Some thoughts on selecting clothing for subarctic climate

[RonW]

All at the same time?
They might have looked like Michelin-dummies... Then again, at -34, who cares?

As for the loggers; I guess they would sweat during work, so maybe they opted for wool jackets, so the sweat could leave the clothing? With a windproofjacket they would get wet, thus risking freezing.

 

[Martti]

All at the same time?
They might have looked like Michelin-dummies... Then again, at -34, who cares?

Quite the contrary! According to my calculations based on patterns and fabrics, the whole outfit without shoes and fur jacket would have weighted only about 3,9 kg or 8,6 lb. This is 0,6 kg less than George Mallory's outfit for 1924 Everest expedition. Shoes add another 1,8 kg and fur jacket around two kilograms. Mallory used silk for undergarment and cotton windproof jacket so in overall his clothing is lighter than the Finnish one but not perhaps to durable.

You really cannot go much lighter with natural materials without dangering the durability or going with much higher price. Arctic fur outfits weighted around the same and according to Vilhjálmur Stefánsson, on his book Arctic Manual, the overall weight of Inuit fur outfit is around 10 pounds or 4,5 kg. This was sufficient to spend a night in -40 C.

 

[Martti]

As for the loggers; I guess they would sweat during work, so maybe they opted for wool jackets, so the sweat could leave the clothing? With a windproofjacket they would get wet, thus risking freezing.

These are all good points. Sakari Pälsi visited one of the numerous logging sites in Lapland in 1923 and took several interesting photographs of the lives of the loggers. Here are few links to the photographs (use the zoom to see the details). One of the more interesting bits of information I noticed when I examined them is that many of the men have reindeer leather patches sewn into backs and knees of their trousers; perhaps for both of strength and warmth.

https://www.kuvakokoelmat.fi/pictures/view/1936_58
https://www.kuvakokoelmat.fi/pictures/view/1936_59
https://www.kuvakokoelmat.fi/pictures/view/1936_61

 

[Martti]

With a new batch of documents from the Archive, I'm ready to tackle the secret of the logger or work jacket as it is called here. Even the Army admitted that is was better than their own jackets. One thing I noticed from the abovementioned photographs and drawings I have, is that the shoulder seam is situated lower than the armpits and thus allowing free movement of the arm.

Ron, I noticed that you bought one of those M43 caps I recommended. I found some further information of the use of it and other similar caps during winter conditions and if you add a thin knitted hat under it, you should be able to easily tolerate temperatures down to -15C according to one user.

 

[RonW]

Thanks Martti,
I was thinking about getting one of those German WW2 style grandmascarfs, which you can pull over your head. These 2 should make a nice set.

I would like to see those pictures, too. I am thinking about making my own woolen cloths, since woolen army surplus is either way to expensive or the shipping is.
I have ideas, based on Celt- and Vikingstyled cloths, but it never hurts to look for other information, too.

One thing that does bother me, is how these people kept themselves protected from wet conditions like rain or melting snow......

 

[Martti]

Thanks Martti,
I would like to see those pictures, too. I am thinking about making my own woolen cloths, since woolen army surplus is either way to expensive or the shipping is. I have ideas, based on Celt- and Vikingstyled cloths, but it never hurts to look for other information, too.

The original drawings were nothing more than mere pencil sketches so I had to boost up the contrast. By the way, the whole M36/M43 cap thing is much older than you would think; here is also a sample of a karpus hat from Olaus Rudbeck's book series Atlantica (1679-1702).

One thing that does bother me, is how these people kept themselves protected from wet conditions like rain or melting snow......

March and April are the dryest months in Finland, so one would not have to worry about anything else than slush in spring. Otherwise wool impregnated with lanolin or wax was sufficient enough; I have FDF vadmal fabric that is made waterproof with some of these materials and it still breathes very well.

 

[RonW]

Hmmmm... so I could make a poncho out of an old, thin(ner) blanket and treat that with lanolin and it would keep me dry and warm? Wax will set hard.

The jacket looks basic enough to make one myself, but those caps...with goggles? I think I will stay with the M43 and a scarf. Thank you.

Thanks for the info!

 

[Martti]

Here is a new batch of recommendations from the documents I collected from the Archive; hopefully these will give you some ideas:

- (Cotton) flannel underwear
- Traditional Finnish leather boots
- Sarka wool ski cap with flaps when skiing, otherwise fur hat is used.
- Leather mittens when skiing, otherwise knitted wool gloves underneath them.
- Wool socks and wool footwraps (35x90 cm) on top of them or woolen footwraps and felt socks together. Hand knitted socks are the best ones.
- The best wool sweater is knitted using fisherman's ribs / raised ribbing.

P.S. It was interesting to find out that reindeer pelt was recommended for sissi troops staying long periods at forests during winter times as late as year 1969!

 

[Chris the Cat]

Fantastic stuff Martti !
What is the nearest one can find to 'traditional Finnish ' leather boots today ?
My best.
Chris.

 

[Martti]

What is the nearest one can find to 'traditional Finnish ' leather boots today ?

Depending your budget they are either hand made boots with large price tag (around 200-400&#8364 or cheaper ones with glued rubber soles (starting from as low as 70&#8364. There is only one in Finland manufacturer I'm aware of, Töysän Kenkätehdas. However a company called Kero makes same kind of shoes in Sweden.

http://www.toysankenkatehdas.fi/en/node/39
http://www.kero.se/en/

EDIT: This model is perhaps the most traditional among Finns and Sami, taller boots were introduced from Sweden during the 1600s as military shoes.
http://www.toysankenkatehdas.fi/en/node/34

 

[Martti]

Here is another clothing list, this time from the Continuation War. I discovered it from the papers of the Finnish 3rd Division. The division operated at Uhtua Front which is just south of Lapland border. Person wearing all this should be able to endure temperatures down to -30°C/-22°F. http://digi.narc.fi/digi/view.ka?kuid=3642446 (in Finnish)

Norwegian string vest
Flannel shirt
Wool sweater
M/27 sarka wool tunic
(Fur coat for the night)
Fur cap
Wool neck and face mask
Wool gloves
Leather mittens

Flannel underwear
Wool underwear
Wool trousers
Two pairs of wool socks
Felt socks
Traditional leather boots

 

[comeonbabylightmyfire]

I love those boots and just looked at the site. At $975 they're a bit rich for my blood.

 

[Martti]

I love those boots and just looked at the site. At $975 they're a bit rich for my blood.

If you refer to the Kero boots, the prices are in SEK. 975 SEK is around 93£ or 106€.

 

[L8starter]

you could check out the library for a book 'siidastallan' by jukka pennanen and klemetti nakkalajarvi. its a history of the sami people published by the museum at inari. it has a section on using hides, making shoegrass (from sedges cut in mid august), reindeer fur shoes with rough patterns and other stuff, not too much but interesting. i lived up in kemijarvi for 4 months february to may a few years ago and then moved further north and over to kautokeino on the high plains of norway. living amongst the sami people was an extrordinafy experience.

http://www.siida.fi/contents there might be something on the museum site or it would be worth contacting them directly, they might send you a photocopy of the relevant pages of the book if you grovelled nicely



anyway, the wind was the most diffiuclt in the harshest of weather. without the wind the days were dry and warm with fresh snow fall every night, the real january cold was over when i arrived and the snows came. but when it was windy it was trreacherous under foot, diffiuclt to see and a real struggle to move. falling off the side of well troden paths into thigh deep snow was an extrordinary experience too, the paths just get higher and higher as the snow packs down whicle the edges stay soft and loose

 

[Martti]

anyway, the wind was the most diffiuclt in the harshest of weather. without the wind the days were dry and warm with fresh snow fall every night, the real january cold was over when i arrived and the snows came. but when it was windy it was trreacherous under foot, diffiuclt to see and a real struggle to move. falling off the side of well troden paths into thigh deep snow was an extrordinary experience too, the paths just get higher and higher as the snow packs down whicle the edges stay soft and loose

Lapland is a whole different animal when it comes to climate; whereas there is little need of windproof shielding in South and Central Finland, it is absolutely necessary in the north etc. I have extensive library of books regarding Sámi and Finnish ethnography but they are not really helpful when it comes to field experience with these kind of clothing. That is one of the reason why I'm concentrating on military and logging people because they both had to live years and years outside civilized world.

 

[L8starter]

That is one of the reason why I'm concentrating on military and logging people because they both had to live years and years outside civilized world.

and the sami don't? sorry maybe ive missed something, i spent time with nomadic raindeer herders who, whilst using modern tools and equipment nevertehless still used traditional costume much of the time as they said it worked better

best of luck

 

[Martti]

sorry maybe ive missed something, i spent time with nomadic raindeer herders who, whilst using modern tools and equipment nevertehless still used traditional costume much of the time as they said it worked better

As I said on the introduction, I'm looking clothing for taiga environment which requires different setting than the more northern Lapland with semi-tundra like climate. I could mimic their clothes and equipment but I woud probably come up with too heavy set of clothes for the environment here.

 

[RonW]

This might be a bit off, but I was wondering if Scandinavians used snowshoes like their American/Canadian counterparts or did they tackled moving through the snow differently?

 

[Martti]

This might be a bit off, but I was wondering if Scandinavians used snowshoes like their American/Canadian counterparts or did they tackled moving through the snow differently?

Fennoscandian terrain and type of snow is more suitable for skis but very primitive kind of swamp- and snowshoes were known in certain areas.

 

[RonW]

Ehhhh Fennoscandian??? What's that?
And ski's in a rocky forrested area... doesn't seem logical either, does it?