Congratulations if you’ve already booked your trip to Antarctica, and if you’re thinking about booking – just do it AND if you can afford it, do a longer trip that will visit South Georgia and Falkland Islands. So you’ve likely already spent $6,000 or much, much more, so how much should you spend on your Antarctica Clothing? The good news is you can find some basic Antarctica gear on a budget – I probably spent less than $100 after seeing what I had in my own closet, borrowing a few things from a friend, and my tour company, Quark Expeditions, included use of loaner boots and a jacket we were allowed to keep.
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Waterproof Jacket
Many of the ships provide a “free”, i.e. included jacket. Each company has it’s own special design. On my trip with Quark Expeditions, we all had yellow jackets – easy to spot us on land if we were stragglers. They won’t force you to wear their jacket, but they will require you have something waterproof, for inclement weather and if you fall in the near freezing water (note: despite big waves in South Georgia, no one took a fall in the water during my cruise). But you may get splashed by waves and you may get rained or slushy snow so the waterproof is essential for staying warm.
If your ship provides, you’ll definitely want to use that one, but if you don’t have an included jacket, check out these waterproof jackets.
Muckboots
Like the jacket, many of the Antarctica cruise companies provide boots. This is a great advantage as it saves so much packing space. If you want to take your own boots, pick up the type most of the cruiselines use – Muckboots. They are rough and tough for the rocky, snowy shores of Antarctica and the wet landings.
Waterproof Pants
It’s likely your cruise line will require you bring your own waterproof pants. These can be quite expensive, but I was happy with my $20 pair. Check out Waterproof pants at amazon.
Sliding down the hill in my waterproof pants…
Good, Thermal Socks
While Muckboots are waterproof and provide some insulation, you will want to wear some fast drying, thick, thermal socks. This is one that you might want to “invest” a bit, as cold feet are not fun and these socks may be your most valuable Antarctica Clothing. I would bring 2 pairs – so you have a spare set if one set is wet. As we had a couple excursions per day, I was really happy I had an extra set when my boots got wet at one of the rough South Georgia landings. These are the exact Thermal Socks I used.
Under Layer
I wore a single, thin pair of thermal leggings under the waterproof pants. Due to sweating and moisture, this is another item where you should have 2 pair so you have time to dry wet things.
I also had some thermal tops, but I didn’t wear them. The provided jackets were so warm, I typically wore a T-shirt underneath.
Ski Gloves
Gloves is another thing you will want quality. I tried several pairs of gloves in Antarctica and even though the temperatures were around freezing, my hands were cold in all except the ski gloves with hand warmers.
Hand Warmers
I suffer from Reynaud’s syndrome which cases extreme pain in my fingers when my hands get even a little cold. I bought some inexpensive hand warmers. These hand warmers last about 10 hours, so you only need 2 for each excursion day of your trip (one for each hand). I didn’t need them on the non-excursion, cruising days.
Photography Gloves
When you’re hanging out on the deck and taking lots of photos, it’s handy to have a small, inexpensive pair of gloves that you can store in your jacket pocket. I had one of those cheap pairs of stretchy gloves, which worked fine, but if you’re taking lots of photos, you might want to get some photography gloves.
Hat with Ear Covering
Head covering is another important thing to stay warm. You will want to keep your ears covered, especially when you’re zipping around in Zodiac boats and moderately high speeds in windy, chilly environment. Hot tip: I like the kind with a snap, and this hat has also been great for me for sleeping on chilly nights when I’m van camping.
Other Antarctica Clothing – Must Packs for the Ship Journey
You should be able to “shop” for the non-excursion parts of your cruise in your own closet. Some things I brought include:
- Sunglasses – the white of the snow and bright sun can be blinding. For better views, consider investing in Polarizing Sunglasses
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- Sweat Shirts and T-shirts
- Yoga pants and other comfy pants
- Pajama tops and bottoms, nice to be warm in the bed
- Workout clothes if you want to
- Swimsuit – if you want to do the polar plunge and if your ship has amenities like pool, whirpool, steamroom or sauna.
.Is there any other Antarctica Clothing you’d add to this list?
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