Getting your luggage packed is an exciting part of getting ready for any trip. Getting packed for an Antarctic trip brings its own special considerations, however. How cold will it really be? How many layers will I need? One pair of gloves or two?
At Swoop, we spent a lot of time helping travellers get ready for their Antarctic cruise, so we’re experts at getting those polar packing lists finely tuned for the trip.
On my most recent trip to Antarctica, I chose to hire all the kit I needed for my cruise. This both saved on my luggage allowance and cut down on buying cold weather items I knew I wouldn’t need once I was back at home. Not buying unnecessary kit is also a more sustainable practice, so I was keen to try it out for myself.
It was a great experience, so if you’re interested in hiring kit, here’s how I did it.
How to hire kit for Antarctica
To rent the kit I needed for my cruise, I used New Headings, who are Swoop’s recommended gear operator. They’re based in Ushuaia, the departure point for most Antarctic cruises. But I was flying to Antarctica instead, so I wanted to check out how their kit hire operation worked for people starting their trips in Punta Arenas.
The most important thing to know is that you must arrange your kit hire at least seven days before you travel, to make sure that they can confirm all the arrangements.
If you chose, you could turn up without a stitch of weatherproof gear to wear and find everything you need. I opted to hire a parka jacket, waterproof pants, waterproof mittens and a waterproof backpack. If you have a warm coat that’s not suitably weatherproof there’s also the option to rent a lightweight jacket as well.
The mittens were also just a waterproof shell to wear over my regular gloves. In truth, I didn’t use them much as we had very mild weather, but I would have been glad of them if it had been colder – especially to guard water being whipped up by the wind when you’re out on a zodiac.
It’s worth noting that while the majority of Antarctic cruise ships give you an outer jacket or parka when you join, not all of them do. That included the ship I was sailing on, so it was great to have that option.
Jackets and trousers come in six sizes, ranging from extra small to XXX- large. As well as indicating your size when booking, you also need to include your arrival details into Ushuaia or Punta Arenas, as well as the ship you’ll be sailing on, and pay a small holding deposit that’s returned after your trip.
Collecting your kit
It couldn’t have been easier to collect my rental gear when I arrived in Punta Arenas. A representative of New Headings came to the pre-departure hotel the day we were due to fly to King George Island. Even though the weather window meant that we flew out a day earlier than expected, my gear came to the hotel in plenty of time before the flight. It was a great comfort to know that they’re in constant contact with the ship and flight operators to cover all such possibilities.
A staff member from New Headings made me try everything on in the hotel and then went through all the items to check they all fitted fine. They had brought several spares in case I needed to change anything, but there was no need. I’m 5’8 (173cm) and opted for the medium parka and trousers. I normally wear between medium and large for a jacket, but the parka here felt comfortably generous, to allow me to layer up underneath if I needed it. Everything was spotlessly clean and came in a bag to keep it all together.
In Ushuaia, the process is a little different. The much larger number of cruise passengers and ships means that it’s harder to cover every pre-departure hotel. Instead, if you’re hiring kit, you pick it up in person from the New Headings office in downtown Ushuaia, on the main street facing the sea and just two blocks from the entrance to the port.
Field testing
It’s one thing to hire cold weather kit, but how did it actually work out on the Antarctic ice?
I noticed the first advantage of hiring it even before we got into our first zodiac. All visitors must go through simple biosecurity checks before any landing in Antarctica, making sure all your outdoor gear is clean to avoid the accidental introduction of invasive species or pathogens. Having kit that had already been professionally cleaned meant that I was one of the fastest people to breeze through the checks, as everyone went through pockets or ran a hoover around the inside of their backpacks.
Wearing the jacket for the first time out in Antarctica, I was reassured to learn that it was just as cosy and comfortable as I had been promised. It had lots of big pockets inside and out and a nice big hood too. It was so warm, that I was comfortable enough wearing a t-shirt underneath at times, especially when quickly throwing it on when on the ship and I wanted to rush out onto the deck for a whale sighting. Zodiac cruises are another matter of course – sitting still means you get colder quicker, so I was happy to have the space to layer up.
The waterproof trousers were just an outside waterproof shell, so I still needed some insulation inside (time to break out those thermals!). Again, they had relatively big pockets, and fully opened to allow you to zip them over the insulated rubber boots you wear for landings, provided on the ship. Like the jacket, I’d opted for a medium but with the extra layers underneath I would go for the next size up next time around.
End of the cruise
At the end of the cruise, returning the gear couldn’t have been easier. There is usually the option to have your kit collected at the hotel, but in my case a representative from New Headings was there to meet us at the arrivals terminal of Punta Arenas airport when we flew back from the Peninsula. As with departures, flights are monitored, so they were aware that bad weather had caused our flight to be delayed, making sure there were no hitches in collection.
In Ushuaia, it’s a case of returning the kit to the New Headings office close to the port. Either way, you sign off the gear so that your deposit can be returned. Mine was virtually back in my bank account by the time my plane home arrived in the UK.
The whole experience was seamless from start to finish and the kit was first class. If you’re heading to Antarctica and don’t want to buy any extra gear for your cruise, hiring from New Headings is an excellent option.
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