I am beginning to feel rather like all I ever do is talk about kit and packing. I’ve done a lot of it recently, not so much for an adventure, but putting stuff into boxes as we flooded badly in Storm Bert, so have had to move a lot of stuff to storage whilst we begin the slow process of drying out and repairs. It has put a bit of a crapper on Christmas and New Year, and I have days where I just want to cry and others where I’m all ‘Pollyanna’ and ‘it’s just stuff, it’ll dry…’ (on the crying days I do want to punch Pollyanna in the smiley old gob!)
However, rather than focus on the negative, it’s the beginning of a New Year and I am going to look forward. We are heading off to Tromsø at the end of the month, so this is the first pack I have ever done where I’m not packing for heat or hills or rain or a combined mix of all three. This time I am packing for a cold that I have never experienced before so know that I need to think carefully.
I don’t know if any of you follow adventurers on any social platforms but one of the people I like is ‘The Girl Outdoors‘, Sian recently also went to the Arctic and posted a pic of herself with the essential kit. I am sure that if you ski you probably have much of this, or can hire it out there, but we are going to also be trekking in the High Tatras in mid March, so anything we do have to purchase, won’t just then sit redundant. Some stuff we know we can hire or will be provided, but we are going to be doing stuff that will require equipment that fits properly or we’ve broken in.
My first tip is to ensure that, even if you are going for a long weekend, make sure you get your 20kgs in the hold. Winter kit does not pack as well as summer kit and tends to be heavier. My eldest went to Borneo many years ago and I remember him having to wear a lot of his warm kit he needed to climb Kinabalu as he was packed to the gunnels in his back pack. The flight was not comfortable for him! Even if you use the hold baggage for boots and outerwear, it’ll be worth not having to wear it or take it on and off through security.
So these are my main items, please let me know if there is something I’ve missed:
- Thermal leggings (again, good old heat gen from M and S)
- Thermal long sleeved base layers (as above!)
- Mid layer – t-shirts with long sleeves
- Thinner top layer – thin shirts and sweatshirts
- Down jacket (this is something I can wear under a snow suit if I need one)
- Thick all weather, outer jacket (waterproof) with hood. This can be worn over the down jackets (I have slightly larger sizes for this reason). This, bar my boots, is the most expensive part of my kit and rightly so.
- Walking trousers (I have fleece lined as my normal winter walking trousers, but I might be a bit hot so I do have a non-lined pair too as I’ll have my leggings underneath.
- Waterproof over trousers.
- Thin gloves
- Thick mittens (Millets had some that claim to be suitable for artic temperatures…I will let you know!). I will wear these over the gloves.
- Down gilet – in case my jacket is too much or in the evenings I want something over my jumpers.
- Two jumpers (one is my alpaca one from a market in Ecuador which is perfect for this weather)
- Silk balaclava so that parts of my neck, ears and face are covered and light enough to be tucked in and worn under my hat
- A buff – to protect my nose and mouth
- Sunglasses – Sun blindness is a thing.
- Wool hat AND a thinner hat
- Suncream for my face and lip salve with UV protection
- Silk undersocks
- Proper wool socks (smart wool are expensive as socks go, but your extremities are the first to take the strain!)
- Good quality walking boots. We will hire snow shoes/crampons if needed.
- My EMU boots for evenings and a change of clothes in case stuff gets damp from sweat or snow and needs to dry.
- Swimsuit and towel for those all important Artic saunas.
It’s not rocket science and there are things I don’t have for this trip that I will take for the Tatras such as my walking poles and we will need crampons albeit I think we can get them there. The other things to consider are a waterproof phone case which you can then put inside something such as a fleece pouch which I have linked to the one I got. Phones do not like extreme cold and obviously wet. I also have my camera in a padded bag, but am already freaking out about it so if anyone has any great advice about camera gear and cold weather, PLEASE let me know! Oh and my tripods (one for my phone and another for my DLSR). So that’s it. please let me know if I have forgotten something essential (I have hand cream too and a good moisturiser!) and any advice for the camera…
