Travel Clothing for Antarctica and Arctic,
Cold Weather Gear for Tourists

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What Clothes do I need to take on my Antarctic trip?

As your trip will be in the summer months, you won't need to take any extreme cold weather gear. Temperatures on many or most days will be around freezing point, maybe dropping to an extreme of -5C (23F) though more likely not. The main thing you need to anticipate is that it will be windy as well as cold.

Layering is the key, to allow for flexibility, rather than one very large thick layer, thinner layers can be put on or off as the weather dictates to remain comfortable as the day progresses whether you are on the zodiac (motorized inflatable boat) in the wind, walking in the sunshine with no breeze or anywhere in between.

Rent from the ship or supplier in Ushuaia? It is possible to rent items such as a waterproof jacket, waterproof over pants, backpack, mittens and trekking poles though usually at greater cost than you might expect. Unless you live in a hot place, are continuing to travel and won't need them again, or are seriously short on luggage capacity I'd consider buying your own good quality gear.

Wind and water proof outer shell

A wind and water resistant shell is vital when ashore or when cruising and travelling by zodiac. Insulation can be built-in or a separate layer.

Gore-Tex breathable Men's Women's

3-in-1 Jackets, waterproof shell + insulation Men's Women's

Parka, down or synthetic Men's Women's

Boots

Waterproof for those wet zodiac landings, rugged and comfortable enough for extended walking on a variety of terrain. Your non-waterproof pants get tucked into them or waterproof over-pants go over the top.
Men's Women's

Some tours issue their clients with outer jackets to use on the trip and may also lend or hire out boots, so check first before buying. However they are not always the best quality, some tour guides much prefer to use their own gear rather than that supplied unless their employers insist on it.

Waterproof rain pants

Overpants for riding in the zodiac and staying dry during landings, light-weight is fine and will be easier to put away into your backpack. Long zips down each leg make it much easier to get them on and off over your boots.

Men's | Women's

Socks

You'll need some good warm socks to go with your boots. A thick pair of wool-rich outer socks with thinner wicking inner pair are ideal for most. Merino wool is the gold standard for warmth and comfort, look for at least 70% wool and avoid cotton.
Darn Tough hikers - recommended | Hiking Socks | Liner socks

Insulating layer/s

One or more layers under the outer shell that can be varied according to conditions, zips, buttons etc. allow for venting or to batten down the hatches when it gets cold and windy.

Fleece and soft-shell jackets are an ideal insulating layer: Men's | Women's

You might prefer a lightweight down or synthetic filled jacket or a down-sweater, very warm and easily thrown on over a shirt for immediate insulation like when there's a call for an exciting wildlife sighting. Wind resistant and to a lesser degree water resistant, not an outer shell layer for all conditions though.
Lightweight down: Men's: | Women's

Warm pants - of a natural material such as moleskin or heavyweight synthetic material such as polyester are best, not jeans!. If you are concerned about feeling the cold, take a pair of light weight thermal long johns.

Winter pants: Men's | Women's

I have worn moleskin (a kind of cotton, named for its texture and not made from either the skin or kin of moles) pants in both polar regions, warmth, comfort and practicality.
Men's moleskins

Head and ear protection from the cold

There's a saying that a good hat is worth an extra layer. Make sure the hat has ear flaps or can be pulled down to cover your ears, the wind is unrelenting. Synthetic windstopper material is less bulky and can be easily slipped into a pocket, pom-poms cause difficulties when using a hood over the top. Merino wool is a good natural alternative, acrylic is cheap, bulky and not so warm.

Men's | Women's | Balaclavas

Good quality warm gloves

Water-resistant gloves are always very useful in and around small boats. Ski-type are good as they are warm and water resistant with it. A thin pair of glove liners as well as a warmer pair means that you'll be able to take photographs without taking them off. Mittens are warmer than gloves, though reduce dexterity.

Men's Ski Gloves | Women's Ski Gloves
Men's lightweight gloves (liners) | Women's lightweight gloves (liners)
Men's Mittens | Women's Mittens

Neck Gaiter or Scarf

A neck gaiter or scarf to insulate the neck, to stop warm air from pumping out to be replaced with cold air coming back in, and stop wind-driven snow from getting into your clothes where it could melt and become very uncomfortable. My son voted this item as his most useful and favorite item of clothing when we went on an Arctic cruise around Spitsbergen. You can pull it up as far as over your nose if needed or it sits in a well-behaved manner out of the way when required rather than flapping around like scarves tend to.

Thermal Underwear

A warm comfortable base-layer can be the under clothing you already have. As long as you have a good insulting layer and outer shell layer, you won't need "thermal" underwear unless you feel the cold very badly. You may however like to get some nice baselayers. Tops can be worn as a comfortable shirt around the ship and it is easy to pull other layers on quickly when going outdoors. Merino wool is the gold standard, synthetic is also good, cotton is best avoided.

Women's merino wool | Men's merino wool
Women's synthetic fiber | Men's synthetic fiber

Clothing around the ship - Polar cruises are informal and you won't need any especially smart clothes on board or need to dress for a formal meal. Ships will have a laundry service so you can get a few items washed part way through to last you the duration of your trip.

Other Stuff

Camera. Get a good quality camera, most people are fine with a digital camera of about 15-25 mega pixels. This will give plenty of scope for cropping the pictures later and allow enlargements of 20" x 16" and larger and a very impressive image on a screen or projector.

A good compact camera will be fine for most people though if you're more serious about your pictures you'll need a single lens reflex (DSLR) with at least a wide angle to short telephoto lens, 20-50mm ish, and a short telephoto zoom 50-200mm ish. Anything over a 300mm lens is an extravagance for Antarctica that you'll hardly ever use and will be much heavier to carry. More information.

Make sure you take spare batteries, and spare spare batteries and lots of memory.

Good quality sun-glasses with full u.v. protection. It gets really bright in Antarctica, especially when the sun reflects off the sea and ice or snow.

High factor sun-screen for the same reason. If you've never been burnt under your nose from reflections from snow or sea now's your chance (you won't need much though).

Lightweight backpack to carry your stuff ashore while leaving arms free to clamber in and out of the Zodiacs. A "day pack" of around 1500-2000 cu. in. / 25-30L is a useful size.

Full size waterproof liners for your backpack will protect everything inside from the sea splashing on a bumpy zodiac ride or in case you drop it in the sea (a rare occurrence but not entirely unknown).

These may be available to hire from your ship or tour operator, though they also make ideal carry-on bags for the flight to your ship, more flexible and versatile than the usual carry-on luggage.

Luggage - you'll need something to lug your stuff around in.

Ships cabins are smaller than hotel rooms, so space matters. Soft bags can be squashed and pushed under beds whereas large rigid cases can be more awkward. They also tend to weigh less, so making them easier to carry and taking up less of your baggage allowance.

Binoculars - A must if you're a wildlife fanatic and a "nice to have" if you're not.

Binoculars are described by two numbers "10 x 30" for instance. The first number is the magnification and the second is the diameter of the front lens in millimeters. This tells you first of all how much bigger things appear and then how much of it you see at that magnification.

A magnification of 10 or 12 is about as much as most people can manage to hand-hold without shaking. 8 or 10 x magnification is generally most useful and 20 to 30 mm front elements keep the size down enough to slip into a coat pocket fairly easily especially if they fold as well.

Incidentally, I see you recommend avid wildlife watchers should take binoculars - everyone should have them! It is very annoying having to share your binos with someone for that rare glimpse of a distant blue whale or even just getting a better view of scenery!"
Robert Burton Antarctic tour guide and lecturer.

Powerstrip - Powerpoints in ships cabins can be thin on the ground and we are increasingly addicted to our gadgets. A lightweight short cabled powerstrip (preferably with surge protect) enables you to charge everything up at the same time with just the one adaptor to plug into the wall. It can be very frustrating having spent the last few hours charging the wrong device when the battery light on what you are using turns red.