Some thoughts on selecting clothing for subarctic climate

[Martti Kujansuu]

Much of Finland is part of the subarctic climate (Dfc on Köppen), where temperatures range from -20°C/-4°F to +20°C/68°F in most years. I'm currently changing my selection of clothing to something more suitable and traditional to this area. I have obtained dozens of hiking books from 1930s to 1940s and read several Finnish military reports from the War to make up a kit that would fulfil both of these two conditions.

To start from the bottom; footwraps. Very old school I know but they are unanimously recommended by all if made out of wool and not cotton. They say that they should be used both during summer and winter. They're warmer and easier to dry in the bush. There is a division into those that recommend ankle and those that would use calf-high boots on the Finnish literature. I'm more into lighter shoes so I'll prefer ankle boots with removable cloth gaiters during summer. Leather enforced felt boots should be excellent choice along with felt socks, if they are only used during dry phase of winter.

Wool flannel briefs were the number one choice by all books I read. On top of them I would use medium-weight wool trousers with a leather belt.

For the upper body a cotton anorak should be enough. Under it a wool flannel shirt or two along with a wool sweater. On one of the military reports a wool field cap was considered enough for an average winter in Southern and Central Finland, but a fur (or fleece) cap is needed for Lapland.

Care to comment, please?

[Wayland]

I've been reading into this a lot lately and making kit for next years Arctic course too.



Most of the sources I have seen recommend the windproof cotton parka / anorak over woollen base and mid layers.

Where opinion seems to differ widely is in leg and footwear. Some seem to prefer as I do the traditional approaches while others favour modern synthetics or vapour barrier systems.

I suspect the answer may be found in a compromise of some kind.

[Totumpole]

Wayland, with regards to your thoughts on trousers, Hilltrek have combined their ventile with a nikwax analogy layer which would do just that. I'm not sure they do it in the trousers, but I'm sure they would if you asked nicely.

Colin

[RonW]

You hit a soft spot there with me, Martti, as I am very interested in traditional kit and/or kit made out of natural materials.
Since I am moving to Sweden this august I could use some advise on this matter, too. One of the problems I come acroos is footwear. How do you keep your feet warm with footwraps? I have a bit of a problem picturing that.
Do you actually wrap a strip of cloth/felt around your foot like a bandage and than put on your boots? If only recommended in dry winterconditions, what to wear in wet conditions?
And how do these boots with detachable shafts look like?

[sandbender]

"...footwraps. Very old school I know but they are unanimously recommended by all if made out of wool and not cotton. They say that they should be used both during summer and winter. They're warmer and easier to dry in the bush..."

They use these over here too, they are surprisingly comfy and warm, In Hungarian they are called 'kapca'.

[Martti Kujansuu]

One of the problems I come acroos is footwear. How do you keep your feet warm with footwraps? I have a bit of a problem picturing that.

Finnish Defence Forces along with Oulu Regional Institute of Occupational Health conducted a comparison between cotton footwraps and wool-polyamide felt socks (A), socks and wool-polyamide felt socks (B), and wool-polyamide socks and polyamide socks (C) in 1984.

(A) archived between 0,1C and 0,3C higher foot temperatures during the test than (C), which also had the largest heat loss during the tests. However it should be noted that the test subjects with (A) noticed a cool feeling on the legs after 75 minutes while (C) did not have that effect. That might be the reason why you would like to use wool footwraps instead of cotton ones.

Do you actually wrap a strip of cloth/felt around your foot like a bandage and than put on your boots? If only recommended in dry winterconditions, what to wear in wet conditions?

Here are the first six phases of wrapping footwraps according to Finnish Defence Forces' instructions from 1969. It should give an idea how to do it, but there are many different methods how to do it.

Felt boots are only good if dry and for that reason the current FDF winter boot is made out of rubber. When I conducting my service we had four pairs of boots for whole year; service leather boots, one for leave, one pair of summer rubber boots and one for winter. However you can manage with two pairs of shoes for whole year if the leather boots have also some degree of waterproofness for spring and fall.

And how do these boots with detachable shafts look like?

Here is an example of the rubber boots, but for felt shoes search for "valenki" which are the Russian version of the same shoes.

http://www.nokianfootwear.fi/eng/outdoor/kaira.php


http://www.nokianfootwear.fi/eng/accessories/

[RonW]

This foorwrap thing looks interesting!
I guess it would be good to use these with moccasins, too. Right?
In that case i could make my own feltcloth and use that.

[Martti Kujansuu]

This foorwrap thing looks interesting!
I guess it would be good to use these with moccasins, too. Right?
In that case i could make my own feltcloth and use that.

Some Finns actually wore the traditional moccasins with footwraps until the early 1900s. I also have some reports that say that socks would be better for other than boots, but I quess it is up to the person who wears them.

[Martti Kujansuu]

The Finnish field cap m/36 is pretty much the same as the German M43. The field cap was seen good enough for moderate cold winters in Southern and Central Finland and anyway I think there is a need for a light cap that also protects the wearer from the sun during the spring.

A fur cap of some kind is needed for Lapland, or a field cap can be also equipped with detachable lining made out of cotton wool.

[RonW]

I'd prefer a hat to a fieldcap in order to keep sun, rain and/or snow away from your neck and ears, without covering them. That would result in less hearing.

[Martti Kujansuu]

I'd prefer a hat to a fieldcap in order to keep sun, rain and/or snow away from your neck and ears, without covering them.

Well, you do not have to cover them during the warm season with a field cap (flaps up position) and anyway you would have to have something on them during the winter or they would freeze off. I have few books that say a fedora of some kind would be ideal for summer, but as I said most of them prefer field caps or tuques.

[Martti Kujansuu]

I had some thoughts if an anorak is actually necessary on the most parts of Finland during the winter. The average wind speed in these parts is around 6 m/s, 22 km/h or 13 mph during the January and February. Traditionally wool coat was used as an outer layer along with occasional sheepskin coat. I've used my wool coat as the outer layer for the last two winters in Helsinki area when the temperature was c. -25C/-13F at the coldest. There is also no need to sleep outside without a fire so the importance of the anorak is even smaller, I think.

[RonW]

This M43-cap is worth a try. I like those caps a lot, anyway! :-)
Personally I don't like anoraks. The underlaying clothing is not easily reachable, without half undressing oneself.

I do have a question about those footwraps; Are these some kind of feltcloth pieces or is it woven?
I like the idea and want to try it, by making those wraps myself.

[Martti Kujansuu]

I do have a question about those footwraps; Are these some kind of feltcloth pieces or is it woven?

As it happens, I have official FDF specifications for m/38 footwrap fabric (from which the wraps were cut):

- Width 140 cm
- Weight 357 g/m² ± 4%
- Woven from natural white wool yarn (flannel) with blue stripes

[Chris the Cat]

Martti,
Hi ! A question about the Nokian boots if I may.
I have heard that they 'come up large', in order to fit thick socks. Is this your experience?
Do you buy your normal size, or go up one ?
I also have been looking into foot wraps, but, of course they can not be bought over here! Shame.
My best.
Chris.

[Martti Kujansuu]

I have heard that they 'come up large', in order to fit thick socks. Is this your experience?
Do you buy your normal size, or go up one ?

In addition what I wrote in your other thread, the rubber boots here in Finland are almost always wore with wool or felt socks. I never look sizes as numbers but always try them without and with wool socks to see if I'll need the larger size or not. What I have heard from few people is that the West European shoes are made too narrow for the Nordic foot!

I also have been looking into foot wraps, but, of course they can not be bought over here! Shame.

I'm quite sure you can order them cheaply from Germany or from Finland if needed. See the link for an example and a guide how to wrap them.
http://www.varusteleka.fi/product/so...new/_2M4145MBN

[RonW]

Thanks for that link, Martti.
A lot of usefull stuff and I had a good laugh reading the productdescriptions, too!! :-)

[Martti Kujansuu]

To sum up the findings and recommendations of 1938 Finnish Army report on winter clothing:

- Jackets should be loose enough on shoulders, chest and armpits. The collar should not be too high nor it should strangle the user when loaded with a backpack. Lining should be applied only to selected parts of the jacket.
- Trousers should be loose enough on knees and calfs. They should be straight and high enough so that the opening at the top will protect the area around belly.
- Mittens should be made long enough to reach over the undergarment which the user wears under the jacket.
- Two sets of shoes should be enough; one pair (the older one) for summer and fall is made waterproof with fats/oil/wax and the other one is left untreated for winter use.

[RonW]

The Finnish field cap m/36 is pretty much the same as the German M43. The field cap was seen good enough for moderate cold winters in Southern and Central Finland and anyway I think there is a need for a light cap that also protects the wearer from the sun during the spring.

Someone pointed out to me that the M36 cap is similar to the German WW1-cap, which is lower on top. The M43 differs in appearance.

[Martti Kujansuu]

The M43 differs in appearance.

True, m/36 has a shorter peak for one but the basic principle stays the same. There have been some interesting discoveries I made when I read some old books on Finnish loggers who worked in Lapland and Eastern Finland during the first decades of the 20th century. They never wore a windproof jacket but just a wool jacket. This makes sense as they worked in a forest where the wind is not too strong. The other thing is that I accidently found this excellent list of clothing worn by workmen at and around the city of Rovaniemi (in Lapland) during the winter of 1918 when the temperatures dropped to -34C/-29F:

Flannel trousers (of cotton?)
Another trousers (of same quality?)
Trousers (of wool?)
Two pairs of wool/ socks
Felt shoes
Reindeer boots

Flannel shirt (of cotton?)
Knitted wool sweater
Wool jacket
Fur jacket (of sheep or reindeer?)
Fur hat
Wool mittens
Leather mittens

[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 Kujansuu]

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 Kujansuu]

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 Kujansuu]

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 Kujansuu]

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 Kujansuu]

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 Kujansuu]

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€) or cheaper ones with glued rubber soles (starting from as low as 70€). 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