I’m well aware that “put it on you when you’re cold” is the answer that jumps out.
This is a cheap, small thing that couldn’t even cover a child’s bed really. I bought it as something to throw over my shoulders during the evening when it’s a bit chilly and I’m watching TV or a movie or whatever. (Turning up the heat would be dumb, because I’ll just want it to be chillly again when I’m under the covers.)
So… the blanket. It has two sides, one looks like a smooth cotton or maybe synthetic fabric that might be found in a coat lining. The other side looks very similar to a lint brush but is very, very soft. I could tell you exactly what the materials are, but I slice off those tags with washing instructions within seconds of opening the thing. I’m a rebel Dottie.
TLDR: Blankets are meant to prevent body heat from escaping the body. Am I supposed to keep the fuzzy part towards me, and have the flat cloth part on the outside or vice-versa?
Looking to nature only has me more confused. Cecil?
So why did animals (mammals, specifically) evolve with their fur on the outside?
Note also, this essay treats this subject:
The Modern Hiawatha
By George A. Strong
He killed the noble Mudjokovis,
With the skin he made him mittens,
Made them with the fur side inside,
Made them with the skin side outside,
He, to get the warm side inside,
Put the inside skin side outside;
He, to get the cold side outside,
Put the warm side fur side inside;
That’s why he put the fur side inside,
Why he put the skin side outside,
Why he turned them inside outside.
We wear fur on the outside to tell people just how rich we are.
The thermal aspect, though, is that while it’s less effective at keeping you warm, it’s effective enough. The fur traps air, which slows heat loss away from the coat’s lining. In turn, that slows heat loss from inside the lining.
Note: when using a blanket for dutch oven purposes, you want the impermeable side down.
Because the big value of fur is it’s ability to trap air. That dead air releases heat more slowly than skin so it provides some insulation for the skin. Had the fur been on the inside then the animal would need some way of trapping air inside too. But then the outer skin would be exposed to the cold and would require some other way of freeze protection.
With fur lined gloves the fur is doing its job by trapping air between your skin and the animal skin. The inverted animal skin improves on the insulation by creating an additional barrier to help hold in the dead air. The skin no longer needs to be freeze proofed because the original animal that owned it has succumbed to a much bigger problem than frostbite.