heat is robbed from the body to dry the clothes. As a result, you get wet and cold.
Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. When warm air cools down, it can no longer retain all the moisture. The moisture falls like rain and remains in the clothing.
OUTDOOR TEMPERATURES
... HOW IT AFFECTS US
LOW AIR HUMIDITY
The mucous membranes become irritated, causing symptoms such as coughing.
MEDIUM
AIR HUMIDITY
Typically feels comfortable and pleasant.
HIGH AIR HUMIDITY
Feels sticky and stifling. Sweat has difficulty evaporating.
Relativ luf t fuk tighet i procent
CURVESHOWSTHEHIGHESTAIRSATURATIONLEVEL.
When the air is saturated, the excess moisture falls in the form of rain, snow, mist etc.
Air humidity affects us in many ways, for example the way we experience the weather. But it also causes moisture to accumulate in clothing in a cold climate.
WE FEEL COLDER …
We all know that the wind has a cooling effect. But why? Humans constantly produce energy, so our bodies are surrounded by a layer of heated air. When the air flow increases around a warm body, the layer of warm air is simply blown away. As a result, the body cools down. This phenomenon, know as convection, accounts for 40–80 % of the wind’s cooling effect on the body. An extremely strong wind can even press the warm air out of the clothing system.
The wind’s cooling effect is known as the wind chill factor. The stronger the wind, the higher the wind chill factor. This is illustrated in the diagram to the right. However, note that the temperature does not change just because it’s windy. The temperature always remains the same; it’s the chill factor that varies.
In a climate with a wind force of 6 m/s and a temperature of -5 °C, the heat loss is the same as in completely wind-free conditions at -12 °C. On the other hand, a warm surface can never become colder than the actual temperature –in this case -5 °C. To illustrate this, imagine a parachutist.
If the temperature is over 0 °C, the parachutist will sustain no cold damage during a jump – even if the chill temperature, in theory, is colder than -40 °C. The main purpose of a chill table is to assess local chilling, for instance of the face.
The wind cools us down by blowing away the layer of warm air that collects around the body. This is called convection.
... WHEN IT’S WINDY
The warm air layer is pressed and/or blown away by the wind ...
... this increases the chill factor. In this example, the temperature is -20 °C ...
EFFECT ON THE CHILL FACTOR
... but at a wind force of 15 m/s, the chill factor is -35 °C.
WHAT HAPPENS ...
Generally speaking, we feel cold when our body loses more heat than it produces. On average, it takes 5 to 7 minutes for a person to consciously feel cold. This happens when the cold starts affecting our deep body temperature. Consequently, feeling cold is a sign that our body is out of balance. The chilling process also affects our nerves and muscles and impairs our fine motor function and our concentration ability.
The first body parts to start feeling cold are our hands and feet. This isn’t necessarily caused by inadequate socks or gloves, It’s also because the body saves heat by reducing the blood circulation. Our hands and feet are the first body parts to be deprioritised in favour of more vital organs. If our hands reach a temperature of around 15–20 °C, they start feeling acutely painful. Below 10 °C, the hands go numb. Below 0 °C, freezing injuries occur.
The last body functions to stop working are the heart, lungs and brain. The body keeps them warm for as long as possible. A particularly large amount of energy is stored in the head. In extreme conditions, 80 % of body heat can escape through the head if no hat is worn.
If nothing is done to improve the situation, the body activates it’s next mechanism for keeping warm: shivering. This starts long after we begin feeling discomfort.
... WHEN WE GET COLD
FINE MOTOR PRECISION
When we cool down, it affects our nerves and muscles. Our fine motor precision is impaired.
THE FIRST SIGNS
The first body parts to start feeling cold are the hands and feet. This is because the body saves heat by reducing the blood circulation.
DEEP BODY
TEMPERATURE
It takes 5 to 7 minutes for the cold to start affecting our deep body temperature.
SHIVERING
Shivering is caused by uncontrollable muscle spasms. It is one of the body’s ways of generating its own heat.
KEEP YOUR HEAD WARM
Up to 80 % of body heat escapes from the head. Use a hat!
REACTIONS
AT LOW BODY TEMPERATURE
37 °C Normal body temperature.
36 °C Cold hands and feet, shaking, discomfort.
35 °C Severe shivering, impaired work capacity. Severe discomfort.
34 °C Exhaustion, lack of strength. Apathy, impaired judgement.
33-32 °C Shivering subsides, deterioration of muscle function, difficult to use hands. Confusion, depression.
32-30 °C Muscle fatigue, inability to walk, skin cold with bluish tinge. Progressive loss of consciousness.
30-27 °C Stiff muscles, slow pulse and breathing. No response to communication attempts.
<27 °C No nerve reflexes, irregular heartbeat, heart may stop.
We get cold when our body loses more heat than it produces. Consequently, feeling cold is a sign that our deep body temperature is out of balance.
WHAT HAPPENS ...
Just like when we get cold, sweating is a sign that our deep body temperature is changing. In this case it rises, and the body sweats to cool down.
In a resting state and a normal climate, we lose approximately 30 grams of body moisture per hour through evaporation. If the body overheats, for example during heavy work in warm weather, the skin’s sweat glands are activated and sweat is produced over the whole body. Sweating is also caused by mental stress, in which case our hands and head start sweating.
It’s not the actual sweating process that cools us down. The cooling occurs when the sweat evaporates. The evaporation process eliminates large reserves of body heat through the skin. If you sweat and evaporate 1 litre of water per hour, this produces a cooling effect of approximately 680 W.
To illustrate this, imagine what it’s like to take a cooling dip on a sunny summer day. When you get out of the water, the air feels cold – even though the weather is sunny and warm. This is because the body releases heat during the evaporation process.
During hard work at low temperatures, the cooling effect of sweating can actually be dangerous. When you stop working, the sweat cools your body down just when it needs all the heat it can get.
We sweat when our deep body temperature starts getting too high. The body cools down when the sweat evaporates.
... WHEN WE SWEAT
ADJUSTING OUR HEAT BALANCE
To stop the body from overheating, we need to sweat.
THE ACTUAL SWEATING DOESN’T COOL US DOWN
The cooling occurs when the sweat evaporates.
THE WHOLE BODY SWEATS
There are sweat glands all over the body. They are activated in hot environments and during hard work.
LIMITED EVAPORATION
At high air humidity, the body has trouble cooling down during sweating. This is because the sweat cannot evaporate efficiently into the saturated air.
COOLING
If you sweat and evaporate 1 litre of water per hour, this produces a cooling effect of 680 W.
REACTIONS AT HIGH BODY TEMPERATURE
37 °C Normal body temperature.
38 °C Temperature during moderately hard work. Blood vessel dilation and sweating.
39 °C Temperature during very hard work. Exhaustion.
40 °C Inefficient temperature regulation. Unbearable.
> 41 °C Risk of heatstroke and permanent heat damage.
150 ML A DAY
Our feet release about 150 ml of sweat a day.
THE WEATHER AFFECTS OUR MENTAL STATE
It feels nicer to get up on a sunny summer morning than on a dark, cold and windy winter morning. The weather affects our mental state. Temperature has an especially strong affect, influencing both our performance and our behaviour.
A person suffering from excessive cold has trouble concentrating. Complex tasks performed under time pressure are especially sensitive to the effects of a cold environment. More errors are committed, many of them caused by lapses in concentration. Our learning ability is also impaired, and it becomes harder to memorise new information.
After prolonged work in the cold, you may get used to your body reactions and feel less discomfort. This is not entirely positive. You risk getting used to the warning signals and overlooking them. This can result in freezing injuries etc.
The nature and severity of physical and mental reactions to cold varies from person to person, and may also be influenced by individual attitudes and motivation.
The opposite of cold stress is heat stress. This occurs when the body cannot release enough heat (for example due to a thick layer of clothing) and consequently overheats. Besides causing discomfort and reduced stamina (working capacity), heat stress also has a negative mental effect. Memory and spatial orientation ability are impaired.
BODY HEAT IS PARTLY CONTROLLED BY THE MIND
Our mental state affects the way our body reacts to the climate in extreme or vulnerable situations, for example if we’re worried, nervous or simply under pressure.
The body reacts to these situations by tensing up. The degree of stress required in order for this to happen varies from person to person, but the symptoms are the same for everyone. The blood vessels contract, obstructing blood circulation. As always, reduced blood circulation makes us feel cold. Another reaction worth mentioning is cold sweating. This happens when the inner tension is so strong that the body secretes sweat, primarily on the head and hands.
COLD/ STRESS
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL REACTIONS
PERFORMANCE CAPACITY
RISKS COSTS
PERFORMANCE
Many factors affect our performance and our reactions to the weather, for example stress and individual characteristics.
SITUATIONAL FACTORS
THE BODY LOSES HEAT IN VARIOUS WAYS
Our body is constantly losing heat. In hot environments, it is necessary to prevent the body from overheating. At cold temperatures, we can easily lose too much heat. As a result, we get cold and are at higher risk of freezing injuries. The colder the temperature, the more heat we lose. Cooling takes place by means of five processes: convection, radiation, conduction, evaporation and breathing. In a cold climate and with a low level of activity, these processes are distributed roughly as follows:
50 % CONVECTION – air is heated by the skin and flows away. This process is strongly reinforced by wind and ventilation in clothing.
30 % RADIATION – heat is released in the form of light, in the same way as the sun’s rays.
10 % BREATHING – when we draw cold air into the lungs, this also has a cooling effect.
5 % EVAPORATION – heat energy is transported away when the body evaporates moisture (e.g. sweat), which has a cooling effect.
5 % CONDUCTION – heat is exchanged when two surfaces meet (e.g. warm feet on a cold floor).
In light of these factors, we need clothes that match the body’s heat loss. Low evaporation resistance prevents moisture from remaining in the clothing system. Windproofness protects against heat loss through convection. Waterproofness protects against wet (which results in cooling through evaporation). Insulation retains the heat in the clothing system.
THE HEAT PROPERTIES OF CLOTHING
To prevent heat loss, you need suitable clothing that keeps you warm and dry. This process can be divided into four factors:
INSULATION
EVAPORATION RESISTANCE
WINDPROOFNESS
WATERPROOFNESS
LOSS OF BODY HEAT
Our body is constantly giving off heat. This is important in order to prevent overheating. However, in cold weather it creates problems.
> 50 %
RADIATION
< 30 %
BREATHING
≈ 10 % CONVECTION
EVAPORATION
≈ 5 %
CONDUCTION < 5 %
Your clothing is vital in reducing heat loss. It needs to insulate and keep your body dry, since moisture has a cooling effect.
THE INSULATION ABILITY OF CLOTHING IS MEASURED IN CLO
Appropriate clothing is vital for operating and working in cold weather. Your clothing provides insulation and keeps you warm. It creates an outer layer of heated air around your body that helps insulate your body heat. However, this layer of air is sensitive to convection and can easily be blown away.
Your clothing must keep you warm – even in windy conditions. However, it mustn’t provide so much insulation that you sweat. Your clothing should provide the right degree of warmth. But how can you determine this?
To determine how warm a clothing system needs to be, various factors must be considered. It is vital to determine the right CLO value.
CLO is a measurement unit that indicates a garment’s insulation ability. It is based on an international standard (EN 342), and is measured and determined using a thermal manikin. When clothes are CE marked, the measurement value m2 K/W is used to determine their insulation capacity.
1 CLO = 0.152 m2 K/W.
Calculating the CLO value is a scientific means of identifying the right clothing. There are several determining factors, such as temperature, wind and type of work.
INSULATION PROVIDED BY CLOTHING
0–3,5 CLO
INSULATION PROVIDED BY OUTER AIR LAYER
0,2–0,8 CLO
Clothing can provide insulation up to 3.5 CLO. You are also surrounded by an outer layer of heated air that keeps you warm – as long as there’s no wind.
THE BODY GENERATES HEAT DURING WORK
In a resting state, the body generates a heating power of 100 W. As soon as we start moving and working, the heat production increases. During “light work”, for example using light tools, we produce 240 W. During “very heavy work”, such as climbing or fast digging, we produce 600 W or more.
When the body produces heat, our clothing requirements change. For example, clothes that keep you warm in a resting state quickly become too warm if you start doing physical work in them. For this reason, the user’s heat production should be taken into consideration when determining the right clothes (see next page).
HEAT BALANCE REQUIRES THE RIGHT CLO VALUE
The optimal heat balance means that your body has an internal temperature of roughly 37 °C. This is vital in order to function optimally and feel comfortable. Feeling cold is the body’s reaction to a drop in deep body temperature. Conversely, we sweat when our deep body temperature starts rising. In both cases, this is the body’s way of maintaining an optimal heat balance. When you add factors such as changes in weather, temperature and work activities (own heat production), it becomes clear that heat balance is no easy equation. It is vital to dress right. Your clothing requirements are calculated using CLO, according to the scale below.
THE CLOTHING LIMIT
At this point, it’s not possible to dress any warmer without obstructing mobility.
DRY, WARM, SECURE – OUR SOLUTION ...
Good work clothes should keep you dry, warm and secure without restricting your movement. Through research and intensive testing, we have developed clothes that provide optimal mobility and heat balance even in situations that call for very high CLO values. Taiga’s clothing systems are based on the layer-on-layer principle: Dry, Warm and Secure.
DRY
The first layer limits convection immediately next to the skin, eliminates moisture and keeps you dry.
WARM
The second layer provides insulation, generating heat in the clothing system.
SECURE
The outermost layer protects you from extreme weather and other threats.
... TO OPTIMISE YOUR PERFORMANCE
The first layer limits convection immediately next to the skin and keeps you dry. After this comes the insulating warm layer. If necessary, this layer can be supplemented. The outermost layer is your protection against external factors, from rain and wind to electric arcs and hazardous chemicals.
GOOD ADVICE FOR MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
The layer-on-layer principle makes it easy to change your clothing’s CLO value. But besides adding and removing garments, there are other solutions for extremely cold or hot conditions.
ADJUST YOUR CLOTHING
Adjust your clothing to your needs. If your level of activity varies, your clothing must vary accordingly. The layer-on-layer principle makes it easy to change your clothing system’s CLO value. For example, if you pass from a light to a more demanding activity, it’s a good idea to remove warm garments such as fleeces. If you start feeling cold, put more clothes on. Your hat is especially important. A lot of heat escapes if your head is bare.
AVOID COTTON CLOTHING
Cotton has no place in a functional clothing system. When cotton gets damp (as it easily does), it loses it’s heat insulation ability. Moreover, it uses your body heat to dry, thereby cooling you down.
RAISE YOUR HEAT FROM THE INSIDE
If you start feeling cold outdoors, activate your large muscle groups for 5–7 minutes. This raises your heat production and blood circulation. The large muscle groups are your stomach, back and legs.
WASH YOUR CLOTHES REGULARLY
Clean clothes function more efficiently. This particularly applies to the inner surface of clothing, which is exposed to sweat and body grease. For example, moisture-wicking membranes can get clogged, reducing the clothes’ breathability. Socks are particularly important. Feet release about 150 ml of sweat a day. Change your socks often to ensure they’re always clean.
REST IS VITAL
Don’t work for too long in extreme cold or heat. The risk of heat stroke and exhaustion starts increasing at outdoor temperatures of over 30 °C. The problems are greatly aggravated at cold temperatures below 30 °C. Take regular short breaks from the cold or heat.
DRINK WATER
Normally, a healthy person should drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day. During hard work, we sweat more so we need to drink more. Make sure you drink lots and regularly. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty – thirst is a sign that you are already suffering from dehydration. Other symptoms of dehydration are headache, dizziness and reduced concentration.
WE REFUSE TO TAKE CHANCES
THAT’S WHY WE CREATED TAIGA CLIMATE LAB
We need access to extreme weather to test our clothes’ function. But instead of travelling the globe in search of the perfect bad weather, we create it ourselves. The TAIGA CLIMATE LAB is a world-unique facility where we subject both our clothing and ourselves to tough tests and environmental factors – both for research purposes and to show how the body reacts in extreme conditions.
Of course, our customers, suppliers and other partners are welcome to visit our climate lab to test different clothing systems.
