Recent developments in reflective cold protective clothing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present some new results about reflective cold protective clothing (i.e. those featuring metal coatings), and compare and contrast the data with other recent research work. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a thermal manikin and a guarded hot plate to determine the thermal resistance of different textile assemblies and garment featuring plasma-deposited metal-coated insulation and interlayers. Findings – Depending on the exact approach, the authors show that metal coatings can increase the thermal resistance of textile assemblies by ∼30-75 per cent. Practical implications – New data on reflective cold weather clothing show that metal coatings could be an important addition to cold weather clothing, especially those featuring high air permeability/optical porosity insulation. Plasma-deposited metal coatings cause the lowest increase in weight. Originality/value – This paper provides new data about the efficacy, in terms of thermal resistance, of metal coatings for cold weather clothing.