Clothing-around the horn and Antarctica

[DarDee]

Hi...we are travelling from Valparaiso to Buenos Ares on January 10th. We are cruising Antarctica and need some advise about clothing, in particular boots. Do we need boots? or are runners appropriate? We live on the West Coast so we do not have any winter clothing so any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[peterscot]

I assume you are not leaving the ship in Antarctica? If not then you don't need boots.

[DarDee]

I assume you are not leaving the ship in Antarctica? If not then you don't need boots.

 

I read your answer this morning and giggled all day. Sometimes we over think things and you, very eloquently, reminded me of this.

Thanks very much for the giggle and yes, I should be fine on the boat with just runners.

: )

Fun, fun.

[biker1972]

Just be prepared for wind. We had beautiful weather rounding Cape Horn in March but the wind was severe. Had my GoreTex shell over a PolarTec jacket and it worked perfectly, even on rainy days elsewhere.

[islandwoman]

We are taking a similar cruise in December 2019.  Thank you for the post about needing a wind proof jacket and not needing boots onboard.  I'd like to also ask about clothing for shore excursions in Ushuaia  and Punta Arenas.  Are warm boots recommended there?  Base layers?

[macaroni]

Boots are not necessary...I brought old sneakers to throw out in case it was muddy on the hikes...

[Crewbie]

"Warmth" will depend on what you're comfortable with, but when we took our trip in December it really felt more divided between 'dressing for summer' and 'dressing for the elements.' Seconding macaroni; no problem with a lack of full boots but was glad to have a lighter pair of shoes for easier days (and doubling for dressier occasions) and then a sturdier pair. There are a lot of different walking environments one can encounter - examples include city environments, beach, and paved/boarded/unpaved walking trails that can be dusty in a dry spell or muddy with some rain/spray. (We saw a lot of dust traveling in the smaller locales, particularly with the travel on unpaved roads in Ushuaia at the park, Port Stanley out of town, and heading out of Puerto Madryn.)

 

My recommendation would be to pack towards guarding against wind and sun (don't forget to make sure you can hang on to your hat!). For us, Ushuaia and Punta Arenas were cool, but not bundle-up cold, especially with walking around. Coldest times are probably when doing scenic cruising on the ship and one wants to be out on the deck - again, the wind is really the greatest element. I hope this helps!

[boom_boom]

In mid-February, we needed wind and sun protection, but not boots. if you go to Punta Tombo out of Puerto Madryn, the trails are mostly gravel and not dirt, but it is very sunny and windy. Port Stanley is even more windy, but not so much sun.

We used a wind breaker shell and layers. Never had a problem. We were lucky in that it never rained while we were ashore. But in that environment you can never be sure what you will experience.

[mcmarya]

People on our ship had full winter coats but we just packed layers to wear as needed.  On the coldest days on the deck I wore a base layer, polartec fleece jacket, and a wind proof outer shell along with hat, scarf, and gloves. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by mcmarya

[Tampa Girl]

On 5/2/2019 at 6:46 PM, mcmarya said:

People on our ship had full winter coats but we just packed layers to wear as needed.  On the coldest days on the deck I wore a base layer, polartec fleece jacket, and a wind proof outer shell along with hat, scarf, and gloves. 

 

Any recommendation where to get polartec fleece jacket online?  (We usually don't see them in Florida.)

[capriccio]

56 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Any recommendation where to get polartec fleece jacket online?  (We usually don't see them in Florida.)

Amazon and Land's End sell them.

[islandwoman]

1 hour ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Any recommendation where to get polartec fleece jacket online?  (We usually don't see them in Florida.)

 

REI,  LLBean,  Backcountry,  Marmot.

[Kate-AHF]

We get a lot of our outdoor clothing at Aramark, the uniform people.  Incredible pricing, huge size ranges, very durable.  And I can tell you that you will NOT look like a delivery truck driver.  https://shop.aramarkuniform.com/sc-catalog-outerwear-fleece-1?cat=52448

 

[Taters]

Hi all:  I live in a very cold place, but we don't get wind.  I am booked an a South America cruise 'round the Horn in November, 2020.  What is the best material when it comes to a jacket to protect against wind?  I have all of the parka's and winter coats I will ever need, but a wind breaker - not so much!  TIA

[islandwoman]

I'm taking my ski jacket to wear over a base layer and fleece.  There is also such a thing as a "wind blocker" fleece for windy but not so cold.

[AryMay]

Here is an excerpt from my blog about how we dressed for the Drake Passage and Antarctica this past February. We are from Minnesota so the temps in Antarctica were MUCH warmer than what we had back home...but still pretty chilly if you spent any amount of time out on deck (which we did.)

 

 

My clothing amounted to either Cuddle Duds long underwear or a pair of fleece-lined leggings under my jeans and then topped by a pair of REI rain pants to block the wind. On top was a warm sweatshirt or sherpa top, my Columbia fleece jacket and finally my parka-length Eddie Bauer packable down coat. For headwear I had a fleece lined knitted beanie covered by a microfleece hood that I got at Kohls. This protected my neck and I could pull it up over my chin and mouth. I also pulled up the hood on my down coat...so 3 layers on my head altogether! I had purchased convertible wool mittens that could be folded back to expose the tips of my fingers to use my camera but these I never wore. Instead I put Hot Hands hand warmers inside my snuggly fitting gloves and my hands stayed toasty warm. I had also brought along foot warmers, but never used any. Wool socks kept my feet plenty warm. Getting dressed was time consuming, but we stayed outside for long periods of time and were comfortable.

[clo]

On 5/25/2019 at 8:37 AM, AryMay said:

but we stayed outside for long periods of time and were comfortable.

Here's how we dressed on deck. Underneath that (cotton) throw he had on a short sleeved shirt and shorts 🙂

 

[islandwoman]

Are those windows open or closed?

[clo]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

Are those windows open or closed?

Those are fixed panes but from where he was sitting that was open to the 'elements.'  No problemo 🙂