Getting Into Gear

When one thinks of Antarctica, unbearably cold conditions come to mind. When unbearable cold comes to mind, I think "dress warm, AND dry!" For the past few months I've been trying to decide what gear would be best to bring along on the trip. I have two criteria: It's got to be warm, and it has to be light weight. Dressing warmly isn't too big of a problem. Our winter here in Missouri has been a good trial run in trying out clothing. It'slooking for light weight gear that's been challenging. Aerolinas, the airlines I'll be flying on between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, only allows 30 lbs of luggage per person. That might be okay for going to the beach, or across town, but traveling to Antarctica? Hell, my computer,camera and photo gear alone weighs almost half that! So, where do I skimp and still have enough to keep me alive and comfortable?

The key lies in dressing in layers, and making use of the onboard laundromat occasionally. My boots are from Rocky Boots, with neoprene up to my knees, flexible, and waterproof .I'll have a silk under stocking with a couple of pairs of woolen socks over them. My long underwear is marino wool (note:cold water wash, air dry. Remember that John!). I'll have either jeans, or woolen pants with a water/wind proof covering. Fleece worked well for the tops, and I'll get my parka down there. Over it all I'll have a wind/water proof shell. I'll wear two pairs of gloves, and have a hand warmer (some call it a "muff") so I can work my cameras.

Last week, when our temps dipped to below zero, I put everything on, except for the parka, and went for a walk. I waded in the creek up to my knees and my feet were completely warm and dry. The hand warmer, even without the little heat packets, kept my hands toasty, even without any gloves on. I wore what's called a Balaklava (fancy name for a ski mask) and I was almost too warm. The layering worked well for a cold winter day in Missouri, but what about the Antarctic?


I checked online, and was pleased to discover that the Antarctic peninsula has an average March temperature (it'll be Fall there then) of -1.9 degrees C (28.6 degrees F). That's the good news. It's also the wettest and windiest region, with 200 mph wind gusts at times. That pretty much rules out sandals and shorts, but that's okay. Gotta keep my luggage weight down anyway.