My Google-fu has failed me, and although I’ve tried extensively to search through the archives, I’m not sure that this question has ever arisen on these boards:
Is lighter colored clothing cooler than dark colored clothing on a hot day?
I ask because the search and rescue agency that I work with is designing a new shirt and the battle is on between “navy” and “royal” blue. One arguement used on behalf of the lighter shade is that it will prove cooler for very warm summer days. I vaguely recall hearing from another source that light and dark colored clothing is actually close to equal in terms of heat because dark fabrics absorb more infrared radiation away from the wearer. I’m sticking up for this argument just because I think the darker blue looks much more professional.
Looking towards people that oughta know, I find mixed results, supporting my claim of their relative heat level for the wearer being equal. Some people that live in the desert and are a part of cultures that have been surviving there for thousands of years wear bright white clothing:
http://www.raphaelk.co.uk/web%20pics/Israel/first/Bedouin%20Camp.jpg
Others don’t:
http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/online/ddd/gallery/islam/369.html
And a mix:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/images_17/niger/14-Tuaregs_at_flamme
So, Dopers, what would ya’ll say about the relative warmth of light or dark clothing?
If you guys don’t like this one, I suppose I’ve got a plane on a Nordic-skier that we could talk about.