What to pack?
What do you pack when you are going to Antarctica for 6 weeks? In order to answer that question, I first had to find out about the baggage allowances.
Baggage allowance
To get to New Zealand, all summer participants (it's summer at McMurdo station during January and February), are allowed up to two - 70 pound bags, plus carry-on baggage. And, for the 'Ice' Flight you are allowed a maximum of 150 pounds - in addition to a carry-on.
That sounds like it will be more than enough but I have to remember... I do not get my Extreme Cold Weather Gear (ECW) until I get to New Zealand - and that's supposed to weigh about 30 pounds. Not to mention I have to actually CARRY all of it! Sure hope there's a cart available.
Check out all of my luggage!
It may look as though I've stuffed ever piece of clothing I own into these 4 bags - but I was amazed at how quickly the space filled and how fast the pounds added up!
Here's a list of just some of the items I've packed, stuffed, shoved and poked into these bags.
Toiletry
- Lots of lotion - It's very dry in Antarctica!
- Shampoo and conditioner (lots of conditioner - for the same reason as the lotion).
- Sun Screen and Chapstick - SPF 50 - especially for my face, the sun will be intense!
- Cold medicine - just in case!
- And a variety of other basic items. All this was actually pretty heavy - but I didn't get the exact weight!
Clothes and Gear
Head and Neck
- Baseball hats - 2
- Winter hats - 2
- Ear band
- Balaclava - this will cover both my head and neck.
- Neck gator
- Down Jacket - for walking around at McMurdo Station.
- An Arc'teryx wind proof shell - to guard against that Antarctic wind.
For my more 'extreme' gear, I made a trip - or should I say several trips - to Outdoors Inc. It was here that I got most of my clothing and gear. But my favorite piece of gear came from Paul at Outdoors - in fact he made it for me! Isn't that incredible - he actually made it! Take a look - it's so versatile!
- It's a neck gator
Look at this awesome new neck gator.
- It's a hat - just pull the cord on top and presto - it's a hat.
Pull the cord and now it's a hat!
- It's reversible - wool on one side and fleece on the other - very warm!
- And... It even has a pocket that I can tuck a hand warmer into. WOW!
How cool is that - or should I say warm! Get ready to see more of these, because he has applied for a patent and I was the inspiration for it!
Alex and Paul - the one who made the wonderful hat/neck gator. Alex is also sporting the new coats she got from Outdoors!
Ok - back to the list...
Tops and pants
- Base layer - Shirts - 5
- Fleece tops - 5
- Zip-up fleece - 5
- Medium weight long underwear - 2 pair
- Heavy weight long underwear - 3 pair
- Jeans - 2 pair for around the base
Hands, Feet and Shoes
- Glove liners - 2 pair
- Fleece gloves
- Water proof gloves - 2 pair
- Cold weather gloves - 2 pair
- Sock liners - 3 pair
- Thick wool socks - 6 pair
- Bama Boots - This is an insulated boot liner
- Tennis Shoes
- Boots
- Shower shoes
Several of my socks and gloves came from Bass Pro Shop in Memphis. Take a look at these water and wind proof gloves. I hope these will keep me warm when working with the seals.
These wind and waterproof gloves look like they will do the job!
Miscellaneous items
- Sunglasses - Very Important!
- Swimming suit - apparently there is a sauna at McMurdo.
- Bath robe
- PJ's
- A few extra summer clothes for my layover in New Zealand
- And a few other personal items
Do you think I'll make the weight limit with all of this luggage?
So what do you think, do you think I'll make the weight limit?
According to the airport scale - the big duffel bag in this picture weighed about 52 pounds while the smaller one weighed only 26 pounds. That's not too bad. Unfortunately, I didn't get to weigh my carry-on baggage but I should be able to handle them fairly easily.
By the way - if you gave me a postcard to mail from Antarctica - they are in my carry-on baggage.