Prior to our departure to Antarctica I scoured the web and the Lindblad/National Geographic site for the best items to have for this trip. Now that we are back, here is my suggestions for a seamless trip!
As far as a suitcase- many people had large traditional suitcases but we chose to use a rolling duffle bag like this: It was perfect for several reasons – it fit everything we needed and still had expansion room for our expedition jacket and purchases on board and second it fit nicely under our cabin bed so it wasn’t in the way.
As far as items we brought that I would not recommend! We purchased the waterproof iPhone cases that fit around your neck. In theory this is really handy to have, but in reality when you are on the zodiac or kayaking, you have on layers, a jacket and a life vest (and kayaking an additional transponder around your neck) so the addition of an iPhone there is unwieldy. We used the cases the first trip out, found the iPhone difficult to turn on and use in the case and never used them again. Many people did have wrist straps for their iPhones and I highly recommend this alternative. iPhone strap
You don’t really need a large waterproof bag when you go out unless you have very expensive camera equipment. Most people had a small backpack or just stuffed things in their pockets. The expedition jackets have pockets galore! Again, hard to manage a backpack on top of all the other items you are carrying so we used once and then never again. When you go out – the longest excursion was a few hours, most were much shorter, so it was easy to plan for what you need and stuff a few extra items in pockets.
I brought a fleece and a light insulated jacket and that was overkill. You might need one warmer jacket in Ushuaia as it is chilly, but once you get on the ship (depending on the amenities) the expedition jacket has an inner layer that is quite warm and can be worn separately. The gift shop has great jackets with the expedition logo etc.. that I ended up purchasing and wearing often.
Binoculars – if you are an avid user of binoculars they are nice to take on shore (but hard to have these and camera and all other items you might use). On board there were many sets of binoculars to use if you wanted. I wouldn’t bring them again as I never had them when I needed them.
- Must haves:
- One pair of heavy gloves and one pair of lighter gloves to use when taking photos etc.. I never needed extra pairs of gloves
- Base layer and warmer pants to wear under waterproof pants. The Waterproof pants are used every time you go out and are just basic pants like these: Rain pants The layers are critical and can be adjusted depending on the weather.
- Hat(s) – I had two, one with a Pom Pom and one without. The Pom Pom is not great if you want to put up your hood so recommend the beanie type. Many people had this hat, which seemed great to block the sun.
- Slippers or easy to slip on and off shoes. We were able to leave our boots in a locker close to where we went out of the ship so you need something to wear there and back that is easy to slip on over layers of socks. I wore my All Birds Slippers often! All birds Slippers Flip flops would be nice for the sauna or hot tub or going to the POLAR PLUNGE!!
- Croakies for sunglasses. Nice to have and frees up hands for other items. (They sell in the gift shop but didn’t hold very well)
- The Bog boots they suggest are amazing! We ended up purchasing and bringing but the rental option is great as they are heavy and bulky. The rental company/ ship had other sizes on board if the ones you ordered didn’t fit (which was my worry). Many people did not have great boots and it hindered their ability to maneuver. There are many water landings and these boots were amazing. Here is a link to the ones we purchased Women’s Bogs Boots. Men’s Bogs Boots .
- Many people needed walking poles as the ground is slippery, icy, rocky etc…. If you are unstable on your feet at all and have used hiking poles, bring them or rent them. If you need just a little assistance, one pole is perfect and they also have MANY walking sticks available to use. We rented two sets and didn’t ever need them but assess your needs and plan accordingly.
- Sea sickness. The Drake crossing is quite the two x two days! Many people used the Transdermal Scop (scopolamine) patch that their physician prescribed. We met people who loved it and others who didn’t feel so great. I recommend using at home to make sure you don’t get side effects. The on board physician is great, and everyone was well cared for. I used the Bonine chewable that last 24 hours. Bonine Motion Sickness tabs I don’t usually get motionsick but didn’t want to risk it. They were also supplying this medication on board (but every ship is different). Everyone who used this seeemed to do quite well other than being sleepy but not such a bad situation given that we’re at sea! I also used acupressure bands as an add on! Acupressure bands Scott never used anything and other than a bit of a lack of appetite the first day he was fine.
- As far as favorite travel toiletries – I am a big fan of this Micellar Water
