Packing
Everyone thinks I should be the packing wiz, after all I have packed more times than I’ve eaten ice cream – well maybe not that many. No, No, No – I am not a wiz and even though I’ve always gotten it down to a carry on bag, it is never easy for me. This trip is the worst, most stressful of all. I should have hired a professional to do it for me. Didn’t Bernadette do that?
I have been to REI and Peter Glenn, the only 2 outdoor stores in the area. I have been on Amazon, Patagonia, North Face, Helly Hansen, and Eddie Bauer web sites to name a few. I bought 5 pairs of mittens (and borrowed 2 pairs), 6 pairs of glove liners, 3 hats, 5 fleece jackets, 3 pairs of ear muffs, 3 rolling duffel bags, 4 long underwear bottoms, 6 long underwear tops, a pair of shoes, 2 pairs of sunglasses, …….
Not much is available in stores so I have to buy multiple items, await for them to arrive, compare them 25 times and try to make decisions on the best for me.
With one week to go I just found out that the wonderful merino wool base layer tops I bought are so itchy on me that I have to wear silk long underwear under my long underwear. Back to online research – next option – Patagonia Capilene without wool. Located at Peter Glenn Ski Shop in nearby Delray Beach – tomorrow’s outing.
I’ve examined the fleece jackets to the point that I have no idea which to keep so I’ll keep the heavy Patagonia since I already wore it, return the rest and take one old one with me – maybe my 20 year old purple Calvin Klein.
Of course I just read that the best fleece is Polartec 200 or 300. However if you google it you will find out that no one tells you what weight their fleece jackets are!
I’ll pretend mine is 200 and go with it.
Our packing list says 2 to 3 wool sweaters – on no not wool!
A loft jacket is also an option – I’ve slept in a loft but never wore one.
I bought the SmartWool boot socks with liners – of course it took 3 trips to REI and 3 orders from Amazon to get it right.
Luckily the waterproof pants, arctic parka and waterproof boots are supplied by the cruise line. I did have to order the boots 3 times from Amazon to get the sizing right so I knew what to order from the ship. The parka is another story – they give a size chart to make it easier to order – it has 3 measurements – My chest is Extra-Small, waist is Large, hips are Medium. Wow – who knew? What to do. They say order the largest measurement – ponder, ponder. I’ve never worn a large. I called them three times and was told each time to order the Large. I order the Large. Ponder, ponder. I change my order to Medium. And now that it is a week away I’m thinking “Should I have ordered a Large”? It’s not like there is a change your mind option once you arrive at the end of the earth!
Everyday I think of one more item to order to keep Amazon in business – hand warmers, plastic hair clips (I read metal ones may freeze to my head and have to be surgically removed), super duper vitamin C, super duper immunity booster, silica gel in various forms to absorb all the moisture I will encounter in the largest desert in the world (I still don’t get that one), a neck strap for my camera since the wrist strap will be useless with all my layers on (BTW – it arrived early but I cannot for the life of me follow the directions to put it on the camera), plug adapters – Argentina decided to use the only one I don’t have in the house, and then sunglasses – don’t get me started – I did my research so we wouldn’t go blind from the intense light – passed the info to Becky – she ordered hers first and liked them so I ordered two pairs – one is gray tone with a 3 filter rating and the other is amber tone with a 2-4 rating – you know the kind that gets lighter and darker. They are identical frames, filter UV A,B,C, are polarized and one cost 4 times the other! That’s what you get for trying to save your eyesight. I keep testing them and every time I think I know which to keep, I change my mind. Ernie told me to stop it and just take both and make a test of it in Antarctica. I also ordered a new pair of prescription sunglasses to replace my current scratched ones. They may arrive in time but then I’m thinking – why bring new ones when I can bring the old scratched ones and loose them and not care.
Note: My friend Ellen is in Antarctica now – she sends updates whenever she can so I can be more prepared. First it was 90 degrees in Bueos Aires. Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina and our embarkation point was 60 degrees. Twenty minutes out to sea and it was 32 degrees. Do you see the pattern? Certainly makes packing interesting.
Sunday with one week and one day to go – the countdown