WHAT TO PACK FOR AN ANTARCTICA CRUISE

One should bring a lot of clothing and travel gear for an Antarctica Cruise.

You might be surprised at how much you can pack for your Antarctica Cruise.

Quark Expeditions was our expedition to Antarctica. We were concerned that we would be wearing heavy parkas and rubber boots.

It is the frozen continent, after all. While you should be ready for anything, an Antarctic Expedition requires you to bring much less than you might have expected.

Here are some tips to help you get started packing for an Antarctica cruise

Layering is the first thing to consider. It’s summertime in Antarctica when the Antarctic Cruise season begins. Summertime in Antarctica doesn’t feel the same as the rest of the year. It is still cold.

The temperature during the day was around zero, and occasionally we might have reached 5 degrees Celcius at the end of a sunny and calm afternoon. You will find yourself constantly removing and adding layers.

Tips for packing

We recommend a duffel bag or rolling duffel when choosing a bag to take to Antarctica. It is essential to keep your bag light. You can stuff everything in a duffel bag, which only weighs a little.

Buenos Aires will require you to change planes (and airports). Your bags will be weighed when you travel on the lighter plane from Ushuaia. The more lightweight your pack, the more you can carry. You only have to take a little if you check our packing list.

Your Antarctica Cruise packing is the heaviest. We recommend Quark Expeditions’ post: What Photographic Gear Should You Pack for an Antarctic Cruise. A day bag is essential for both shore excursions and on-board zodiac excursions. Having a waterproof bag in your camera gear and any extra layers is a good idea.

Begin with the base layer.

Icebreaker’s merino wool base layer is our favorite:

Merino wool is light and can be packed very lightly. The same pair of longjohns can be worn for many days without you smelling it! Why would anyone want to wear the same pair of long johns for days without smelling?

Mid Layers

Even though Eve and I were kayaking and hiking to keep our blood pumping, we found it cold and needed a layer to keep warm. You will feel out if you sit on the Zodiac (which is what you do to see icebergs and whales).

The mid-layer will keep you warm.

Two different weights and middle layers were used for our tops. A heavy fleece sweater was used for sitting on the Zodiac, while a lighter wool sweater was used for hiking or kayaking. This was worn over our base layers.

One mid-layer bottoms. Fleece trousers over the top of our wool longjohns worked well when sitting in the Zodiac or on cold days while kayaking. It’s cold, even though you kayak hard. It’s almost 2 degrees below zero! The fleece pants provide warmth and extra protection for your butt when it gets cold.

Outer Layers

Ask your expedition company if they provide waterproof parkas. Quark provides warm and waterproof parkas for passengers during the Antarctica Cruise. There’s no need to bring a coat!

Like other polar expedition companies, Quark Expeditions Parkas have a removable mid-fleece liner and a waterproof outer shell. This parka can take the heavy fleece jacket you mentioned above and keep you light.

We did find the parka’s fleece liner a little too warm at times, so we removed it from the bag and put on our fleece jacket.

If you pick the right expedition company, the parka, and a fleece jacket can be left at home, making your packing light.

Waterproof Pants This is your only outerwear item. You will climb into and out of the Zodiac when you get to shore. A rogue wave will splash you, and it may often snow while you are on the Zodiac. It is essential to have waterproof, gortex trousers.