All packed...

The last two days before I leave have been quite hectic. One day of orientation with the IT folks in Denver, and one day of orientation just for the winterover crew. Because I was local, I didn't get to stay in a hotel like the others and had to commute to Centennial on south side of Denver both days. That, coupled with a lack of sleep due to the excitement factor, made for some very long days.


All ready for a winter in Antarctica

Anyway, several people have asked me what I'm bringing down with me. They supply extreme cold weather (ECW) gear that you get issued in Punta Arenas, Chile. These are the classic red down parkas with the fur around the hood that you see in all the Antarctica "hero" shots. They give you a bunch of other stuff as well. When I looked at a bunch of YouTube videos of Palmer though, everybody was wearing their outdoor gear from home. When I asked about this, everybody said you just use the ECW gear for dirty work-line handling for the ships, shoveling snow, out on the boats; and you use your gear for hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing because it fits better, works better and is higher quality. So I'm bringing my own outdoor clothes.

Other stuff I'm bringing are just the regular clothes I work in at home for the inside stuff. Jeans, Carhartt pants, work shirts, Aussie work boots, sandals, and running shoes/workout clothes for the little gym they have there. I think I'm bringing way more clothes than I need.

I'm also bringing a laptop, an external hard drive with movies, music and space to backup my photos. I'm bringing a DSLR camera with a couple of lenses, and a little waterproof/shockproof point and shoot. Finally, I'm bringing a couple of print books and a Kindle loaded with books that I can add to if need be.

It all fits in two duffels, and the yellow carry on. It looks like a lot, and is a lot, but it only weighs about 60 lbs. We're allowed 2 checked bags of 50 lbs. each, and a carry on. I was worried about weight at first, now I'm worried about where the heck I'm going to put all this stuff in the cramped quarters at Palmer.

So there you have it, what I'm bringing for winter in Antarctica. We leave tomorrow for Punta Arenas, so hopefully I'll have time for a quick post and some pictures from there.






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