This invention is related to electrical connections in wearable garments and other articles that enable the transfer of electrical signals or electrical power from one site in the garment or article to another site on the garment or article by the use of an electrical conductor printed along the length of a sewable substrate which bridges the two sites.

A wet sportswear takeoff helping device for the upper sportswear that is worn extremely tight to the wearer's skin; where the takeoff helping device includes one or more guides for guiding the corresponding drawstrings and a handgrip used for activation. The guides are made on the back part of the upper sportswear, each guide begins close to the hemline and propagates to the upper part of the sportswear in a continuous way, or having one or more interruptions formed along the guide. Pulling of the handgrip by the wearer's hand causes lifting of the sportswear's hemline towards the wearer's neck to facilitate removal. The invention is applicable to an ordinary T-shirt takeoff device for helping elderly or disabled people to take off the upper garment.

Present invention discloses a performance training garment, particularly a whole-body performance training garment which in a single garment covers, essentially, the wearer's major portions such as torso, arms and legs. The garment body is incorporated with a series of inflatable bladders to provide external resistance to the wearers muscles. The body of the garment also includes a network of supply lines that is responsible for supplying an air inflation medium to the bladders. The inflation and deflation is controlled by a control device that has wearer operated interface. The performance training garment as disclosed herein provides the effect of exercising in a high-G environment by furnishing external resistance against which the wearer's muscles contracts.

An apparel top for use by a user is worn about a user torso and a user waist. The top includes an outer shell portion having first and second panels, a back panel, shell outside and inside surfaces, and a bottom edge. The apparel top includes a snow gaiter having upper and lower gaiter edges, first and second gaiter ends, and gaiter inner and outer surfaces. The upper gaiter edge is attached to the outer shell portion at the shell inside surface and extends along the first front panel, the back panel and the second front panel. The lower gaiter edge is generally positionable about the user waist relative to the user torso with the lower gaiter edge extending away from the user torso. The top includes a liquid bladder sized and configured to be inflated with a liquid. The liquid bladder is attached to the snow gaiter.

A garment extender including: a body provided with an attachment at each side thereof, each of the attachments defining a channel and a slit leading laterally into the channel. When the attachment is operatively secured to a garment slide fastener of a garment, a gripped portion of one of the stringer tapes of the garment slide fastener is inserted in the slit and the channel receives thereinto teeth that are supported by the stringer tape adjacent the gripped portion.

A garment, preferably a protective vest, which is adjustable in its size is provided. According to one approach, at least one outer zipper having two rows of teeth is provided, wherein the garment has a first size in a closed state of the outer zipper and a second size in an opened state of the outer zipper, wherein the first size is smaller than the second size, and wherein, in the opened state of the outer zipper, the rows of teeth are held together at a distance by material covered by the outer zipper in the closed state of the outer zipper. Other embodiments include a zipper arrangement.

One variation of a system includes a garment insert: configured to be worn across a dermal surface; including a textile panel defining a grid receptacle; and including a grid structure arranged within the grid receptacle and defining an array of apertures. The system further includes a cooling unit including a heatsink structure: defining a base section defining an inner surface configured to contact the dermal surface; and defining a set of heatsink columns extending from the base section, opposite the inner surface, and configured to seat extending through the array of apertures. The cooling unit: is configured to wick moisture from the dermal surface toward surfaces of the set of heatsink columns; and includes a polymer frame, bonded to the heatsink structure about the base section, configured to abut surfaces of the base section to surfaces of the grid receptacle to flexibly retain the cooling unit within the grid receptacle.

Disclosed herein are wearable articles and methods for the manufacture and use thereof. The wearable articles can comprise compression elements, gripping elements, and support elements containing a rate-sensitive materials which can operate to prevent injury.

A vent structure and a method of forming a vent from a vent structure are described herein. The vent structure includes a first elongate member, a second elongate member, and a set of ribs extending between the first elongate member and the second elongate member. The first elongate member is configured to be attached to a first side of an opening formed in an article of apparel and the second elongate member is configured to be attached to a second side of the opening, the second side being opposite the first side. Collectively, the first elongate member, second elongate member, and the set of ribs bias the first side and the second side to an open configuration that exposes and expands the opening.

Devices, systems, and methods for cooling and/or thermoregulation are disclosed, including thermoregulatory apparel. Such thermoregulatory apparel includes a cooling vest for human users to reduce their body temperature and/or to keep their body temperature below a certain value. The cooling vest may include a plurality of tubing arranged within the four-way stretch fabric used for the vest. Coolant flows through this tubing, which is arranged so that it contacts a user's skin while the user is wearing the vest. The composition and arrangement of the tubing can be matched with the type of fabric so that both the tubing and the fabric stretch in similar ways, ensuring that the tubing stays in contact with the user's skin. Also disclosed is a cartridge with a phase change material that is configured to refresh or recharge the cooling ability of the coolant when the coolant is passed through the phase change material.