Antarctica Clothing - What To Pack For Your Trip

• Thermal Tops: You should be looking to take about three of these tops with you. There are laundry facilities on most of the cruise ships but the turnaround time is around 36 hours. You can choose between different weights (lightweight, silkweight, midweight, heavyweight) and styles (zip and crew) according to your preference.
• Thermal Bottoms: You will need these for excursions away from the boat and possibly on deck depending on the conditions so three pairs of longs should be sufficient.
• Gloves: One pair of lightweight, windproof, insulated, highly breathable gloves which are water resistant and quick drying are ideal. Layer these under a pair of more bulky and waterproof mittens with draw cord cuffs and wrist gauntlets which you can remove when you need to handle your camera for photography.
• Socks: Four pairs of polypropylene sock liners which wick moisture away and are designed to wear underneath high quality hiking socks of which three pairs should be enough.

Insulation Mid Layer

In general several lightweight layers of Antarctica clothing is better here than one heavy, thick layer because of the heat insulation occurring between each set of clothes and the ability to regulate the temperature by removing or adding a garment as conditions change.

• Shirts: Again the magic number is three which will be more than enough for a ten day trip and stick to lightweight and thin materials which are porous to moisture. Long sleeves with a high neck and a zip to help regulate the temperature are ideal Antarctica clothing shirts to pack.
• Fleece Microvest: For that extra layer of insulation when it is very cold such as when you go out in the zodiac boat for a landing or spend the night camping on the Antarctic ice, one of these comes in very handy.
• Trousers: One pair each of a natural material such as moleskin and synthetic material like fleece and pile fibre. When you are on the boat for everyday activities fleece trousers might be too warm in which case you can wear the moleskin or pile fibre ones.

Outerware Shell Layer

This layer of Antarctica clothing is in direct contact with the elements so it has to be completely windproof and preferably waterproof. You can get away with water resistant and water repellant jackets in really cold weather because there is not much liquid moisture around and if you have the opportunity to dry it out if it does get wet between uses.

• Jackets: Two jackets are more than sufficient to take with you and it's ideal if you can layer them. The outer shell fully windproof/waterproof jacket (can be rented) covers the inner one that might be only water resistant for improved breathability and flexibility so that when conditions are good you can leave the outer shell jacket on the boat. Goretex is an excellent material for these outer garments but coated nylon should be avoided. Jackets should always have hoods.
• Waterproof Over Trousers: One pair of breathable, waterproof trousers that are adjustable to account for layering . Built in gaiters are a necessity.
• Scarf or Neck Gaiter: A fleece neck gaiter will do the job nicely but make sure that it insulates completely before you buy it.
• Boots and Footwear: On many of the cruise boats boots are available on board which is a nice option because the penguin guano tends to stink them up a lot (along with your clothes) and unless you clean your boots thoroughly before you pack them into your luggage it can be a messy business. Check with your travel operator if they can provide you with boots and if not a pair of waterproof high quality hiking shoes with a felt liner and overboots will do the trick.

  To wear on board the ship take comfortable sneakers and slip on shoes for when there is a wildlife or bird sighting and you need to get to the deck quickly.

• Head Wear: The head can lose up to 25% of the body's heat so a hat is a must in your Antarctica clothing suitcase and for when it gets really cold you will need a balaclava. For the best of all worlds get a headband with a synthetic fleece balaclava that can be rolled up into a hat.
• Sunglasses: The last thing you want to do on your trip is develop snow blindness so a good pair of sunglasses is essential to protect your eyes from the suns glare.
• Hand and Toe Warmers: You tend to lose a fair amount of heat from the extremities so these are very handy to keep you nice and toasty on the finger and toe tips underneath all the Antarctica clothing layers. Some people complain that they actually cause them to overheat in which case they can be used to extend the life of your camera battery.

Where To Buy Antarctica Clothing

Another excellent online store to browse for antarctica clothing is .