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If you’re wondering what to wear in Antarctica, we’ve got you covered! Preparing for an Antarctic Cruise can be daunting because you don’t want to overpack but you definitely want to stay warm. So here is our take on what to wear and a packing list that strikes the perfect balance!
If you haven’t read them yet, you should also check out our blogs on:
- “How to visit Antarctica”
- “What do you actually do in Antarctica?”
- “Cost to visit Antarctica + key money-saving tips!”.
How much to pack
First and foremost, it’s important to know that even though you’ll want to bundle up, most Antarctic expeditions have a 20 kilo (44 lb) luggage limit. Rooms on board the ship are also pretty small, so minimizing luggage also helps with claustrophobia. We brought one backpack for our camera gear, two carry-on suitcases and one small duffle. Since we combined our trip to Antarctica with a hiking trip to Patagonia, space was tight but we did it!
General rules for what to wear in Antarctica
Layers, layers and more layers are key when deciding what to wear in Antarctica! The weather in Antarctica can flip on a dime, so it’s important to be prepared for anything. Materials like wool, silk and fleece are highly encouraged while cotton is discouraged. I only had one set of synthetic long underwear and the rest of my gear was cotton, which definitely meant I had to wear more layers. But I did the best with what I had.
It’s also important to bring extras of things. While outfit repeating is encouraged (and honestly necessary), you should have one full backup of attire. This is especially important with accessories like gloves and hats because the weather can get very wet and often times there are multiple excursions a day. By having extra of these you can ensure you’re not going out on the afternoon excursion with wet clothes.
If you do forget something, though, there is typically a gift shop on board where you can buy polar gear to wear. One other thing to note is that most cruises offer laundry service. So if you can’t stand the thought of wearing something twice, you can always do laundry!
Dress code for what to wear in Antarctica
I was pleasantly surprised to hear that unlike the Caribbean cruises I’ve been on in the past, Antarctic Cruises tend to be very casual. At least on our ship with Quark Expeditions there was no dress code, even for sit down dinners. This is great because trying to pack minimally and be fancy is a tall order! For the captain’s cocktail party and a few other nights a handful of folks got dressed up, but for the most part we were all in expedition gear 24/7.
Provided gear to wear in Antarctica
Expedition Parka – everyone on the ship is provided an expedition parka. These are required attire for all excursions but trust me, you’ll want to wear it. The parka we got from Quark Expeditions is seriously the most incredible jacket I’ve ever owned. It is so warm and so functional! The parka is lined with a jacket that you can zip out and wear separately, and there are “carrying wings” so you can wear the parka like a backpack if you get warm. We were so excited when we heard these jackets were ours to keep!
Boots – rain boots are also provided and mandatory for all excursions. These aren’t necessarily the most comfortable things in the world, but it’s important to wear them since our own shoes could contaminate the continent.
Excursion gear like dry suits, etc. – if you’re doing any add-on excursions like kayaking, paddle boarding, etc., that gear will also be provided for you.
What to wear in Antarctica on the ship
Like I mentioned, life on the ship is pretty casual. Onboard the ship the key is to just be comfortable. It’s still important to wear layers, though, because the temperature of the ship can vary and it’s good to have a jacket to go out on deck. The only rule for attire onboard on our ship was no open-toed shoes.
Most of the time on the ship I wore leggings, hiking boots (they’re all I had) and a long or short sleeve t-shirt, with a jacket wrapped around my waist. Scott wore joggers, a lightweight pullover and tennis shoes. The photo below is from the week before our cruise in Patagonia, but these are the outfits we typically wore onboard.
And then if it we headed out on deck we’d go grab our parkas, beanie and gloves.
Generally you can make do with what’s in your suitcase in terms of attire on the ship. And if you need to change it’s quick and easy to just run down to your cabin. It’s not the best photo but you can get a gist of what our shipmates wore around this ship in the photo below.
What to wear in Antarctica on excursions
Deciding what to wear on excursions, on the other hand, is a bit more consequential. Once you head out on the zodiac boat you won’t be back to the ship for 2-3 hours, so you can’t run back to your cabin for an extra layer.
Our expedition attire was essentially the same every day. I’d start with long underwear as a base layer. After that I’d add a pair of leggings (or two) and two pairs of wool socks on the bottom, and a dry-fit long sleeve and sweatshirt on top. Like I mentioned before, we didn’t have the exact thermal gear so I just kept layering if I was too cold.
Once these base layers were on I added our mandatory excursion attire: the expedition parka, snow pants and rain boots. When it came to accessories I wore a beanie, neck warmer and two pairs of gloves. Better gloves or even mittens are the one thing I wish we’d invested more in. But my hands being cold is also my fault since I kept taking my gloves off to snap pics and videos…
Most of the stuff I packed was already in my wardrobe but I did order these wool socks, this beanie and these snow pants from Amazon before we went and I was really impressed!
Scott’s excursion attire was generally similar to mine, minus a layer. He typically wore one pair of pants under his snow pants and only 2 long sleeve shirts under his parka. He also had much nicer gloves than I did and that helped him a ton.
Other clothing you may wear in Antarctica
- Swimsuit if you want to participate in the Polar Plunge or if your ship has a hot tub/sauna
- Workout Clothes if you want to workout on board the ship
- Extra socks – you really can’t have too many warm socks on this trip
Full Antarctica Packing List
- Long underwear/base layers
- Fleece or other warm middle layers
- Snow pants (definitely recommend these)
- Wool socks (recommend these unisex ones)
- Waterproof Gloves/Mittens x 2
- Glove liners
- Neck Warmer
- Beanie x 2 (loved this one)
- Sunglasses
- Leggings, joggers or jeans
- Long sleeve shirts
- Short sleeve shirts
- Comfy closed-toed shoes
- Jacket
- Swimsuit
- Flip flops for the sauna
- Workout attire
- Waterproof Dry Bag
- Camera with tons of extra memory cards
- Seasickness medication & other meds you may need
What to wear in Antarctica YouTube
The company we went with, Quark Expeditions, put this video together on what to pack while staying under the weight limit! It gives a good overview of what to wear in Antarctica.
Please comment if you have any comments or questions, and check out the rest of our blogs on the 7th continent!
More Antarctica blogs are here!
- How to visit Antarctica – everything you need to know!
- Cost to visit Antarctica + key money-saving tips
- What it’s REALLY like to go to Antarctica
- Crossing the Drake Passage to Antarctica – how bad is it?!
- Polar Plunge in Antarctica – the ULTIMATE bucket list experience
- Kayaking in Antarctica – everything you need to know!
All of these blogs are coming soon…
- 10 Reasons to visit Antarctica
- Quarantined in Antarctica – what’s the story??
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Enjoy your trip to Antarctica and stay warm!!
Kylie & Scott
(If you liked this article or have any questions, please comment below! And make sure to follow along on Instagram @LoveHardTravelOften)
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