Type of clothes for Feb. Antartica/SA?

Hello. What type of clothes are needed for a Feb. sailing of SA and Antartica?

Hello. What type of clothes are needed for a Feb. sailing of SA and Antartica?

On which kind of ships? (drive-by, or excursion-type with landings?).

The key word anyway for Antarctica is "layers". You can expect any type of weather, from sunny and (relatively) warm to windy, snowy and bitterly cold. I was in Antarctica in Feb 2009 and I expected it to be much colder than it actually was (we had temperature around 0-5 °C and almost no wind).

The feeling of cold actually come mostly from the wind so make sure that your outer layer is windproof, and that your extremities are warm. If you have landings you will probably be asked to bring waterproof pants for the zodiac.

(is SA = South America? If so, where in South America?)

Agree with above - and we would need more info on what type of trip you are going on in order to be more specific.

ie if its a large cruise ship with no zodiac trips or landings - then we dont need to tell you about boots and waterproof gear.

We had as low as minus 37 c on my trip and that was in a blizzard with extreme winds - but I still found a poly thermal layer, then fleece layer, then waterproofs was ample. And that was walking out on the icepack. Two layers of socks in the boots - one thin liner sock and one thick woolen hiking sock. Two gloves - one thin silk liner glove, then outer ski gloves (that way you can take the bigger glove off to use the camera etc).

Fleece beanies, neck gaiters, good wrap around sun glasses or goggles (make sure they have little air vents or you fog up).

South America is a pretty giant country with very varying weather north south and in between - so you would need to specify where for better tips.

There will be no landings. We will be on Celebrity Infinity sailing from Buenos Aires to Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, Argentina, Puerto Madryn and Montevideo, Uruguay.

There will be no landings. We will be on Celebrity Infinity sailing from Buenos Aires to Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, Argentina, Puerto Madryn and Montevideo, Uruguay.

So no "real" Antarctica below the Falkland Islands?

I think that wind and rain should be more of an issue than very cold temperatures in the Falklands and in Ushuaia; thermal underwear, a fleece top, and a strong windproof and waterproof jacket should be allright. You can expect a temperature between 0 and 10°C in Ushuaia (a bit more if you have some sun).

In Buenos Aires it is summer and very hot (30 to 35°C) so you will need light summer clothes.

Yep agree with above - just some wind proof gear for being out on decks.

PerfectlyPerth, just noted you are going again in KK next December. Where are you going this time? Great! By now we are considering going in 2013 (when I will be 50) with Orion from Australia/NZ to Cape Adere.

PerfectlyPerth, just noted you are going again in KK next December. Where are you going this time? Great! By now we are considering going in 2013 (when I will be 50) with Orion from Australia/NZ to Cape Adere.

Yep I am on the KK's final ever voyage.

This is the map and itin

http://www.peregrineadventures.com/antarctica/antarctica/antarcticas-far-east-kapitan-khlebnikov-20112012-2009

a lot less flying than the last one - just a flight to Tassie at the start, and a taxi ride home at the end.

Cant wait - major counting down !!

Are you taking an expedition ship (landing on Antarctica) or a larger "scenic cruising" ship? We were on the Veendam in early January 2011 with 3 days of "scenic cruising" of the Antarctic peninsula. Those days were unusually clear, sunny and calm, but still with temps in the low 30s and some wind.

We dressed in various layers of tnecks, thin wool sweaters/fleece, topped by our (unlined) goretex rain jackets which were great at blocking the wind. One day I used my down vest under the jacket too. I took silk tneck and longjohns to put under jeans. Took goretex wind/rain pants, but only wore them once. We definitely needed our wool hats and gloves. Sunscreen, lip balm, lotion for windburn, sunglasses. Don't forget to put sunscreen on your lips :)

Shoes with non-skid soles/warm sox.

In less good weather, I'm sure we would have used all layers at once, as we spent many, many hours on the open decks.

We tried to pack lightweight layers, and went for the low end of the "formal night" scale, with navy jacket and tie for my husband, long packable black pants/fancier tops for me.

It was a fantastic trip.

Is this your trip ?

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/searchResultsVacationItinerary.do?packageCode=IN14F046&backPageName=Itinerary+Search+Result

Looks like 2 or 3 days at the tip of the peninsular so I wouldnt buy any specific gear. Just layer up and ensure the outer layer is wind proof - you wont be getting any spray so waterproof is not as vital.

Ensure you have good gripping non slip shoes for the decks. When we were closing in on Elephant Is the decks were icing up quite quickly (tho mine was in early Nov - Feb will be warmer).

Is this your trip ?

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/search/searchResultsVacationItinerary.do?packageCode=IN14F046&backPageName=Itinerary+Search+Result

 

Looks like 2 or 3 days at the tip of the peninsular so I wouldnt buy any specific gear. Just layer up and ensure the outer layer is wind proof - you wont be getting any spray so waterproof is not as vital.

 

Ensure you have good gripping non slip shoes for the decks. When we were closing in on Elephant Is the decks were icing up quite quickly (tho mine was in early Nov - Feb will be warmer).

Yes, it sure is. Thanks everyone for the responses.

This post from the HAL public blog has pix of Antarctica passengers on the open decks of the Veendam:

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/2011/03/30/to-the-end-of-the-world-and-beyond/#more-40086

Are you taking an expedition ship (landing on Antarctica) or a larger "scenic cruising" ship? We were on the Veendam in early January 2011 with 3 days of "scenic cruising" of the Antarctic peninsula. Those days were unusually clear, sunny and calm, but still with temps in the low 30s and some wind.

We dressed in various layers of tnecks, thin wool sweaters/fleece, topped by our (unlined) goretex rain jackets which were great at blocking the wind. One day I used my down vest under the jacket too. I took silk tneck and longjohns to put under jeans. Took goretex wind/rain pants, but only wore them once. We definitely needed our wool hats and gloves. Sunscreen, lip balm, lotion for windburn, sunglasses. Don't forget to put sunscreen on your lips :)

Shoes with non-skid soles/warm sox.

In less good weather, I'm sure we would have used all layers at once, as we spent many, many hours on the open decks.

We tried to pack lightweight layers, and went for the low end of the "formal night" scale, with navy jacket and tie for my husband, long packable black pants/fancier tops for me.

It was a fantastic trip.

Thanks for the info. I am going in Jan 2012 on the same cruise. I am doing the landing on Antarctica from Punta Arenas and wondering if you knew of anyone that did it and what they wore and if it was worth it?

Thanks

Debbie

The stop at Punta Arenas was cancelled on our trip, due to general strikes and protests over higher heating gas prices. Evidently some roads were blockaded and the captain chose to skip that port and add another further up the Chilean coast. I believe the flight to Antarctica had quite a number signed up. We talked with one man who shared details of how they had to prepare, but I've forgotten the details - something about cleaning their clothes well before landing - so that no seeds, insects, etc. were left behind. I'm not sure how much they knew before boarding and how much in the couple of days before the scheduled flight. I imagine they'd gotten information well before their US departure.

The stop at Punta Arenas was cancelled on our trip, due to general strikes and protests over higher heating gas prices. Evidently some roads were blockaded and the captain chose to skip that port and add another further up the Chilean coast. I believe the flight to Antarctica had quite a number signed up. We talked with one man who shared details of how they had to prepare, but I've forgotten the details - something about cleaning their clothes well before landing - so that no seeds, insects, etc. were left behind. I'm not sure how much they knew before boarding and how much in the couple of days before the scheduled flight. I imagine they'd gotten information well before their US departure.

Thanks for the info. We have our express docs and there is nothing about the clothes cleaning yet nor have we received and email with the information. We leaving in just over 40 days so there is still time.

I am really looking forward to the cruise and cant wait. I am staying in Iguazu falls at the end to - so all in all a good time. Any hints about excursions (except Punta Arenas).

thanks again

The key is to layer clothing.

Bring a scarf, hat, gloves, north face type jacket, fleece, sweater or sweatshirt, water proof pants like ski pants and water proof shoes. For the places up North it will be warm so bring lightweight clothing. As you make your way south it is cool but also it seems even cooler because of the winds.

Keith