ARCTIC EXPEDITION Clothing - What to Wear  Links below for details from Ngaire's 6/17/09 Voyage   Landing Reports July 2009 - August 2010  Cabin Reports What to Wear Overview of the ship and cruise.

The Dress for Dinner:  There were two nights, Captains welcome and farewell dinners,  they said elegantly casual rather then casual. On these nights most men wore jackets as dictated in the Silversea materials but most did not wear a tie.  The other nights the dress was very casual to country club casual. Men wore open neck shirts or sweaters and trousers, women wore pants and a top most nights. Not as upscale as a normal Silversea ship this is an expedition cruise and far more casual.  Do not bring only warm items.  The ship is heated and you need some lighter clothing as they do keep it warm on the ship.

The Dress during the day on the ship: Very casual and comfortable. Be sure to bring some cooler clothing as they keep it warm on the ship so you do not need all the heavy fleece type clothing. Even some short sleeve tee shirts would be appropriate.

WHAT TO WEAR ON THE LANDINGS 

LIFE VEST: Last thing you put on is your life vest. These are very small and not big like many life vests can be. Not uncomfortable to wear - shown in the picture. 

WALKING STICK:  If anyone has a little difficulty with balance, a walking stick is a great idea.  It does help steady you on the rocky landings.  Quite a few people had these. 

PROVIDED CLOTHING:  The ship will provide you with a polar parka and backpack that you can take home with you when you leave the ship.  Even though the parka does not look very thick, it is surprisingly warm and works great.  I bought a new warm coat for this trip and never even put it on!  Make sure that the boots you select are big enough for your pants and sock layers.  This is important since they are hard to get on and off, particularly if they are too tight. Boots are provided by the ship.  The pre-cruise materials suggest you bring your own boots but there are plenty onboard. 

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU BRING A PAIR OF WATERPROOF PANTS. The cheap type works fine with the rubber inside.  Some of the expensive new materials work no better than the plain rubberized pants.  We purchased a pair from REI that were about $75 and I actually really liked these pants. Zippered pockets helped hold our room keys and they dried instantly. Sporting goods stores carry these.  Lots of people had rubber overalls and they worked well, but pants are sufficient.  These are very ugly but do not worry, everyone looks just the same.

These are my recommendations.  Others may think differently, but this is what I would suggest.

FIRST LAYER:  First you need a layer of long underwear, top and bottom.  The silks are highly touted but I found that the plain cotton duofold sold at Oshmans and other sporting goods stores work the best.  It is a personal choice.  The silks are thinner but believe me, everyone looks like a roly-poly, so it really does not make any difference. Dillards carries a line of long underwear for women that I found to be excellent. I would also buy the liner socks.  These are either silk or cotton, very thin to wear under the thick socks.  This makes quite a difference in the warmth and comfort factors.  Another thing I found very helpful was the liner gloves.  This makes it much easier to slip on and off your leather gloves.

SECOND LAYER:  For the top I would wear another tee shirt or, if it appears to be cold, a layer of fleece, light yet warm.  This is plenty with the polar parka that Regent will provide you.  NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THIS CLOTHING.  The parka covers up everything, so just buy cheap fleece tops, two would be sufficient.  For the bottom, you need a pair of pants to go between the long underwear and the rubberized pants.  If you do not have an extra layer and you perspire, you can get cold.  I would suggest something that thins out at the ankle.  You need to stuff all this in your boots, so if it is too full at the bottom it can be a problem.  My husband wore blue jeans; I wore a pair of fleece pants.  You will need one or two pairs of wool or ski socks.  I wore two pairs and never had cold feet; my husband wore one pair and was fine.

THIRD LAYER:  You need a hat.  The ones that worked the best were fleece, light and warm.  The only problem is if the hat rides up, your ears can get very cold.  The people that had hats with earflaps or earmuffs were very smart.  These looked so silly in the store, but they really work well.  The parka the ship gives you has a hood, but you need a warm layer under that.  You will need leather or waterproof gloves.  Fleece gloves get wet very quickly, so they do not work well.  Once you take off those gloves, it is hard to put them back on without the glove liners.  Put on your waterproof pants, your parkas, and your rubber boots and away you go.  Always put the first pair of pants inside the boots and the rubberized pants on the outside of the boots.  This way you stay dry when you step into water.

ZODIAC LANDINGS: Loading in and out of the zodiacs is not too difficult and the staff is wonderful at helping you in and out.  After a few landings it gets much easier.

Each cruise will be different depending on the weather and where the ship schedules the landings. There are multiple landing sites and the captain and expedition leader will change the schedule constantly to ensure that you get the best possible conditions and landings.  The following is a brief outline of our experiences on the landings that WE made over both our cruises.