In one place—and this is the most essential feature of the coat—it does not fit closely; that is, about the upper arms. Here the sleeves are ample in size, and the armholes are large and cut low, so that by dexterously shifting the coat as far to one side as possible on the shoulders, first one arm, then the other, can be drawn inside the coat. The practical application of this is invaluable. If in using the whip continuously, or repairing a sledge, the hands become numb from extreme cold or because the mittens are damp, it is easy to draw a hand and arm within the coat, leaving the mitten in the sleeve, place the numbed fingers in the opposite armpit—the warmest part of the body, as every Eskimo knows—until it is thoroughly warmed, then treat the other in the same way.
In camp, after the evening meal of pemmican, hard-tack, and tea has been finished and the day’s notes written up, both arms and hands are drawn inside the coat,—leaving the mittens to plug the sleeve openings,—where they may rest by the side or be folded across the chest in warmth and easy position. The coat thus becomes the upper half of a light, well-fitting one-man sleeping-bag, that is warm and dry and permits entire freedom of movement.
This coat has no buttons, hooks, toggles, lacings, or fastenings of any kind, and it gives the maximum of warmth with the minimum of material and weight. As with the bearskin trousers, drifting snow and the frost condensation from the breath can be beaten out of these coats completely.
Deerskin has one disadvantage; if the leather becomes wet and remains so for a day or two, the fur falls off in patches. The hair is also rather brittle. For this reason and because I was determined on my last expedition to remain in the field till the pole was secured, I fitted each member of my party with a sheepskin coat of the same pattern, details, and trimmings as the deerskin ones, but using tanned sheepskin of the kind known in the trade as shearlings.
Specially soft, perfect skins, light of leather and thick and fine of wool, were selected, and such skins furnish the best substitute for deerskins that I know. They are extremely strong and durable, only slightly affected by being wet, and are nearly as warm and only a little heavier than deerskins. For a late-spring or early-summer journey they are superior to deerskin. They have one disadvantage: snow and the condensation of the breath cannot be beaten out of them like the deerskins.
Hareskin stockings of the thick, soft, fluffy winter pelt of the polar hare, with the fur turned in, with bottoms made of sealskin, as the hareskin is too tender for the heavy wear and strain on this part.
Boots of two kinds. A pair made from the leg skin of the polar bear for the bitter temperature of February and March, and a pair of tanned sealskin for the milder temperatures of April and later. Both were soled, with the rough skin about one-eighth of an inch thick from the back of the oogsook, or square-flipper-seal, both reached nearly to the knee, and both had at the top a rawhide draw-string which permitted their being tied air- and water-tight over the flap at the bottom of the bearskin trousers.
POLAR CLOTHING
Full winter sledging costume. Deerskin coat, bearskin trousers, and deerskin boots. Have worn this rig with comfort at -73½° F.