Antarctica Tour
in Antarctica
We are on the February 1, 2025 trip.
Can anyone recommend what type of boots we should bring? Any other items that you might suggest?
We are from MN so layering is what we do to stay comfortable outside in the winter.
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I went to Antarctica with another company, but I expect Tauck does the same things. We rented boots. The boots are insulated and work very well. And by renting you don't have to pack them back and forth.
Because of the cold, we packed a fair amount of cold weather clothes. Boots would have taken too much room.
They will loan you boots on the ship and will issue you a parka that will be yours to keep. I took this tour in December 2018 so this is based on that experience.
I’m in Ushuaia right now and it is really warm, I’ve been walking around in a T-shirt, most unusual weather!
I am also on the February 1st trip. I am traveling with 3 friends-all from Florida.
We did this trip in January of 2020. At that time they lent you the boots for the cruise part of the trip. They are a very specific, tall water proof boot that you wear with the water proof pants on the outside. The waterproof pants have snaps that tighten on the bottom around the boot. The landings in Antarctica are in shallow water so you need a waterproof system. Between the boots they give you for the trip and the pants , no water gets in. The other shoes you need are just for walking around in the ship and in Buenos Aires.
We did the trip in December, 2023. They will fit you for boots and a parka once you get on the ship. I think you will appreciate having one pair of good boot socks to wear, and depending on the fit, you can also add a slightly better insole in the boots (i.e., we just removed the ones from the running shoes we had on the trip).
Two additional things that we appreciated having for the landings/hikes were a foldable trekking pole with a snow basket, and a lanyard "holder" to keep our phones safe/dry on the zodiacs and when we were fumbling ashore taking photos with gloves on.
Good binoculars (or a monocular) are valuable to use for wildlife spotting from the ship's deck. There are some loaners if you don't bring your own.
It's dependent on the particular weather you encounter, but note that many of us were overdressed on the early landings and got hot on the hikes. So, as you noted, the ability to layer up or down is good.
We had moderate seas both ways on the Drake and while we had the patch, we used Dramamine instead. No problems.
Fantastic trip...
We are in Ushuaia right now, the ships came back from Antarctica a day early became of a bad storm today. It has been unusually warm the past two days, T shirt weather, but today it has rained a lot, windy and cold.
I went in 2017 and took my own boots. They are in my garage in a big zip lock bag. Whenever I want to remind myself of the trip, I just open the bag take a short breath. It all comes back to me. Once you get there, you’ll understand. 🐧
They loan you the boots. Bring boot socks. They give you a parka to keep. Weather can be pleasant to very cold. The ship can be quite pleasant, while cruising on the zodiacs can be reqlly cold.
This may seem to be an odd question. How insulated are the parkas?
There is an art to layering : a base layer close to the skin that wicks away moisture for the first layer. Then another layer such as merino wool. Try not to wear heavy sweaters. Keep the neck warm too with a scarf. Cotton is useless except wearing it on the ship. In my opinion, the ships are very warm. You’ll find you’ll be changing clothes often.
The parkas are not very “thick” but they are very warm. My wife often uses mine as a blanket. It is certainly the warmest single garment that I own.
Thanks for the information. Just trying to figure out the thickness for my base layer, mid layer and insulating layer to have under the parka.
It’s all about layering. You’ll see that you’ll also be peeling your layers off. I live in Northern California and when we went to Antarctica (quite a while ago) Lake Tahoe was colder than it was in Antarctica! I have pictures of just being in a T-shirt walking on the white continent. Then the next day, it would be very cold and windy. The weather is not predictable. Good sunglasses are very important too. Mine were actually a type of google because if my extremely sensitive eyes.
‘Our travels 34’, you mention a pair of “google” glasses for sensitive eyes ? I’ve not heard of that type, but would love to investigate them. Thanks for any information you can provide. Or did you mean goggles ?
I just wore my old ski googles. For me, the reflection of the sun with the ice was too much for my eyesight. Googles helped me a lot on bright sunny days.