Barrier layer for garment

Abstract

A garment comprising a barrier layer. The barrier layer comprises an adjustable skirt with an insulated tube configured to provide a barrier between an interior region of the garment and an external environment. The insulated tube may be configured to extend along a bottom hem region of the garment. The garment may comprise a cord assembly extending along the bottom hem region of the garment. The cord assembly may be configured to uniformly distribute tensions from (i) a front portion and a back portion of the garment to (ii) one or more side portions of the garment to prevent one or more drag lines from forming across the front portion and/or the back portion of the garment when the cord assembly is operated to cinch or tighten the adjustable skirt.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A garment, comprising:
 an adjustable skirt comprising an insulated tube configured to provide a barrier between an interior region of the garment and an external environment, wherein the insulated tube is configured to extend along a bottom hem region of the garment; and   a cord assembly extending along the bottom hem region of the garment, wherein the cord assembly is configured to uniformly distribute tensions from (i) a front portion and a back portion of the garment to (ii) one or more side portions of the garment in order to prevent drag lines from forming across the front portion and/or the back portion of the garment when the cord assembly is operated to cinch or tighten the adjustable skirt.   
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the cord assembly comprises one or more elastic cords configured to provide a tensioning force that draws the insulated tube circumferentially around and/or radially inwards towards a subject's body. 
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more elastic cords are attached or secured to a first side of a lining of the garment. 
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 3 , wherein the first side of the lining corresponds to a side of the lining that is proximal to an insulation layer or a shell layer of the garment. 
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 3 , wherein the insulated tube is attached or secured to a second side of the lining of the garment. 
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 5 , wherein the second side of the lining corresponds to a side of the lining that is proximal to the subject's body. 
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the cord assembly comprises (i) a first cord segment extending between a center front region of the garment and a first side portion of the garment, (ii) a second cord segment extending between the center front region of the garment and a second side portion of the garment, and (iii) a third cord segment extending between the first and second cord segments. 
     
     
         8 . The garment of  claim 7 , wherein the third cord segment is configured to extend along a back side of the garment and between the first and second side portions of the garment. 
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 7 , wherein the cord assembly further comprises one or more looped cord segments joining the first, second, and third cord segments to form a continuous and unitary cord length. 
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more looped cord segments are configured to extend downwards from the bottom hem region of the garment. 
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 10 , wherein the one or more looped cord segments are extendable or elastically stretchable along the one or more side portions of the garment to increase or decrease an amount of tension in the cord assembly. 
     
     
         12 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the cord assembly comprises one or more cord adjustment mechanisms that are attached or operatively coupled to the cord assembly and accessible via the bottom hem region of the garment. 
     
     
         13 . The garment of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms are configured to fix a position and/or an orientation of two or more cord segments of the cord assembly. 
     
     
         14 . The garment of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms are configured to keep one or more cord segments of the cord assembly in a fixed state of tension. 
     
     
         15 . The garment of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms are configured to hold one or more cord segments of the cord assembly in a state of tension. 
     
     
         16 . The garment of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms are configured to release the one or more cord segments from the state of tension when a subject wearing the garment provides an input to the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms. 
     
     
         17 . The garment of  claim 16 , wherein the cord assembly is configured to return to an untensioned state or revert to a different state of tension when the one or more cord segments are released by the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms. 
     
     
         18 . The garment of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more cord adjustment mechanisms comprise two or more cord adjustment mechanisms positioned on opposite sides of the garment. 
     
     
         19 . The garment of  claim 18 , wherein the two or more cord adjustment mechanisms are independently adjustable to control a level of tension in different segments of the cord assembly. 
     
     
         20 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the insulated tube is configured to provide both a physical barrier and a thermal barrier between the interior region of the garment and the external environment.