Packlist for an arctic expedition

Personal Travel/Storage Gear

• Large Duffle Bag 1 Required
• Second Large Duffle Bag 1 Optional
• Back Pack (Large, no frame) 1 Recommended
• Very useful for day or extended hikes.
• Dry Bag (Large capacity) 1 Recommended
• Very useful for keeping change of clothes and equipment dry on sorties.Alcoholic beverages 2 Max Optional
• Laundry Bag (Nylon) 1 Recommended
• Ziplocs (Box of 1 Gallon Bags) 1 Recommended
• Ziplocs (Box of 1 Pint Bags) 1 Recommended
• Ziploc bags are extremely convenient for storage and keeping things dry, including camear lenses and film. They can also be used as trash bags in your personal tent.
  

Personal Tenting Gear

• Personal Tent (4 seasons w/rain fly) 1 Required
• Sleeping Bag (15°F, fiber fill) 1 Required. Get a bag that fits your full body length.
• Thermarest Pad 1 Recommended
• Thermarest pads are inflatable mats that provide a cushy and insulating interface between the sleeping bag and the sleeping mat (see next item). Full body length pads are recommended.
• Sleeping Mat 1 Required The sleeping mat is a thin foam mat that provides padding and thermal insulation between the sleeping bag (or thermarest pad) and the tent floor. Full body length mats are recommended
• Tarp 1 Recommended. Helps protect tent floor from sharp rocks when tucked underneath tent.
  

Personal Field Safety

• Bandaid (Finger Tip Size) Recommended
• Finger blisters and small cuts are common. Be prepared.
• Hydrating Creme Recommended
• The polar desert is dry. Some may need some hydrating crème.
• Sunglasses (100% UV protection) 1 Required. A spare pair is strongly recommended.
• Sunscreen (UV protection 35 SPF+) 1 Required. Remember, there is a large ozone hole over the Arctic...
• Eye Drops 1 Recommended
• A good idea.
• Lip Care (Chapstick) 1 Recommended The UV-protecting type is recommended.
• Personal First Aid Kit (Small) 1 Required
• Personal first aid kits are useful only if you carry them with you and if you know what’s in them! Become familiar with the items in your kit. You might want to customize your kit.
• Ear Plugs Recommended
• Ride on a Twin Otter and you’ll thank us for that one!
• Signaling Mirror 1 Required. Learn how to use it.
• Watch 1 Required. The sun won’t set. Your watch will be a convenient time reference. The watch strap should be sturdy.
• Whistle 1 Required. To attract attention if you need help.
• Emergency Blanket (Foil) 1 Required. A good compact thing to take along on hikes or ATV traverses.. A.k.a. “space blanket”.
• Motorcycle Helmet 1 Required Motorcycle. Motorcycle helmets (full head rigid style) are required whenever ATVs are riden. A few rented helmets will be available for common use, but personnel anticipating extensive use of ATVs should bring their own helmet.
• Night Eye Mask 1 Optional. With the sun always up in the Summer, some may have difficulty sleeping. An eye mask might help.
  

Personal Field Equipment and Tools

• Measuring Tape (3 m) 1 Optional
• Binoculars 1 Recommended. A small pair that fits in pocket will come in handy. Is that a snow patch
  over there or …a bear?
• Leatherman Tool ("WaveTool") 1 Recommended. A good all-purpose pocket field tool. Gerber, Swiss Army and other brands also have good models. Be careful: a common source of self-inflicted cuts, including severe ones. Learn how to use it.
• Swiss Army Knife 1 Recommended
• A good all-purpose pocket field tool. The “Explorer” is recommended. Having either a Leatherman-type tool or a Swiss Army knife is required.
• Rock Hammer 1 Optional. If you need one. e.g. a “mason’s hammer”.
• Hand Lens 1 Optional. Handy for examining things close-up.
• Compass (useless unless free to teeter) 1 Optional. You’re very close to the North Magnetic Pole, so an ordinary compass will tell you you’re pretty much there!
• Personal GPS receiver 1 Recommended. Magellan and Garmin are the preferred brands. Make sure that your model is NMEA v2 compatible
  Set your hanheld unit to the WGS-84 coordinate system, geographic(not magnetic) north. Bring a standard GPS to PC serial cable. “Selective availability” is no longer a limitation. If you bother to bring a GPS receiver, be sure to learn how to use it before you REALLY wish you knew…
• Waterproof Notebook 1 Recommended Marine. Waterproof notebooks use coated paper which makes their pages water-resistant and hard to tear.
• Waterproof Pens 1 Recommended Office Fischer, the maker of the Space Pen, is a sponsor of the Mars Society. Fischer space pens are excellent for field work.
• Cameras (see Personal Stuff below)
• Computers: Personal Laptops 1 Optional.
• Solar Panels Optional Comput. A good way to recharge your laptop if you want to use it in your personal tent.
• Bungie Cords Recommended. To secure your gear on your ATV. While bungies will be available for common use, bringing your supply helps limit any risk of shortage.
• Foam pads Recommended. If you need to transport delicate equipment on ATVs, be sure to bring adequate padding for the ATV baggage rack. Unpadded equipment and gear take severe beatings on rides.
  

Personal Mess Kit

• Thermos Bottle (no glass lining) 1 Recommended
• Water Bottle 1 Required
• Cup 1 Required
• Mug 1 Recommended.
  

Personal Hygiene Kit

• Pee Bottle (urine container) 1 Optional
• Toileterie Set 1 Required. Avoid perfumes or fragrant soaps. They attrack bears.
• Contact Lens Stuff Optional Contact lenses can be worn normally. Bring spares. Keep the lens case inside your sleeping bag at “night” so the saline solution won’t freeze.
• Eyeglasses (Main + Spare) Optional. Add-on sun glass pieces are recommended.
• Towels: Body Medium/Large Required. Towels: Face Recommended
• “Dial” Hand Sanitizer (Plastic Dispenser) 1 Recommended. This is highly recommended.
• Baby Wipes Recommended A very handy item for personal hygiene and grooming. Bring enough supplies. 2-4 wipes per day seems reasonable. Very convenient for personal hygiene in your personal tent.
• Alcohol Wipes Recommended Medical. A good sanitizing item too.
• Mirror 1 Recommended. In addition to the signaling mirror which is usually very small, a facesized mirror is useful for personal grooming (shaving, self contemplation, etc.).
  

Medication

• Bring your medication if you need any. The Medical Officer in charge must be made aware of any condition you might have.
  

Clothing

• Head: Warm Hat (Fleece, Polypro, Wool) 1 Required. We lose a lot of heat through our heads. Always keep your head warm. On extended outings or at “night”.
• Head: Sun Hat or Cap 1 Recommended
• Gloves: Leather Working Style 1 Required. It’s important to wear sturdy working gloves while manipulating loads (cargo, fuel drums, wood, FMARS habitat parts, tools, etc.).
• Gloves: Ski Type (ATV driving) 1 Required
• 5-finger ski gloves (not mittens). Gloves with fingers prebent in resting position are recommended.
• Gloves: Liners (Polypropylene) 2 Recommended. A recommended liner for those who need to keep their hands warm while still maintaining dexterity (camera operators, sound engineers, etc.)
• Underwear: Top – Regular (Cotton OK) Recommended. 2-3 per week is a recommended minimum.
• Underwear: Top - Long (Polypropylene) Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
• Underwear: Bottom – Regular (Cotton OK) Recommended. 4 per week is a recommended minimum.
• Underwear: Bottom - Long (Polypro) Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
• Shirt: Warm Light-Weight Required. 1 per week is a recommended minimum.
• Sweater: Warm (Fleece or Heavy Wool) 1 or 2 Required. 1 per 10 days is a recommended minimum. Sweatshirts with hood are good.
• Jacket: Inner (Zip-up Fleece) 1 Required. Very important item.
• Jacket: Outer (Warm Insulating Parka) 1 Required. Very important item. Get a good parka. Ideally, it should also serve as a windbreaker and water-repellant. Gore-Tex OK but not indispensable. Built-in hood is a good idea. Many pockets, inside and out are recommended.
• Jacket: Windbreaker 1 Recommended
• Jacket: Rain (Heavy Duty) 1 Recommended. The rain gear should be sufficiently heavy duty to allow you to spend the entire day working in drizzle, rain or wet snow if you need to. A rain jacket of the windbreaker type is a good idea.
• Pants: Thick Fleece or Pile 1 Recommended
• Pants: Outer (Heavy Duty Jeans) Required Worker. Carharts is a good brand of heavy duty outdoor working pants. Loose-fitting jeans work fine too. Ski bib pants are a good alternative. 1 pair of pants for 10 days is a recommended minimum. Note: Pants (especially their lower portions) are likely to get wet on ATV traverses.Be sure to bring more than one pair of pants to always have a dry pair to wear.
• Pants: Rain (Heavy Duty) 1 Recommended
• Socks: Warm (Wool) Required. Some like to wear 2 pairs of socks at a time. Be sure that your boots are not too tight to accommodate thick socks. Buy your thick socks first, then buy your boots. 4 pairs of socks per week is a recommended minimum.
• Boots: Heavy Duty Hiking 1 Required. Very important item. Get the rigid-walled, sturdy kind. Water-repellantcoated leather is good. Steel-toe is recommended for those likely to handle many heavy loads. Extra soft insulating removable insoles are a good idea. Bring spare shoe laces.
• Spare Boots: Heavy Duty Hiking 1 Recommended. Your boots will get wet. If you need to work outdoors everyday, a spare pair is a must.
• Boots:"Extra Tuf" Rubber Boots 1 Optional Worker. Waterproof rubber boots with thick insulating lining will keep your feet dry. Beware that they may induce sweating and discomfort.

Personal Stuff

• Reading (Articles, Books, Magazines) Recommended
• Writing material (Paper, Pens, etc.) Recommended
• Staples
• Mail Stuff (Cards, Envelopes, Stamps) Recommended
• Show n’Tell, Movies (Pictures,CD,DVD) Recommended. DVD movies are often watched in the evening on laptops.
• Flags, banners , logos, stickers, and signs Optional.
• Camera: Battery Charger Recommended
• Camera: Lightmeter
• Spare Battery 1 Recommended
• Camera: Film Recommended. 100 ASA is the norm for outdoor shots.50 ASA (Fuji Velvia) is a slide film that allows great blow-ups. Publishers love it. 200-400 ASA is good for “indoor” shots. Use waterproof pen to number and date film rolls once they have been exposed. Be sure to bring enough film. Don’t come all the way to Devon to run out of film!
• Camcorder 1 Optional. Those allowing digital stills are a good solution.
• Camcorder: Spare Battery Optional. Here too, rechargeable batteries are the best solution
• Camcorder: Battery Charger 1 Optional
• Camcorder: Video Tapes / rewriteable DVD Optional. Be sure to bring enough media.
• Lens care lit Optional
• Tripod 1 Recommended
  
• Short Wave Radio (reception only) 1 Optional
• Walkman or MP3 player 1 Optional
• Walky-Talky and other transceivers Optional
• Audio Tapes or CDs Optional. Bring a good case to protect these as mush as possible from the dust.
• Boom Box Optional
• Specialty foods (candies, chocolates,…) Optional