Antarctica

[Snowpetrel]

^^ yep +1 thanks for that confirmation Evans, I also love the way the dunlops are so easy to get on and off and dry out inside quickly between watches. They work real well with my wet weather pants set up fireman style. Pull my high fashon polerfleece pants on in bed, add socks, then feet out into boots and pull up my wet weather pants and I am nearly done. I am happy with normal wet weather gear for normal weather. Much easier to regulate temperature and moisture over dry suits. But for really nasty stuff a drysuit can't be beat.

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My drysuit has gotten me a number of evil, covetous looks over the years. When it's nasty out, they rock. Though I'm curious to try the smock tops which have drysuit seals. Both the long cut ones, & waist length. Thoughts?

A tip on drysuits, is really pay attention to your under layers. As cold spots at the waistline suck. So I've taken to shopping at dive gear suppliers, who carry one-piece insulation garments, & long underwear purpose designed for drysuits.

One other thing not to be without is a neoprene cranial, or full balaclava. And they even make some which are fleece lined (like the wetsuits). Which help a lot in conjunction with drysuits on cold, wet watches. They even make neoprene beanies, lined & unlined.

Thoughts on some of the Mustang work suits, & 2-piece setups? They seem popular commercially. But I'm wondering if they work well in a sailing context? And what about cliimber's neoprene socks? Are they worth it?


PS: The microwave is THE ticket for drying out, & warming up socks, mittens, & hats, just prior to a watch.

[nematon785]

Some stuff I would try, curious what Snow petrel and Evans would say about it:

1. ski goggles, not mirrored type, the low light yellow or rose tint, maybe even clear.

2. Military long underwear, I've used this for years, including above dutch harbor for months on end in winter (at sea), cheap...$5 tops, 5$ bottoms pure poly propeline syntheic stinky but comfy stuff. the uppers have weird zipper and no hood, but you can live in the stuff for months,

3. heavy hoodies. classic alaska crew uniform. hood goes up when cold, drops when hot, fits nicely under oilies, good below.

4. pads for sitting on, and standing on. butt cold? sit on a pad of any kind. feet cold? stand on a pad of anykind...

5. Hats, hats hats... keep um noggin coverd neck warmer good too...

6. gloves gloves gloves... keep em hands protected

7. no tread on boots? throw em overboard. xtra tuffs 2 sizes too big with nice thick liners and heavy socks are good in the nasty.

8. Duck tape on sleeves, collar, and pants at boots can make a long cold watch closer to tolerable?

9. A big thick down coat that has a hood and covers the kidneys is really nice when the spray is not a factor. like a sleeping bag you wear!

All north sea stuff and years of skiing based suggestions. may not work for down south hardcore, but thought I would mention. Curious what the guys who have been there have to say.

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Originally Posted by nematon785

Some stuff I would try, curious what Snow petrel and Evans would say about it:

1. ski goggles, not mirrored type, the low light yellow or rose tint, maybe even clear.
Amber to Orange lenses are really helpful in crap lighting conditions, such as overcast, light fog or mist, etc. And polarizing surely don't hurt. Some shooting glasses are great in these conditions.

Test your goggles & glasses for fogging, including finding an anti-fogging compound that works well for you. And have good scratch protective covers for them when they're not in use. Though be sure to buy your eyewear WITH anti-scratch coatings. It makes a Huge difference in their longevity.

2. Military long underwear, I've used this for years, including above dutch harbor for months on end in winter (at sea), cheap...$5 tops, 5$ bottoms pure poly propeline syntheic stinky but comfy stuff. the uppers have weird zipper and no hood, but you can live in the stuff for months,
This stuff rocks! And if you can find the stuff with built in anti-microbial agents, buy it, without question. Also, this stuff wears WAY better than wool long underwear. It's much more durable. Cheaper too.

3. heavy hoodies. classic alaska crew uniform. hood goes up when cold, drops when hot, fits nicely under oilies, good below.
Not a fan of cotton.

4. pads for sitting on, and standing on. butt cold? sit on a pad of any kind. feet cold? stand on a pad of anykind...
I have various trousers with pockets in the seat & knees for foam pads. Highly recommended. Some foulies can be found setup this way too, or you can have them altered to accept such pads. Nice kit.

5. Hats, hats hats... keep um noggin coverd neck warmer good too...
See above post

6. gloves gloves gloves... keep em hands protected
Polypro liners, then heavy rubber gloves, followed by sailing gloves or mittens as needed. Time tested, & the system works!

7. no tread on boots? throw em overboard. xtra tuffs 2 sizes too big with nice thick liners and heavy socks are good in the nasty.
Oversized fishermen's boots. Cheap, good treads. Not ffull on artic rated necessarily though. Depends on your feet.

8. Duck tape on sleeves, collar, and pants at boots can make a long cold watch closer to tolerable?
This beyond, or in addition to 2-layer cuff seals, or drysuit seals?
You can have waterproof feet added to foulie pants, or even Seal Skinz socks attached to you trousers. Then slide your feet into some neoprene mukluks (thick, tall dinghy boots). With thick regular socks underneath of everything, of course.

9. A big thick down coat that has a hood and covers the kidneys is really nice when the spray is not a factor. like a sleeping bag you wear!
I've got a couple of good synthetic insulated ones as substitutes for down. Ditto on pants made the same. As unlike down, you can dry'em out given good technique & tools. And they're "warm'ish" when wet (or damp). Call'em my "hoodie substitutes" if you like.

All north sea stuff and years of skiing based suggestions. may not work for down south hardcore, but thought I would mention. Curious what the guys who have been there have to say.

Usually the commercial guys are fairly up to speed on this stuff. And for a step yet further up, look at the kit used by elite military units. It ain't cheap, but... it's tested, & works.

I've also been known to glue neoprene, or closed cell foam panels onto the insides of inexpensive foulies; pants, & smock tops with the high double collars. It's sometimes the difference between struggling to don or doff another insulation layer or not. And getting dressed & undressed in the cold is wearing. So every little bit helps.

Alsso, there are a couple of models of drysuits out now, that let you wear each half individually. And zip them together to form a full on drysuit when warranted. Can't say I've tested them as yet. But the theory is appealing for those times when you need to make a head call, but don't want to peel yourself out of all your kit in order to do so.


In the skunkworks division, were I to be spending a lot of time way down south, or up north, I might build/try out various types of DIY overboots. Ones akin to what alpine mountaineers wear, only make them from more water tolerant materials. Such as neoprene, or neoprene lined with wool, or sealed synthetic insulation. Sealed meaning use waterproof fabrics with welded seams instead of sewn ones. Or... sewn ones, with waterproof tape bonded overtop of them.
Thoughts? Cold feet suck, so thinks & tips are welcomed.

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Given the amount of clothes, including wet gear, for such trips, it might be wise to incorporate some of the features for gear stowage & drying from this thread. Location of wet weather gear storage - Cruisers & Sailing Forums Said "little things" help a lot in terms of keeping gear sorted, & getting it as dry as possible for the next watch.

[Snowpetrel]

My first trip down we used thin poly gloves with dishwashing gloves overtop. Cold hands... for boots we had plain old seaboots and fishermans boots with homemade closed cell foam inserts. The inserts crushed down and we had cold feet. The rest of us was warm enough with a cheap assortment of regular outdoor shop gear and regular wet weather gear. Its not very cold down there in summer. Probably -5 deg Celsius is as cold as it gets in summer. A north american winter is probably much worse..