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Clothing in Antarctica
Man is unique amongst animals in that he can live
in the widest range of environments from extreme heat to extreme cold. This
he does by making his own environment either in the
form of buildings or more obviously of clothing.
No where is clothing more important than in an extremely cold
climate such as Antarctica's.
Providing good insulation and protection from the elements is
not difficult. What is more difficult is being able to provide protection from
the elements while maintaining mobility, the ability to work AND comfort.
 Early
Antarctic clothing was designed to be windproof, insulating and also to enable
the wearer to move about. Nothing wrong with that you may think - but there is one
MAJOR thing that was wrong with that and that is that the clothing was not able
to let perspiration (sweat) escape or easily allow the wearer to adjust how insulated
and protected he (and they always were he at this time) was.
Captain Robert Scott's expedition to the South Pole in 1911 -
1912 for example taught us a lot about the correct clothing. The men on that
expedition were adequately insulated (most of the time) and could move about
easily. Their clothing however lacked the ability to dissipate sweat and the
possibility of
easily adding or removing insulating layers without exposing the wearer to the
elements (i.e. taking layers off to add or remove other layers underneath) or without removing gloves and mittens to make adjustments.
The result was that on Scott's fateful journey to the pole and
back, the
men's clothing became very wet with sweat during the day from the exertions of
manhauling across the ice. When they stopped manhauling, they quickly cooled
down, and the sweat made them colder than they would have been. A lack of fuel
meant that they were unable to dry their clothes out properly overnight in the
tent and so had to put them back on again the next day. Damp clothes lose much
of their insulating properties.
This inadequacy in clothing wasn't the cause of their deaths
on returning from the pole, but it was certainly a contributory factor.
We now know that for extreme cold weather clothing to be
efficient it needs to:
 | Keep the body adequately warm, particularly the
extremities - fingers and toes |
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| Allow for the free movement of perspiration
(sweat) |
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| Allow for free and easy movement of the wearer |
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| Be comfortable at all times - allowing for flexibility
of adjustment |
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This is achieved by what is generally referred to as the "layer
method" of dressing. Several layers are built up, each of which has its
own part to contribute.
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Foundation (base) layer
  The layer next to the skin. Should be soft, comfortable and
able to wick away perspiration quickly so feeling dry.
Things have come on an
awful long way since the string vest (invented for the British Graham Land
Expedition to Antarctica in 1934-1937). Modern foundation layer
garments are generally made of synthetic material. In some cases the material is
even treated so that it prevents the build up of bacteria that like to live in
sweaty clothes and make them smell.
foundation
layer
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Insulating layer/s
 This
is the most variable layer and can be added to as required depending on how cold
the conditions are. Several lightweight layers of clothes are better than one thick heavy layer, for flexibility as well as for insulating qualities as
extra air gets trapped between the layers as well as within them.
Traditionally woollen sweaters and natural fibre trousers
(pants) were worn. These days, these may still be worn or they may be supplemented
or substituted by modern materials such as polypropylene fleece or pile fibre.
Zips, collars, draw cords and the like allow for increased ventilation during
exertion or for all openings to be pulled closed while at rest. Naturally this
layer should provide insulation and also the passage and release of
perspiration.
Two or more garments in the insulating layer, shirts, sweaters
or jackets allow for
flexibility by adding or removing according to weather and activity.
insulating
layer garments
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The outer or shell layer
 This
is the layer that is directly exposed to the elements and so should at least be
windproof. Waterproof is not necessary for very cold weather as no rain falls.
Also, fully waterproof garments are not as able to transmit perspiration as
readily as garments that are not fully waterproof and tend not to be as flexible
at low temperatures.
The outer layer could be simply that, a weather proof layer of
natural or synthetic fibers with no extra insulation, or it could have
insulation built in as in the traditional parka. Insulating materials for this
outer layer could be synthetic or the traditional and arguably still the most
effective - natural down.
outer
/ shell layer garments
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Head,
Fingers and toes (not forgetting ankles, wrists and neck)
The extremities can get very cold very quickly.
Fingers and toes have a high surface area compared to their volume - this
means they lose heat easily and generate and retain heat poorly. Particular attention
should be paid to keeping them warm.
The head can lose up to 20% of the body's heat,
in cold weather, the quickest and simplest thing that can be done
to warm up is to put on a hat.
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When
your feet are cold, cover your head." - Inuit saying |
In extremis for the sake of survival, if the body
is losing so much heat that it may be in danger, blood flow to those parts
losing the most heat and that are "expendable" may be shut down
to a trickle. This could result in frostnip, frostbite and ultimately the
loss of that body part. Fingers and toes are in the
most danger.
The layer principle can also apply to the hands and
feet. A light first layer, then insulating layer/s and then weatherproof
outer layer depending on use.
 In
the coldest weather, the gloves and boots required become quite cumbersome so
limiting what can be achieved.
Ordinary plastic or leather hiking boots for
instance cannot be worn when it is very cold and soft boots such as
Bunny Boots, Mukluks or Onitsukas are worn. These have thick plastic soles, felt
insulation, insoles and nylon outers, they are great at keeping you warm,
but no use for walking over very rugged terrain or climbing.
Likewise mittens are much warmer than
gloves, but by the time you have 2 or 3 bulky pairs on to make your
fingers lovely and toasty, the amount that you can do with them falls
dramatically.
hats
and gloves | boots
When the body is insulated including extremities, the
next most vulnerable regions become those that don't normally lose heat
relative to the rest of the body and so are usually neglected. Wrists, ankles
and the neck region can soon become very cold and uncomfortable. They can
lose a lot of heat if not wrapped up as they pass the blood between
other well insulated areas.
The answer is:
| High boots that cover the ankles at least |
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| Mittens with long wrist cuffs, preferably
reaching about half way up the forearm |
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| A scarf or insulated "neck gaiter" of some
kind to insulate the neck, also to keep warm air from
"pumping" out of the body region, and stop wind-driven
snow from getting into the clothing where it could melt and
become very uncomfortable |
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So, in summary, clothing you need to stay warm when it's
really cold outside:
| Boxer shorts - Simpson's or a nice penguin pattern. |
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| A thin comfortable pair of socks. |
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| A thermal long-sleeved vest and longjohns made of
highly insulating material that "wicks" sweat away from
the skin to the outer layers. |
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| One or two pairs of thick warm socks, wool loop stitch
(like towelling - but wool) or similar. |
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| Thick warm trousers (pants) of a natural material
such as moleskin or synthetic material such as fleece or pile fibre. |
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| Two or three insulating layers for the top half of
the body. Wool mix or synthetic shirt, woollen sweater, fleece
sweater and /or jacket. Adjustability is important here, zips,
buttons etc. At least one of these layers should be long at the back
to avoid exposure of flesh during exertion. |
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| Head wear, an insulating headband for when it's not
so cold, a hat for when it's colder and with the addition of a
balaclava for when it's really cold. |
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| Scarf or neck gaiter for insulation and
to prevent ingress of blown snow. |
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| Insulated boots. Outer layer of leather with felt
liner, plastic climbing double-boots with insulated inner. Bunny
Boots,
mukluks, soft nylon outer shell with felt insulation and thick
insulated sole to prevent heat loss to the snow and ice for really
cold conditions. |
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| 2 or 3 pairs of gloves or mittens according to the
conditions and activity. Usually starting with gloves (in case you
have to do something "fiddly", gloves are easier than
mittens and infinitely preferable to bare fingers) then one or two pairs of
mittens. The outer pair should be wind proof. |
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| Sunglasses to prevent glare from the snow and ice
and stop you from developing snow blindness. Goggles in colder
weather or in conditions of blowing snow to prevent snow from
getting in the eyes and to cover the top part of the face. |
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The outer layer is particularly important and should have
features such as draw-cords and fastenable cuffs to prevent warm air being lost
to the outside and to prevent snow finding its way into nooks and crannies.
(snow in the cranny is most uncomfortable)
When fully dressed for extreme cold, there should be no
cold-spots, or ways that you can move around (fairly normally!) and expose flesh
or just a single layer at the wrists, neck, midriff (in particular) etc. The
outer layer should be just that, the outer layer at ALL times. With goggles on
and a good hood drawn about the face and a balaclava, it is possible to have no
exposed flesh at all.
Also important is to be able to vary the clothing easily,
release draw-cords, remove the hood, balaclava etc. according to changing
weather and activity.
Generally Antarctic gear appears rather a bit too big when
seen in isolation. Sleeves are long, shirt / jacket / sweater "tails"
are long, boots and mittens are long and hoods are large.
Over trousers / pants in
particular seem vast as they are designed to be put on when outdoors if the
weather gets particularly bad. In such conditions, you can't sit down and calmly
take your boots off first. The outer layers quickly go over everything
underneath and then zip / draw / tie, closer to the body to keep the heat in.
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