Fur on the Inside or out?

[firecrest]

I got a bargain price reindeer skin the other week, and it got me to wondering about making reindeer skin clothes, its not something Im actually likely to do, but looking at all the far northern peoples clothing, they all seem to wear the fur with the hair on the outside when surely it feels warmer on the inside,a s Id assume warm air is trapped closer to the skin. Im sure they are obviously right and Ill be wrong for some reason, but is it more to do with waterproofing reasons or allowing sweat to escape? in which case, if a person were to make a sleeping bag or just a night jacket out of reindeer fur for a cold night in a temperate climate where their life didnt depend on it, would it be warmer and more convient to put the hair on the inside?

 

[Broch]

It may be because whatever you do to reindeer you can't stop the hair from falling out and it sticks to everything - so if you wore it on the inside....

It is very warm though. I used to use it as a rug in my tent but got tired of hair in everything!

Broch

 

[DavidJT]

Copy on the loosing hairs thing.
All reindeer skins now banned from the house by swmbo.
Maybe natives used double layer, fur on inside too? I think it's warmer if the hairs can fluff up a little and trap more air. On the inside they may be too flattened.

 

[robin wood]

I wonder if where you live makes a big difference, fur outside may not be so great in a warmer wetter climate.

 

[Mesquite]

What way does the animal the siin came from wear the fur?

Evolution has designed it to be at it's maximum effeciency worn that way and any people that uses it, sami, innuit etc learnt that at an early age when they started wearing skins against the cold.

 

[forestwalker]

Copy on the loosing hairs thing.
All reindeer skins now banned from the house by swmbo.

I can have them, just not indoors. Silly.

Maybe natives used double layer, fur on inside too? I think it's warmer if the hairs can fluff up a little and trap more air. On the inside they may be too flattened.

According to Edna Wilders "Secrets of Eskimo Skin Sewing" fancy parkas were with the fur out (and generally with nicer furs than caribou), while utilitarian work parkas were fur in. IIRC my Stefansson correctly the high arctic pattern was inner layer fur in, outer layer fur out (for parkas, pants appear to allways have been fur out).

 

[robin wood]

What way does the animal the siin came from wear the fur?

Evolution has designed it to be at it's maximum effeciency worn that way and any people that uses it, sami, innuit etc learnt that at an early age when they started wearing skins against the cold.

Suspect evolution might have some problems trying to get it fur inwards.

 

[forestwalker]

Suspect evolution might have some problems trying to get it fur inwards.

Inside is the seal/whale pattern, only they don't use fur, they use blubber. And as you say, evolution is great for a certain kind of optimisation (where each step builds on a prior structure and is at least not a disadvantage). Turning fur inside out would be a bit of a stretch there...

 

[firecrest]

well the purpose of keeping hair on the outside with regards to the animal is to trap air against its skin. So when that skin becomes leather Im assumeing the hairs then trap the warmest layer against the leather at the base of the hairs and not your skin because youve now added an extra layer. As for hair on the inside, well evolution developed blubber for that instead

 

[spamel]

Well, I'd assume that the fur will prevent any of your body heat escaping from the clothing, yet allowing sweat to pass through so your normal body temperature can be maintained inside the furs.

 

[y0dsa]

I think some reindeer hides are impregnated with silicone for waterproofing and fur retention.

 

[Shewie]

There is stuff available which helps t keep the hair from malting, can't remember what it's called but musuem use it a lot. Google might come up with something ??

 

[The Cumbrian]

I read somewhere that amongst the inuit, you weren't considered to be a man until you'd swallowed your own weight in reindeer hair.

 

[Mesquite]

I read somewhere that amongst the inuit, you weren't considered to be a man until you'd swallowed your own weight in reindeer hair.

In my case that's gonna be an awful lot of hair

 

[Matt.S]

well the purpose of keeping hair on the outside with regards to the animal is to trap air against its skin. So when that skin becomes leather Im assumeing the hairs then trap the warmest layer against the leather at the base of the hairs and not your skin because youve now added an extra layer. As for hair on the inside, well evolution developed blubber for that instead

As I understand it hair/fur is 'supposed' to stop the layer of warm air around the body from moving away (related with windchill). Presumably you don't have this issue inside your clothing?

 

[crazydave]

hair is also supposed to help repell the water along with the breathable qualities of the leather. also on the outside I guess you would suffer less chance of fleas and ticks. if its treated right then it shouldnt moult but it will still wear away.

if you seal the skin then you could spin it around but directional long hairs like reindeer wont lay properly. sheepskin is only worn reversed when its shaved close like in a flying jacket. rabbit you could probably wear either way.