lamilite/climashield

Nomex Arctic Parka

I have been working in the Arctic for the past twelve years. I am currently using the Wiggys Arctic Nomex Parka and Wiggys Nomex Bibs while I am in bush aircraft in the Arctic. I am flying year round in all kinds of crazy weather. I have flown in the Brooks Range, Point Hope, Kaktovik/Barter Island, Prudhoe Bay, and the other native villages throughout the North Slope. Both are continuous filament and keep me toasty warm. I wear a fur seal hat and Wiggy's mitts as well. My boots have Wiggys Sunwalkers in them with a foam insole. I also wear fish nets under my clothing. I also have a pair of the leg chaps, a Wiggys pullover zip up parka, and a parka I purchased from Mark in Anchorage. Several of my colleagues where the cheap stuff that they get from Big Rays in Anchorage, which is pure junk.
I always carry a PLB, Sat Phone, signaling laser, and a knife to cut the seat belt. In addition, I carry a sharpened tool steel pry bar wrapped in para-cord in case I have to pound my way out of the aircraft.
You never know if the aircraft has been service properly. Often times, the ELT in the tail isn't working because of a lack of maintenance. I have been on flights where the Nav's and Comms have gone completely out and the pilots have had to check their notebooks and get them going again. And I was the only person who noticed that....You cannot be too careful when flying in the bush of the Arctic. Stay safe my friends.

– Pete Keigher Senior Vice President Risk Consultant, Marsh and McLennan of Anchorage

To one and all who work in a similar environment I think Pete’s testimonial about the efficiency of Lamilite/Climashield insulation speaks for itself.

A friend of mine who is also a very good customer sent me a thread from some backpacker type of forum comparing Lamilite to Climashield. I thought I have made it clear that Lamilite utilizes Climashield as its main ingredient. Before there was Climashield there was Polar Guard and Lamilite was made with Polar Guard. The similarity of the Polar Guard and Climashield is the fact they are continuous filament fiber. And that is where the similarity ends. The company that makes the Climashield product has made significant improvements so what I receive from them is a superior product to the Polar Guard and consequently what you receive from me is a superior product to what I was making when I was using Polar Guard. What hasn’t changed is the simple fact that continuous filament fiber makes all other synthetic fiber fill products as obsolete as it makes down. So my friend can copy and paste this information on that same web site in the thread he sent to me. Go for it Jeff J.

DRESSING FOR BEING IN A COLD ENVIRONMENT

Dressing for being in a cold environment is not complicated at all. However, there are companies that allude to the idea that the individual in order to stay warm in cold environments must wear what they are making or the chances are you will get cold. Actually what is true is that if you wear what they are selling you will get cold!

I am not concerned as to the reason you are in the outdoors during the colder months of the year there is for all intents and purposes certain clothing items that you can wear that will make your life while being in the outdoors much more enjoyable.

I have said this before and I am saying it again and will keep saying it; the unquestioned best first layer that any human can wear is and will always be fishnet underwear that is made from nylon yarn. The fishnet weave does allow 100 percent of the moisture otherwise known as sweat move as a vapor away from your body. I offer a second layer garment for the torso that is a mesh that will not stop the moisture from moving away as well.

The next layer as I have further stated as should all subsequent layers be lose fitting. This layer as far as I am concerned should be my liner vest and the next layer my liner jacket. Or just the liner jacket! You now have on 3 or 4 layers that will not absorb any moisture and if you can leave your neckline open while you are moving, your movement will act like a bellows and since the moisture is a vapor at this time it will move very quickly out and you will stay dry, therefore warm. With my garments on your movements are easy and do not stress your body.

All of the companies that claim they have moisture wicking garments are so full of it they have brown eyes. Synthetic fiber does not wick and when you have wool while it does wick when it is next to your skin it does exactly the same as the close knit synthetics it traps the moisture! In this situation you now have two entities absorbing your heat, the fabric and the moisture trapped in the fabric. With these garments on your movements are not so easy because the garments are knitted and close to form fitting so you stress or work harder to move around. This means you tire more quickly.

The best outer garment would be my Alaska Range parka because of its versatility. The parka itself is an unlined garment. Then as the temperature drops there is L-3 liner which if worn over the other items I recommend will take you to a comfortable 0 degrees F. If you want to go colder then you use the L-6 liner and now you are comfortable at -20 degrees F. Want to go to -40 degrees F you use the L-12 liner which is the weight of Lamilite used in my Antarctic parka.

From my own experience hunting only 3^rd season here in Colorado I have seen temperature during the day go as cold as -25 F without wind so I really do not know what the temperature was with wind chill conversion. Did not matter to me, because whether I was walking or sitting I was never cold.

For your feet, my Lamilite boots, Lamilite socks and either the over boots or mukluks depending upon how cold it is. For your legs; fishnet bottoms, you can wear jeans and Leg jackets over them as I did all of the time and was wearing them when I was lost, as I was several of the items already mentioned.

Do you want cold feet then you get Gore-Tex Thinsulate lined boots, and I absolutely guarantee you will get your wish cold feet.

On your hands wear mittens and carry a light lined leather glove if it is necessary to do things that require dexterity in significant cold. Keep them in your pocket and take off the mitts do what you have to do and then back in the pocket and back in the mitts.

What I have presented to you I am doing because I am tired of reading the B/S coming from people who have no knowledge of materials or how the body works and therefore the information that you may read could be written in a way that it is persuasive that you waste your money on products that simply put may very well endanger your life.

What is consistent is their recognition of how dangerous body produced moisture is but they do not acknowledge how to deal with it. That tells me they are not thinking of what is in the best interest of their potential customers.

To one and all who venture into the outdoors give lots of thought to what you can wear that will serve you best versus what will make you look good. Remember the natural elements do not care what you look like.

Lamilite/Climashield is has always been and will always be the reason you are comfortable in all cold environments regardless how extreme!!!!!