Things to Pack!?

We have been back from our Ocean Nova cruise in December for a couple of weeks now! Christmas and New Year's have taken up time so I have not been able to sit down and do a report. But for those that are heading out soon- some packing tips.

1. Power strip- someone here or on Trip Advisor recommended this and we used ours a lot! It was great to be able to charge camera batteries, kindles, and computers all at once!

2. Dishwashing gloves- this was one I had heard of before as well. Most of our expedition leaders were using them for the zodiacs. They are waterproof after all!! Buy big so you can fit your glove liners or smaller gloves inside. The only time I would not have used them was on actual zodiac cruising. You get a bit colder on the zodiac cruises since you are just sitting. Since they are light, once you are on land they are easy to store in a backpack.

3.Ski goggles- we just had our sunglasses and there were quite a few times when it was blowing snow and rain and ski goggles would have been a much better bet. Not to mention they would have worked better for the light conditions. The sunglasses allowed the blowing snow to come in around the edges and you end up closing your eyes! Also, goggles cover a bit more of the face when it is cold!

4. Pack light! We wore clothes in the evening multiple times. There were a few things I did not even use. We used the ship's laundry a couple of times $16 once and $17 another time to wash socks and long underwear. We had trouble closing the bags at the end of the trip since we were trying to fit our parkas in!(not to mention a few tshirts, books, items from various places!)

5.Computer- comes in handy for sorting through photos in the eve or even between stops!

6. Kindle/Nook- I got one just before our trip and it was great. I was not sure how many books I would read on this trip and I did not want to waste space and weight on books I might not get to. My daughter and I shared it, we even added a couple of books while in Buenos Aires.

7. Memory cards for your camera- go with big gigs so you can take lots! Also, keep in mind that the card also limits the speed at which data is written from the camera and so it can limit the speed at which you can take multiple pics. You will more than likely be trying to get pics of penguins porpoising through the water and to do that you need to just hold the shutter down and let the camera take as many pics as possible for a short time!( check with your local camera store for which cards work best with your camera and go for the pro ones!)

Thank you very much for your comments. Any further comment on the ship or on the intinerary?

The Ocean Nova was great, I think most people liked it. The Panorama Lounge is on deck 5, which makes it interesting in the Drake Passage while doing lectures!

I will try to do a more thorough report over the next few days!

Itinerary was great, of course it is always variable for these cruises!

kristy

Thanks for the information about ski goggles. I wear glasses and have been looking at goggles for my trip next November.

I was also wondering how you handled your cameras? I am planning on taking my Panasonic FZ30 and ZS3 (has HD video) and am very confused about how people protect their cameras from the weather but still have easy access for taking quick pictures.

I just read your blog and it was great. Can't wait for my trip.

Julie

I kept my camera in a waterproof backpack on the zodiac, unless we were zodiac cruising. I have another camera pack that I kept the camera in while on shore and took the camera out when I needed it.(so on the zodiac the camera was in the camera bag in the waterproof pack) There was a really snowy day that we zodiac cruised and that day I kept the camera bag open in the waterproof backpack with the pack top folded over. When I saw something I wanted to take a pic of I just reached in and pulled it out. ( does this make sense?)If it was super wet out I used my Olympus Tough Style.

Other people were using a ziploc baggie with two holes in the bottom for the straps to pass through. Then unzipping the ziploc to poke the lens out for pics and then zipping it back up again.

There were a couple of times that my camera bag got pretty damp, I would just leave it and the camera out on the bed to dry at lunch or in between stops. There was usually a couple of hours between places. There was usually not a whole lot of rocking on the boat while we were actually in Antarctica.

kristy

Kristy,

Thanks for the camera bag info. I had thought about just taking my camera bag and putting it into another bag while on the Zodiac. When on shore did you just leave the other bag by the landing zone or carry both? What brand was your waterproof backpack? I have looked online and just don't know what would work. Was your camera bag over the shoulder type or around the waist? I have a good camera bag which can fit either way.

Julie

Hi Cougfan,

I am not sure of the brand of the pack and it is not here at the moment. It was basically like a drybag for kayaking with shoulderstraps on it. So it had a roll top that you fold and buckle.

I left it a couple of times at the landing site. Forgot it once! It kind of depended on the weather and how far we were going to be walking from the site. Once or twice, they talked about walking to another area and being picked up from there, so I would carry the pack.

The camera bag was an over the shoulder one, diagonal. That way when I was walking I could slip it around to the back. The only problem with one around the waist is the parka and long underwear and pants....all pretty bulky. The over the shoulder one could just fit over the parka.

kristy

We leave This Saturday on the Prince Albert II--what great suggestions!! Thanks for taking the time to post them. Just happen to have an extra pair of yellow rubber gloves. Pat