Thermal function of a clothing ensemble during work: dependency on inner clothing layer fit

A tight-fitting crewneck undergarment (U) and a loose-fitting shirt (S) were studied as part of a commonly used clothing ensemble (Itot = 0.22 m2 K W-1). Ten clothed male subjects performed standardized packing work (VO2 = 0.761 min-1) at three climatic conditions, 20 degrees C and Va = 0.45 m s-1 (0-30 min), at 5 degrees C and Va = 0.39 m s-1 (30-60 min) and at 5 degrees C and Va = 1.23 m s-1 (76-90 min). From 60-75 min the subjects rested at 20 degrees C. The physiological and subjective responses varied with the environment from slightly warm to cool. U resulted in warmer responses than S: torso and upper arm skin temperatures were higher at both 5 degrees C and 20 degrees C, evaporation rate was higher at 20 degrees C, mean skin temperature was higher during work at 20 degrees C, sweating tended to begin earlier and skin wettedness to be higher with U than with S. No differences were observed in core temperature, heart rates, and subjective thermal evaluations. It was concluded that a tight-fitting inner layer (U) compared to a loose-fitting one (S) allows for less cooling of the skin in both a cool and a slightly warm environment.