Necessary Clothing
Svalbard June 2016 June 2016

I had two outfits... One for "civilized life" onboard, e.g. meals. One for "outside", be it on deck watching things around us, or out in the Zodiacs, or on shore.

By the end of the trip, making the transitions between the two became a simple routine. But it took a while to develop the routine!

If onboard, and not actively watching things from outdoors (where photography not compromised by windows), or watching for prolonged periods, or the wind was less than usual, I could make do with a few less layers than the "full gear"... but rarely regretted having everything.

At least once, we needed to turn out quickly, in warm "watch things" clothes in the middle of the "night". The (remote) chance of needing to transfer to lifeboats with every bit of warm clothing also informed my wardrobe management practices.

Top: Skin to outer layer:

Keep- you- warm undershirt (bought for this trip)
Flannel shirt
Sleeveless down vest
Fleece
Windproof shell.

Bottom: Skin to outer layer:

Long johns (from trip to Finland, long ago)
"Expedition" trousers... with lots of
     pockets. And zips to detach lower part...
     useful in Amazon, not used on this trip.
Goretex over-trousers, no pockets... a nuisance!
     Bought, very last minute, for this trip.
     Goretex invented at our kitchen counter,
     when two guests to dinner party got talking.
     A textile manufacturer (Mr. Gore) and a
     surgeon, who was using a then- new plastic
     film to cover exposed tissues during operations.
     Water-proof, but "breathed"...

And gloves. (New pair, for trip.) And in Zodiac, to defeat the spray that we didn't get, waterproof over-mittens. And an EXCELLENT furry hat with ear flaps purchased in Oslo. (Few winter hats in Chichester in June, and I couldn't find my "old faithful" brown wool hat while packing.)

Over the above, in Zodiacs: Life jacket.

I eventually developed a system... when I came back to my cabin after being in my outdoor gear, I undressed in a strategic sequence, laying the garments out left to right. That meant I could re-dress, quickly, simply by going back down the row right to left!

Oh. And sunglasses. The glare off the sea, ice and snow could have been dangerous. Sunscreen important for shore visits. Didn't bother much, otherwise. Didn't always wear sunglasses- my eyeglasses give protection, but made effort to wear the pair that don't sit at the end of my nose, the pair with a "distance" prescription in the upper bi-focal. (My normal bifocals are ground for computer screen and close-work.) But even the ones with a distance portion don't protect from light coming in around them. The sunglasses are wrap- around.

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