Antarctica Packing Lists

Many Icebreakers lack storage space so you may want to bring luggage that can be folded up when it is empty.

Once on the boat you will be leaving your outerwear (parka, boots...) in the ships changing room. This is good news since it will get wet and stinky quickly. It just takes one visit to a penguin colony to leave your clothing smelling like penguin poop.. Don't worry the smells sweet and not bad BUT you wouldn't want your room to smell like it!

Most ships have nice closets and you’ll be hanging up the rest of your other clothing to dry, so your luggage will be put away.

I was traveling before and after the arctic so I used those giant zip lock-like packing bags. You put your clothing inside and take the air out and them so they shrink down to a smaller size. They work great with polar fleece, which shrinks to nothing once the air is removed!

Bring clothing that can be layered. For cold climates multiple thin layers are superior to one or two thick layers since the thin layers trap insulating air in between.

I averaged 5 layers of clothing on the landing. The most important layer, the one closest to your body, should be be made of a Wicking Fabric to keep the moisture off your skin.

Make sure that the layers closest to your skin are something you can wear around the boat. On my boat we did 2 to 3 landings a day and it was great not to have to go back to my room to change every time.

Also be sure to try on five layers of clothing at the same time BEFORE the trip to ensure the top layers fit over the bottom layers.

Cotton clothing is not recommended. Cotton retains moisture which takes the heat away from your body.

Polar Fleece is a miracle fabric for the arctic! I would recommend buying Polar Fleece, pants, shirts, jackets, socks, gloves, hats...its softer and warmer than wool and helps to block the wind too.

Bring 45 + sunscreen, wear it and reapply frequently. There is a hole in the ozone here and with all the snow the reflection is killer. I wore 45 and still got sun poisoning. My entire face was swollen and peeling and I had to wear a full face mask whenever I was outside the rest of my trip!

Antarctica is the windiest place on earth. The wind is cold and dry and can have disastrous affects on your skin. Bring lots of the best lotion you can find.

Polarized sunglasses are also a MUST due to the sun - my roommate wore regular sunglasses one day and got polar blindness!

Bring all of your medicine and supplies with you. You cannot run to the corner drug store here!

For this trip I brought two weatherproof Instamatic cameras instead of my professional camera and was grateful I made that choice. The conditions can be pretty harsh for a professional camera and they may get wet. The smaller Instamatic cameras can be easily tucked inside your parka to keep them dry and from freezing.

With two cameras when one freezes (and they do freeze) you can whip out the one warm one and snap away. I found that by the time I was out of film with one camera the other was normally warm enough to be operational.

I had a tape camcorder and found that the tape kept on breaking due to the cold so I gave up trying to use it.

Since you will be hiking to the wildlife be sure to buy a parka with vents that can be opened when you get warm.

You'll need rain boots for the Landings. They are $15 @ Walmart. Try them on with 2 - 4 pairs of thick socks AND a Insert.

MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE! Buy shoe inserts made for cold weather. My biggest problem was cold feet since on many landings I was standing on ice the entire time.

Several of us brought specially made boots and were told not to wear them, save yourself and buy the cheap rain boots.

They also have chemical heat packs to put in your boots and gloves. Bring lots of them.They saved my life! These can be found online or at a sporting goods stores.

For your hands bring silk sock and glove liners, mittens (they are better than gloves for warmth so bring a pair to wear over your gloves) & gloves. I wore inexpensive fleece gloves under my mittens. This worked well since I seemed to need to take my mittens of fairly often to change film.

Bring a hat with a bill - its real bright out and the hats with a bill made a big difference. A fellow traveler had a great fleece had with a bill that had flaps that went over her ears...If I went again I'd get one of those

Bring TONS of Film or tons and/or memory cards for camera - most people on the boat took 20 -40 rolls of film a WEEK. A friend of mine went to Antarctica recently and they brought their laptop which allowed them to clear and download their cards on a daily basis. The day they got back they uploaded 100's pictures to snapfish to send to friends...they had named the files and organized them on the boat. Not a bad idea.

The picture is our polar swim inside the Deception Island Volcano (the water by the shore is warmer here due to the geothermal activity) the air is about 0 though - I am in the front in the white and black bathing suit

Antarctica Packing Lists

Visiting Antarctica?

Visiting Antarctica?