MAKE YOUR OWN COLD-WEATHER CLOTHING

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One-inch foam can be purchased from an upholstery supply store for about 30¢ a linear foot. This is the ideal thickness for living and working in subzero temperatures and is recommended for the pants and torso sections of your clothing. You can use thinner foam, 5/8" or 3/4", for the arms.

Be sure that the shirt and pants are at least four or five sizes larger than you normally wear and made of a fabric, such as double-knit polyester, that doesn't absorb water.

ARE YOU READY?

Using Fig. 1 as a rough guide, cut the pants from a single piece of large foam with a sharp knife (a dull blade grabs and pulls the foam). Use long sweeping motions to make clean, smooth cuts; cut the foam bigger than necessary, then trim to fit your needs. The belt-line should be 6" larger than the normal size. (The drawing gives the measurements for a man with a 36" waist.) No matter what size legs you have, cut the foam legs 17" wide. A little creative customizing will probably be necessary to see that the foam fits both the pant and your leg.

You will also need to sew or glue a patch of reinforcing cloth—about 6 inches square—at the crotch to prevent tearing. (The top of the crotch should be in the center of the patch.) A glue specifically made for urethane foam can be purchased from the upholstery supply, or you can use 3M Fast Tack Trim Adhesive, found in auto parts stores.

To put the parts together, simply roll up the foam legs and insert them inside the pant legs. With both foam legs in, you will have a pair of pants that will almost stand by themselves!

The shirt of this Eskimo-like outfit consists of the torso and the arms, all held in place by Velcro strips. (Velcro is usually sold by the foot at camping stores.) These can be glued on with the urethane glue at the abdomen and on each shoulder. The torso size shown in Fig. 2 should fit most adults, but as with the pants, you'll probably need to modify it some to fit your individual frame.

After you cut out the arms (see Fig. 3), roll them up and put them inside the sleeves of the shirt. Then wrap the foam torso around you and hook the Velcro strips that hold the torso piece in place. Now put the shirt on, and you're ready to go!

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