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.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/043,946, filed on Apr. 10, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
       [0002]    The present invention application relates to protective garments, and more particularly, to protective garments configured to increase protection from harmful materials, such as noxious vapors. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Protective or hazardous duty garments are used in a variety of industries and settings to protect the wearer from hazardous conditions such as heat, fire, smoke, cold, sharp objects, chemicals, liquids, fumes and the like. Such protective or hazardous duty garments are often used in adverse conditions, such as in the presence of high temperatures, smoke, chemicals, vapors and the like. However, existing garments may not provide sufficient protection from harmful vapors. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In one embodiment, the present invention is a garment having a skirt to protect the wearer from harmful vapors and/or other undesired materials. In particular, in one embodiment the invention is 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. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the coat of the present invention, with certain layers cut away for illustrative purposes; 
           [0006]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the coat of  FIG. 1  being worn and opened to expose the vapor skirt; 
           [0007]      FIG. 3  is a sectional view taken through the torso of the coat and wearer of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 4  is a side cross sectional view of part of the coat of  FIG. 2 , illustrating one manner in which the vapor skirt may be attached to the coat; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 5  is a side cross sectional view of part of the coat of  FIG. 2 , illustrating a differing thermal liner system than that used in  FIG. 4 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a protective or hazardous duty garment in the form of a firefighter&#39;s coat, generally designated  10 . The coat  10  may include a body portion  12  having a left front panel or portion  14 , right front panel or portion  16 , and a back panel or portion  18 . The panels/portions  14 ,  16 ,  18  may be made of separate pieces of material that are joined together, or can be made of a single piece of material, or various pieces of material joined in varying manners, etc. The left front panel  14  and right front panel  16  may each have an inner edge  20  that are releasably attachable together by a fastener  22 , such as a zipper, snaps, clasps, clips, hook-and-loop fastening material (i.e., VELCRO® fastening material), combinations of these components or the like. The body portion  12  defines a torso portion/torso cavity  24  that is shaped to receive a wearer&#39;s torso  26  therein (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). The coat  10  may include a pair of sleeves  28  coupled to and extending generally outwardly from the body portion  12  that are shaped to receive a wearer&#39;s arms therein. 
         [0011]    The coat  10  may include various layers through its thickness to provide various heat, moisture and abrasion resistant qualities to the coat  10  so that the coat  10  can be used as a protective, hazardous duty, and/or firefighter garment. For example, the coat  10  may include an outer shell  30 , a thermal liner or barrier  32  located inside of and adjacent to the outer shell  30 , and a moisture barrier/vapor barrier  34  located inside of and adjacent to the thermal barrier  32 . A second thermal liner  36  may be located inside of and adjacent to the moisture barrier  34 , and an inner liner or inner face cloth  38  may be located inside of and adjacent to the second thermal liner  36 . 
         [0012]    The outer shell  30  may be made of or include a variety of materials, including a flame, heat and abrasion resistant material such as a compact weave of aramid fibers and/or polybenzamidazole fibers. Commercially available aramid materials include NOMEX and KEVLAR fibers (both trademarks of E.I. DuPont de Nemours &amp; Co., Inc. of Wilmington, Del.), and commercially available polybenzamidazole fibers include PBI fibers (a trademark of PBI Performance Fabrics of Charlotte, N.C.). Thus, the outer shell  30  may be an aramid material, a blend of aramid materials, a polybenzamidazole material, a blend of aramid and polybenzamidazole materials, or other appropriate materials. If desired, the outer shell  30  may be coated with a polymer, such as a durable, water repellent finish (i.e. a perfluorohydrocarbon finish, such as TEFLON® finish sold by E. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Del.). The materials of the outer shell  30  may have a weight of, for example, between about five and about ten oz/yd 2 . 
         [0013]    The moisture barrier  34  and thermal liners  32 ,  36  may be generally coextensive with the outer shell  30 , or spaced slightly inwardly from the outer edges of the outer shell  30  (i.e., spaced slightly inwardly from the outer ends of the sleeves  28 , the collar  40  (or the upper edge of the collar  40 ) and from the lower edge  41  of the coat  10 ) to provide moisture and thermal protection throughout the coat  10 . The thermal liner  32  may be made of nearly any suitable material that provides sufficient thermal insulation. In one embodiment, the thermal liner  32  may include a relatively thick (i.e. between about 1/16″- 3/16″) batting, felt or needled non-woven bulk or batting material  32   a.  The bulk material  32   a  can also take the form of one or two (or more) layers of E-89® spunlace fabric made of a combination of NOMEX® and KEVLAR® fabric. The bulk material  32   a  can also, or instead, include aramid fiber batting (such as NOMEX® batting), aramid needlepunch material, an aramid non-woven material, an aramid blend needlepunch material, an aramid blend batting material, an aramid blend non-woven material, foam (either open cell or closed cell), or other suitably thermally insulating materials. The bulk material  32   a  may trap air and possess sufficient loft to provide thermal resistance to the coat  10 . 
         [0014]    The bulk material  32   a  may be quilted to a thermal liner face cloth  32   b  which can be a weave of a lightweight aramid material. Thus, either the bulk material  32   a  alone, or the bulk material  32   a  in combination with the thermal liner face cloth  32   b,  may be considered to constitute the thermal liner  32 . In the illustrated embodiment, the bulk material  32   a  is located between the outer shell  30  and the thermal liner face cloth  32   b.  However, the orientation of the thermal liner  32  may be reversed such that the thermal liner face cloth  32   b  is located between the outer shell  30  and the bulk material  32   a.  If desired, the thermal liner  32 , or parts thereof, may be treated with a water-resistant or water-repellent finish. 
         [0015]    The second thermal liner  36  may have the same qualities and properties as the thermal liner  32  described above. For example, the second thermal liner  36  may have a bulk material  36   a  and a liner  36   b.  However, the liner  36   b  may be omitted, and, for example, inner liner  38  may form the liner for the bulk material  36   a  of the second thermal liner  36 . Moreover, the second thermal liner  36  may be completely omitted if desired, or omitted in only certain parts of the coat  10 , as will be described in greater detail below. In locations where the second thermal liner  36  is omitted, the thermal protective qualities of the thermal liner  32  may be increased to account for the omission of the second thermal liner  36 , as described in greater detail below. 
         [0016]    In one embodiment, the thermal liner  32  (or the combined qualities of the liners  32 ,  36 ) may have a thermal protection performance (“TPP”) of at least about twenty, and in another embodiment, at least about thirty five. Moreover, in one embodiment the coat  10  as a whole has a TPP of at least about twenty, and in another embodiment has a TPP of at least about thirty-five. 
         [0017]    The moisture barrier  34  may include a semi-permeable membrane layer  34   a  and substrates  34   b,    34   c  positioned on either side thereof. The membrane layer  34   a  may be generally water vapor permeable but generally impermeable to liquid moisture. The membrane layer  34   a  may be made of or include expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (“PTFE”) such as GORE-TEX or CROSSTECH materials (both of which are trademarks of W.L. Gore &amp; Associates, Inc. of Newark, Del.), polyurethane-based materials, neoprene-based materials, cross-linked polymers, polyamid, GORE® CHEMPAK® materials, sold by W.L. Gore &amp; Associates, Inc. including GORE® CHEMPAK® Ultra Barrier Fabric, GORE® CHEMPAK® Selectively Permeable Fabric, or GORE® CHEMPAK® Sorptive Fabric, or other materials. 
         [0018]    The membrane layer  34   a  may have microscopic openings that permit moisture vapor (such as water vapor) to pass therethrough, but block liquids (such as liquid water) from passing therethrough. The membrane layer  34   a  may be made of a microporous material that is either hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or somewhere in between. The membrane layer  34   a  may also be monolithic and may allow moisture vapor transmission therethrough by molecular diffusion. The membrane layer  34   a  may also be a combination of microporous and monolithic materials (known as a bicomponent moisture barrier), in which the microporous or monolithic materials are layered or intertwined. 
         [0019]    The membrane layer  34   a  may be bonded or adhered to substrates  34   b,    34   c  of a flame and heat resistant material on either side thereof to provide structure and protection to the membrane layer  34   a.  Each substrate  34   b,    34   c  may be or include aramid fibers similar to the aramid fibers of the outer shell  30 , but may be thinner and lighter in weight. Each substrate  34   b,    34   c  may be woven, non-woven, spunlace or other materials. If desired, and in certain embodiments, the moisture barrier  34  may include only a single substrate on one side thereof. 
         [0020]    In  FIG. 1  the thermal liner  32  is shown as being positioned between the outer shell  30  and the moisture barrier  34 . However, if desired, and for use in certain applications, the positions of the moisture barrier  34  and thermal liner  32  may be reversed such that the moisture barrier  34  is located between the outer shell  30  and the thermal liner  32 . In addition, the second thermal liner  36  can be positioned at various locations throughout the thickness of the coat  10 . 
         [0021]    The inner face cloth  38  may be the innermost layer of the coat  10 , located inside the thermal liners  32 ,  36 /moisture barrier  34 . The inner face cloth  38  can provide a comfortable surface for the wearer and protect the thermal liners  32 ,  36  and/or moisture barrier  34  from abrasion and wear. The inner face cloth  38  may be quilted to the adjacent layer (i.e. the second thermal liner  36  in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 ). The coat  10  may include various arrangements of liners/materials, as desired, in which the various layers described herein are included, omitted, and/or rearranged. For example, the coat  10  may lack any thermal liner  32 ,  36 , and include only an outer shell  30 , moisture/vapor barrier  34  and inner face cloth  38 , or may include only an outer shell  30  and a moisture/vapor barrier  34 , or may include only a moisture/vapor barrier  34 , or may take on various other configurations as desired. 
         [0022]    Each layer of the coat  10 , and the coat  10  as a whole, may meet the National Fire Protection Association (“N.F.P.A.”) 1971 standards for protective firefighting garments (“Protective Clothing for Structural Firefighting”), which are entirely incorporated by reference herein. The NFPA standards specify various minimum requirements for heat and flame resistance and for tear strength. For example, in order to meet the NFPA standards, the outer shell  30 , moisture barrier  34 , thermal liners  32 ,  36  and inner face cloth  38  must be able to resist igniting, burning, melting, dripping, separation and/or shrinking by more than 10% in any direction at a temperature of 500° F. for at least five minutes. Furthermore, in order to meet the NFPA standards, the combined layers of the coat  10  must provide a thermal protective performance rating of at least thirty-five. 
         [0023]    With reference to  FIG. 2 , the coat  10  may include a vapor skirt  42 . The vapor skirt  42  can take the form of a generally flat, rectangular piece of material (when laid flat) coupled to an inner surface of the coat  10 . The vapor skirt  42  may be coupled to the inner surface of the coat  10  along the entire or substantially the entire inner perimeter of the coat  10 /torso portion  24  at a vertical height position  44  (also see  FIG. 1 ). The skirt  42 /coat  10  are configured such that when the coat  10  is closed, the vapor skirt  42  may extend about  360  degrees about the wearer  26 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0024]    The vapor skirt  42  may have an elastic material  48  coupled to or forming an inner edge  46  thereof to ensure that the vapor skirt  42  contacts and generally forms a seal with the wearer  26  (i.e. the wearer&#39;s clothes) and generally blocks ambient and superheated vapors from extending upwardly past the vapor skirt  42 . 
         [0025]    In particular, in the illustrated embodiment the vapor skirt  42  includes a strip of elastic material  48  positioned on or adjacent to its inner edge  46 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the coat  10  is closed, the elastic material  48  is stretched such that the inner edge  46  of the vapor skirt  42  fits around, and conforms to, the torso/body of the wearer  26 . Thus in this configuration when the coat  10  is closed the vapor skirt  42  is generally “disc” shaped with a central opening that corresponds to the torso of the wearer  26 . 
         [0026]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , when the coat  10  is opened (i.e. the left front panel  14  is not attached to the right front panel  16  and the panels  14 ,  16  are moved apart, and/or when the coat  10  is not being worn), the elastic material  48  retracts to its unstressed or undeformed shape, thereby gathering the material of the skirt  42 . The elastic material  48  may stretch between about 15%-75% (about 50%, in one case) when the coat  10  moves from its open position to its closed position, and return to its original state when the stretching forces are removed. It may be desired to configure the elastic material  48  so that when the coat  10  is closed and the vapor skirt  42  is deployed, the vapor skirt  42  is stretched smooth and flat, with little or no bunching at or adjacent to the elastic material  48  so that the vapor skirt  42  forms a good and relatively tight seal with the wearer. If there is too much elastic material  48  (or the elastic material  48  is too strongly elastic) then the vapor skirt  42  will not be pulled tight and will remained bunched up at or adjacent to the elastic material  48  when the vapor skirt  42  is employed. Conversely if there is not enough elastic material  48  (or the elastic material  48  is too weakly elastic) the vapor skirt  42  may not be about to be stretched about a wearer. Accordingly, the amount and strength of the elastic material  48  may be selected to ensure a proper seal is formed with wearers of a variety of sizes and shapes. 
         [0027]    In the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , the material of the vapor skirt  42  forms or is formed into a closed loop  50  at its inner edge  46 , and the elastic material  48  is positioned in, or captured in, the loop  50 . This configuration protects the elastic material  48 , and allows the material of the skirt  42  (and the loop  50 ) to slide freely relative to the elastic material  48  as the elastic material  48  is stretched and retracts. In this embodiment, a gripping material  52  (such as rubber, synthetic rubber, or the like) may coupled to the radially inner edge  46  of loop  50 . The gripping material  52  helps to ensure that the inner edge  46  of the loop  50  frictionally engages the wearer&#39;s torso  26  (or clothing) to ensure a relative tight seal therewith, as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates an alternate embodiment wherein the vapor skirt  42  lacks the closed loop  50 . In this embodiment the elastic material  48  is directly attached to the inner edge  46  of the skirt  42 , such as by stitching, adhesives or the like. In this embodiment the elastic material  48  may act as a gripping surface which frictionally grips the wearer&#39;s torso, and a separate gripping surface may not be needed. 
         [0029]    The seal formed by the vapor skirt  42  can help to prevent the introduction of harmful materials into the torso cavity  24  of the coat  10 . Such harmful materials may include liquids (including chemical warfare agents, biological warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals), vapors and aerosols (including chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals), and contaminated particulates (such as biological warfare agents). Examples of chemical warfare agents include soman (GD) nerve agent and distilled mustard (HD) blister agent. Examples of toxic industrial chemicals include acrolein (liquid), acrylonitrile (liquid), ammonia (gas), choline (gas), and dimethyl sulfate (liquid). However, it should be understood that the vapor skirt  42  can be utilized to prevent or minimize the introduction of nearly any desired material, gas, fluid, liquid, particulate solids, etc. into the torso cavity  26 , including smoke, water vapor, liquid water, etc. 
         [0030]    The vapor skirt  42  helps to form a seal and prevent, or significantly limit, the introduction of undesired materials into the torso cavity  24  above the vapor skirt  42 . NFPA 1971 standards include a Chem/Bio Option (the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference) which provides specifications that protective ensembles must meet in order to be certified under that Option. For example, the Chem/Bio Option specifies that the garment must pass a MIST test (Man-In-Simulant-Test). In one case the MIST test essentially consists of introducing the garment  10  and a wearer (or mannequin) into a chamber filled with a vaporized test material (such as oil of wintergreen). Absorbent padding is placed on the wearer of the garment  10 , and/or inside the garment. After the garment  10  has been exposed to the vaporized material for a sufficient period of time, the garment  10  is removed from the chamber. The absorbent pads are removed and analyzed to determine how much of the vaporized test material they have absorbed. The vapor skirt  42 , in combination with various other protective features, may provide a garment/ensemble which passes the MIST test, and more broadly, which meets the Chem/Bio Option of NFPA 1971 standards. 
         [0031]    The vapor skirt  42  can be made of a variety of materials. For example, the vapor skirt  42  can be made of the same materials of the moisture barrier/vapor barrier  34 , which are described above. The advantage of this arrangement is that a separate material for the vapor skirt  42  does not have to be handled by the manufacturer. For example, the skirt  42  and/or moisture barrier  34  may be made of made of or include PTFE (such as GORE-TEX or CROSSTECH materials), polyurethane-based materials, neoprene-based materials, cross-linked polymers, polyamid, or GORE® CHEMPAK® materials, sold by W.L. Gore &amp; Associates, Inc. including GORE® CHEMPAK® Ultra Barrier Fabric, GORE® CHEMPAK® Selectively Permeable Fabric, or GORE® CHEMPAK® Sorptive Fabric. The moisture barrier  34  and/or vapor skirt  42  may also include one or both of the substrates  34   b,    34   c  described above. 
         [0032]    As noted above, the membrane layer  34   a  of the moisture barrier  34  and/or the skirt  42  may be generally water vapor permeable but generally impermeable to liquid moisture. In this case the skirt  42  may allow water vapor to pass through (to allow venting), but block harmful materials due to the differing molecule size of water vapor and the harmful materials. Besides the materials outlined above, the skirt  42  can be made of nearly any material that is generally impermeable to the unwanted materials. 
         [0033]    Rather than being made of the same material as the moisture barrier  34 , the vapor skirt  42  can instead be made of a different material than that of the moisture barrier  34 . In this case the vapor skirt  42  may be made of a generally liquid and/or vapor and/or gas impermeable material, such as neoprene. The advantage of this arrangement is that a cheaper material, or a material that is more effective at blocking the undesired material, can be utilized in the vapor skirt  42 . Moreover, if desired, the moisture barrier/vapor barrier  34  can be made of a generally liquid and/or vapor and/or gas impermeable material, such as neoprene. 
         [0034]    The vapor skirt  42  may be attached to the moisture barrier  34  so as to form a seal therewith. In particular, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the moisture barrier  34  of the garment may include an upper moisture barrier portion  34 ′ positioned above the vapor skirt  42  and a lower moisture barrier portion  34 ″ positioned below the vapor skirt  42 . Similarly, the inner-most inner face cloth  38  may include an upper face cloth portion  38 ′ and a lower face cloth portion  38 ″. The inner edge of the vapor skirt  42  may extend through the face cloth portions  38 ′,  38 ″ and moisture barrier portions  34 ,  34 ′. 
         [0035]    In the illustrated embodiment the second thermal liner portion  36  is positioned only in the upper portion of the garment; that is, between the upper face cloth portion  38 ′ and the upper moisture barrier portion  34 ′. In this case the second thermal liner portion  36  is not provided below the skirt  42 . However, in order to accommodate for the lack of the additional thermal liner portion  36  below the vapor skirt  42 , a supplemental thermal liner portion  32 ′ is provided below the vapor skirt  42 , and coupled to the thermal liner  32 .  FIG. 4  illustrates the supplemental thermal liner portion  32 ′ as a separate thermal liner attached to the thermal liner  32 . However, if desired the supplemental thermal liner  32 ′ may take the form of increased thickness and/or weight which is unitary/integral, and formed as one piece with, the remainder of the thermal liner  32 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . Moreover, if desired, the coat  10  may have the same arrangement of the thermal liner  32  and/or  36  below the vapor skirt  42  as is provided above the vapor skirt  42 , or the lower arrangement shown herein may be provided above the vapor skirt  42 . In addition, as noted above the coat  10  may include various arrangements of liners/materials, as desired. For example, the coat  10  may lack any thermal liner  32 ,  32 ′,  36 , and include only an outer shell  30  and moisture/vapor barrier  34 , etc. The garment  10  need not necessarily be NFPA compliant, and could be a non-NFPA compliant garment. 
         [0036]    The vapor skirt  42  may include an extension portion or a vertically flared portion  42 ′ sandwiched between the moisture barrier portions  34 ′,  34 ″ with stitching  56  extending through all three layers  34 ′,  42 ′,  34 ″. The lower moisture barrier portion  34 ″ may have a looped upper end that is attached by the stitching  56 . The upper moisture barrier portion  34 ′, second thermal liner  36  and upper face cloth portion  38 ′ may be attached by stitching  58  (positioned just above the vapor skirt  42 ), and the lower moisture barrier portion  34 ″ and lower face cloth portion  38 ″ may be attached by stitching  60  (positioned just below the vapor skirt  42 ). 
         [0037]    A sealing material  62  may be provided and extend between the upper face cloth portion  38 ′ and the vapor skirt  42 , and another piece of sealing material  62  extends between the lower face cloth portion  38 ″ and the vapor skirt  42 . In one embodiment, the sealing material  62  is a tape made of the same materials as the membrane  34   a  of the moisture barrier  34  (such as PTFE), or the materials of the vapor skirt  42 , with an adhesive applied thereto, although the sealing material  62  can take a variety of other forms, including sealants applied in a liquid form and cured into a solid. This arrangement ensures that a generally continuous moisture barrier/harmful material barrier is maintained within the garment  10  which prevents undesired penetration of moisture/harmful material. In addition, to the extent the stitching  56 ,  58 ,  60  compromises the sealed integrity of the garment  10 , the tape/sealant  62  helps to minimize the effects of such a compromise. 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the vapor skirt  42  may be attached to the garment  10  along a pair short, vertical side seams  64  adjacent to the front of the coat  10  (adjacent to the edges  20 ), and along a longer horizontal seam  66  extending substantially the entire perimeter/width of the coat  10  (at the height location  44 ). In this manner, the skirt  42  may be permanently and fixedly coupled to the coat  10 , such as by stitching, adhesives, etc. This arrangement ensures that, whenever the coat  10  is closed (i.e. when the left front panel  14  and right front panel  16  are joined) the vapor skirt  42  forms a seal around the wearer  26  and helps to limit the introduction of harmful materials. Thus, this configuration provides a “always-on” feature such that the wearer  26  does not need to remember to secure the vapor skirt  42 , or carry out any other operations, to obtain the benefit of the protection of the vapor skirt  42 . In addition, the “always on” feature ensures that, should the wearer unexpectedly enter a hazard zone which includes harmful materials, the wearer does not need to open the coat  10  to ensure that the vapor skirt  42  is in a protective position. If the wearer were required to open the coat  10  in a hazard zone, the wearer&#39;s exposure to harmful materials is significantly increased while the coat  10  is opened, thereby defeating the very purpose of the protective nature of the garment  10 . 
         [0039]    Alternately, if desired, the vapor skirt  42  may be releasably/removably coupled to the coat  10 . For example, if desired, one or both of the side seams  64  of the vapor skirt  42  may be releasably coupled to the inner surface of the coat  10  by zippers, snaps, clasps, clips, hook-and-loop fastening material, combinations of these components, etc. This arrangements eliminates “pulling,” or resistance of the coat  10  to being closed due to the stretching of the elastic material  48  of the vapor skirt  42 . Alternately, or in addition, the outer edge  66  of the vapor skirt  42  may be releasably coupled by the same or similar means as the side edges  64 . In one embodiment, both the sides  64  and outer edge  66  of the vapor skirt  42  are releasably/removably attached such that the entire vapor skirt  42  is removable from the coat  10  to allow repair, replacement or cleaning thereof. 
         [0040]    The outer edge  66 /height location  44  of the vapor skirt  42  may be spaced from the bottom edge  41  the coat  10  by between about zero to about eighteen inches. It may be desired to space the vapor skirt  42  from the bottom edge  41  of the coat  10  to allow easy opening/closing of the coat  10  and to protect the vapor skirt  42  from abrasions, punctures, etc. However, if the vapor skirt  42  is positioned too high, its protective benefits are reduced. In particular, it may be desired to ensure that the vapor skirt  42  is not positioned above the upper edge (i.e. the waist edge) of a pair of trousers worn win the coat  10 , to ensure that harmful materials are also prevented from entering the trousers. 
         [0041]    If desired, the coat  10  may include a “chest gatherer” system to help reduce the volume of air trapped inside the coat  10 . For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,790 to Aldridge, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein, discloses a lumbar support in the form elastic bands or strips extending around the waist portion of the garment. The straps can be pulled tight around the wearer&#39;s body and attached to each other. A similar arrangement can be utilized in the chest of the coat  10  (i.e. the straps can be positioned under the arms  28  of the coat  10 .) In this case, when the chest gatherer is utilized, the volume of air retained within the coat  10  is reduced, and therefore the volume of harmful materials able to enter the torso cavity  24  of the coat  10  is correspondingly reduced. The reduced volume inside the coat  10  works in concert with the vapor skirt  42  to protect the wearer. 
         [0042]    The coat  10  may include various other features to protect from harmful materials. For example, a hood, in the form of a one-piece or split hood (not shown), may be utilized to fit around a wearer&#39;s head, which can engage with a mask to form a fluid-tight ensemble. 
         [0043]    Although the invention is shown and described with respect to certain embodiments, it should be clear that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the specification, and the present invention includes all such modifications.