Abstract: Cooling suspenders are disclosed for supporting pants such as firefighter pants. The suspenders include a first and second strap where one or both of the straps includes a water absorbent material capable of retaining at least five times its weight in absorbed water and retains some of the absorbed water for at least 48 hours at about 18° C. to about 24° C. and provides a cooling effect to a wearer as the absorbed water evaporates. The water absorbent material may retain the water for at least 24 hours at elevated body temperatures such as those experienced by a firefighter while fighting a fire. The water absorbent material may be present as a padding layer within a portion of the first and/or second straps.

Abstract: A protective garment including a body portion and an extremity permanently coupled to the body portion. The extremity includes a joint that provides the extremity with a bent position forming an acute angle relative to a vertical axis when the extremity is at rest without an arm or leg of a wearer received therein.

Abstract: A protective garment including a first portion which is generally impermeable to gases and a second portion which is generally impermeable to gases. The second portion is releasably coupled to the first portion at a joint which is generally impermeable to gases.

Abstract: A protective garment including a body portion and a curved extremity permanently coupled to the body portion and being shaped and configured to receive a leg or an arm of a wearer therein. The extremity has a seam coupling portions of the extremity together such that the seam thereby directly provides curvature to the extremity.

Abstract: A garment including an outer shell configured to be worn on at least part of a body of a wearer and a pad directly or indirectly coupled to a selected location of the outer shell to provide padding at the selected location. The pad includes an open cell foam padding material which resists melting, dripping or igniting when exposed to a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes. The padding material has a sealant located thereon to reduce the absorption of moisture therein. The pad further includes an abrasion resistant material coupled to the padding material by the sealant.

Abstract: A boot and trousers system including a pair of trousers, the trousers including a barrier material which is generally impermeable to undesired fluids. The system further includes a boot having a body and an upper portion, wherein the upper portion is folded about the body of the boot to define a flap portion. The barrier material is releasably coupled to the flap portion and to the body.

Abstract: A protective garment including an outer shell and a harness assembly configured to be generally positioned between the outer shell and a wearer of the garment when the garment is worn. The harness assembly includes a wrap-around portion and a shoulder portion configured to fit about the shoulders of a wearer. The wrap-around portion is movable between a retracted position wherein the wrap-around portion is generally positioned adjacent to a back of the garment and an extended position wherein the wrap-around portion is generally spaced away from the back and passable around or over the crotch of a wearer. The harness assembly includes an attachment portion configured to be attached, at a position on a front of the wearer, to the harness assembly, or to the outer shell, or to a component.

Abstract: A protective garment including an outer shell, a thermal barrier having a thermal protection performance of at least about twenty, and a moisture barrier positioned between the outer shell and the thermal barrier. The thermal barrier includes an outer layer, an inner layer, and an intermediate layer positioned between the outer and inner layers. The outer layer is positioned adjacent to the moisture barrier, and moisture is more attracted to the intermediate layer than to the outer layer.

Abstract: A protective garment including a first portion which is generally impermeable to gases and a second portion which is generally impermeable to gases. The second portion is releasably coupled to the first portion at a joint which is generally impermeable to gases.

Abstract: A protective garment including an outer shell and an inner liner coupled to the outer shell and positioned such that the inner liner is positioned between a wearer and the outer shell when the garment is worn. The inner liner includes a base material and a high lubricity material which has a higher lubricity than the base material. The high lubricity material is woven into the base material to form a plurality of discrete contact areas in which a plurality of filaments of the high lubricity material are immediately adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A coat including a torso portion defining a torso cavity and including pair of portions that are releasably connectable together. The coat further includes a skirt positioned in the torso cavity. The coat is configured such that when the coat is worn by a wearer and the portions are releasably connected together the skirt generally sealingly engages the wearer. The coat is further configured such that the skirt automatically generally sealingly engages the wearer when the coat is worn by the wearer and the portions are releasably connected without requiring any further action by the wearer.

Abstract: A protective garment including a body portion having a front and a back, and a sleeve. The sleeve is coupled to the front of the body portion by a raglan seam and coupled to the back of the body portion by an inset seam.

Abstract: A garment outer shell and liner system including a garment outer shell and a first liner having first protective properties and having a protruding portion. The system further includes a second liner having second protective properties differing from the first protective properties and having a protruding portion. Each liner is adapted to fit within, and is removably securable to, the outer shell. Each protruding portion is arranged to protrude from the outer shell when the respective liner is secured within the outer shell. At least a portion of the protruding portion of the first liner is a first color so as to indicate the first protective properties, and at least a portion of the protruding portion of the second liner is a second color so as to indicate the second protective properties.

Abstract: A foldable protective garment including an outer shell shaped to fit about at least part of the body of a wearer, the outer shell being foldable into a compact position, and a pouch coupled to the outer shell. The pouch is shaped and sized to receive generally all of the outer shell therein when the outer shell is in the compact position. The pouch includes an upper mouth and a lower mouth located on a generally opposite side of the pouch relative to the upper mouth, and the upper mouth and the lower mouth are both selectively openable and closable.

Abstract: A height adjustable protective garment including an outer shell shaped to fit about the chest, torso and legs of a wearer and having a waist portion shaped to be located at or adjacent to a waist of a wearer. The garment further includes an adjusting strip having an attachment portion directly or indirectly coupled to the outer shell and a free end which is generally spaced apart from the attachment portion. The free end is releasably attachable to the outer shell or to the strip of material to adjust the height of the protective garment, and the adjusting strip is located at or adjacent to the waist portion.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a protective helmet includes the steps of: (a) providing a fiber-based filler, such as a fiberglass sheeting; (b) mixing course ceramic particles into a thermoset resin; (c) impregnating the resin/ceramic particle mixture into the fiber-based filler; (d) forming or molding the impregnated fiber-based filler into a shape of a protective helmet; and (e) curing the resin mixture impregnated into the fiber-based filler. The course ceramic particles are preferably created by chopping a ceramic material. The presence of the ceramic particles in the composite helmet substantially reduces the heat reflectance of the helmet; while also reducing the overall weight of the helmet, since the ceramic material weighs less than the portion of resin material that the ceramic material is being used in place of. Finally, because the ceramic particles are course, they will not all flow to “low spots” in the helmet during the curing process.

Abstract: A protective garment including a generally continuous outer shell and a moisture barrier located generally inside of the outer shell such that when the garment is worn, the moisture barrier is located generally between the outer shell and a wearer of the garment. The moisture barrier includes at least one vent such that at least part of the air located inside the moisture barrier can be vented outside of the moisture barrier.

Abstract: A garment of a type having an outer shell and an inner liner, the inner liner including an outer moisture barrier and an inner thermal barrier, in which the inner liner is constructed such that the moisture barrier is easily separable from the thermal barrier. The moisture barrier is releasably connected to the thermal barrier are about the peripheries of the thermal barrier and moisture barrier and the connections at the peripheries are designed to minimize penetration of liquid moisture from the ambient to the thermal barrier.

Abstract: A protective garment, such as a firefighting garment, that is relatively thin and light weight. The garment possesses relatively high resistance to liquid water absorption, yet also possesses relatively high moisture vapor transport characteristics when compared to conventional firefighting garments. The garment of the present invention includes an outer shell; a thermal liner positioned within the outer shell; a moisture barrier positioned within the thermal liner and a face cloth positioned within the moisture barrier. The thermal liner is batting, knit, spunlace, woven textile or other suitable construction of a high heat and flame resistant material (such as an aramid or PBI material, or combinations thereof) that is treated with a durable, water repellant finish to minimize liquid moisture absorption by the thermal liner. Despite the liquid moisture absorption resistance imparted onto the thermal liner by the finish, the thermal liner still retains excellent moisture vapor transport characteristics.

Abstract: A hazardous duty garment includes an outer shell layer of heat-, flame-, and abrasion-resistant aramid material and a pad attached to the outer shell layer, where the pad includes a fabric substrate of heat-, flame-, and abrasion-resistant material bonded to a layer of silicone foam material. Preferably, the fabric substrate is a woven aramid and carbon fiber, face cloth material and is treated with a durable, water-repellant finish. Preferably, the pad is stitched to the outer surface of the outer shell layer and oriented such that the layer of silicone foam material faces the outer shell layer. The pad is used in the knee portion of a pant leg of a firefighter garment, as well as on an elbow or forearm portion of a sleeve of a firefighter garment and on a shoulder portion of a firefighter duty garment.