Packing for any trip is a delicate balance between what you absolutely need and what you may need. This is why I notoriously over-pack t-shirts, yet under-pack socks. Packing for a three month trip to Antarctica is difficult in some regards, but much simpler in other regards. It takes a certain level of pre-planning that is not typical for shorter trips. But, there are some aspects that require very little foresight at all. I'll do my best to explain my mental state when packing for Antarctica below, and I welcome other experienced Antarctic adventurers to comment on this post as well! First, the difficulties. Although ~2 full months will be spent in the deep field, with very little access to showers or laundry machines, there is quite a bit of time spent in transit on both the front and back ends of the field work. Approximately one week in McMurdo Station is common both before and after field work, where you can wash your clothes and take normal showers. A few days in New Zealand are also required as you gather your gear, repack for the Antarctic and, depending on your luck, spend a few extra days waiting around due to weather issues. During these times, you'll want the typical comforts of home, including shampoo, laundry detergent, sneakers, and jeans, among other common items and articles. This requires packing like you're going on a standard vacation or business trip. How many t-shirts do I need? How many pair of underwear before I can realistically do some laundry? You know, the standard questions. For your time in the field, there are additional difficult questions that arise. While we're in the field for two months, there may be one trip for me back to McMurdo, where I can do some laundry? There may be a few trips to a nearby camp with a shower? How often do I anticipate getting so sweaty that I'll need to change all of my clothes? Assuming ~60 days in the field, I'm sure as heck not going to buy 60 pair of underwear (assuming that I may not be able to do laundry at all), so how often do I think I'll be fully changing my clothes? There's only so much planning you can do before you just have to throw your hands up, make a quasi-educated guess, and jam things into a suitcase. Or, you can look at a trip like this in a much simpler manner. Take every pair of underwear you own. Take 60% of your t-shirts. Pack a few pairs of pants and call it a day. Take every wool sock you can find. You'll figure it out in the field. I spent a few evenings making a packing list and creating a Google Sheet to figure out where and when I should pack everything. Not included on this sheet is a separate list for toiletries, which run into their own set of troubles (e.g., How much shampoo do you bring for a 3-month trip, 2-months of which you'll have "sporadic" access to a shower?). We're allowed two checked bags when we head to New Zealand, each of which must weigh less than 50 lbs. On our flight down to Antarctica, we're allowed up to 85 lbs of gear total (no restrictions on the number of bags), but this also includes ~15 lbs of gear that is issued to us that must accompany us. So, there is a bit of nuance that needs to go into packing, although a lot of this can be reassessed in New Zealand. There are temporary storage options for us to leave gear in NZ if necessary.
In the end, I wound up with a full canvas bag of gear (solely for Antarctica) weighing ~35-40 lbs, a regular piece of checked luggage (weighing ~35 lbs), a carry-on bag full of "temporary" clothes, toiletries, etc., weighing approximately 20 lbs, and a personal bag with my laptop, books, notepads, etc. While the total weight of everything is approximately 90 lbs, I plan to do some significant reshuffling in New Zealand, where I will leave a fair amount of regular clothes and prioritize my cold weather gear. In the end, it always works out. While it's nice to bring a bunch of comfortable clothes to wear in McMurdo Station, there's really no need for a pair of sneakers, or a dozen t-shirts, or a few pair of jeans. All you really need is your cold weather gear, your toiletries, and those things that you absolutely can't live without in the field (like camp speakers, your laptop and charger, and air fresheners). While it's a bit stressful to pack for three months of your life in two suitcases, it also helps you to realize that, in reality, you don't really need that much stuff to survive and be comfortable in a hostile environment for a long stretch of time. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I hope you're all able to enjoy some downtime with friends and family. Catch you all later!
1 Comment
5/11/2019 06:26:27 pm
Packing is one of the most important parts in every adventure. There are only a few things that you can bring with you, which is why you need to be more mindful of it. You need to be able to choose those that you really need. For example, I, personally, bring things that allow me to do whatever I want. Extra shirts, some hygienic equipment, and my phone. I can just buy what I need in the shops and supermarket.
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About the Author(S)The contributors to this blog are the students, faculty, and other researchers in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Northern Arizona University. If you have any suggestions, or would like to contribute to this blog, please email mark.salvatore@nau.edu for more information. Archives
January 2019
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