spcfa

We leave Ushuaia on November 22, 2013 for a tour of the peninsula on Quark's Sea Spirit. I've been looking for gloves that will fit the bill. Any suggestions on gloves that have an insulated shell and a liner that are water/wind-proof and still let you operate your camera?
Thanks!

Elizabeth_S

We bought two items separately that worked well for us - waterproof mittens (warmer than gloves) under which we wore waterproof liners. (my husband chose the fingerless ones for best camera operation).

We didn't wear the mittens very often - a couple of times on the zodiacs - and the liners were warm enough (temps were about 1C and not much wind).

We were with Quark as well and had a great time - sure you will!

Here are some pics of what we took

http://www.mec.ca/product/5024-105/m...-mitts-unisex/

http://www.mec.ca/product/5008-240/m...=glove%2Bliner

http://www.mec.ca/product/5023-633/m...erless%2Bglove

spcfa

Thanks Elizabeth_S. We have decided to go with two pairs each. One pair of waterproof/windproof over-gloves (with separate removable liners) for the zodiacs and one pair of windproof "hybrid" gloves (palms are neoprene, back of the hands is a windproof material) with slit fingers for easy camera operation. If it's really cold and windy the gloves are going to be very, very important! Now I'm obsessing about socks... I've heard the Quark boots are insulated and comfy, requiring only 1 pair of warm socks, but that if you spend anytime standing outside on the steel decks in your own shoes you need two pairs of wool socks. I fear that half my suitcase volume will be taken up with socks.

Elizabeth_S

Re socks - the boots we had were insulated but still basically rubber wellingtons. I wore two pairs of socks but my husband was fine with 1....we took the Superwool kind that wick well.

Also - we used the laundry service a couple of times which made things much easier.....it wasn't frighteningly expensive.

Elizabeth_S

You're on board now - hope you're having a great time!

spcfa

Just back now - fantastic trip. Feet were NOT cold in simple ski socks with a poly propylene liner. Gloves worked, but still not perfect - if the weather had been colder/windier we would have been unhappy. This is a tricky area.

Elizabeth_S

I wonder if we had any of the same crew on the ship - Alex was the Cruise Director, Nigel the ornithologist; Yvonne the Glaciologist (sp?), Dave (from NJ) ran the zodiacs, Jimmy (from Victoria) was the Marine Biologist, Nathan was everybody's all round go to guy - wracking my brain for the historian's name.

spcfa

We had Cheli (from NZ) as the Expedition leader, Colin (from Scotland) as the glaciologist, Natalie (from British Columbia) was our Marine Mammals specialist, Jim (from Ireland) was our ornithologist, Dave (from NY) was the generalist (who also made the cruise DVD and was definitely a stand-up comic in training), Colin (dual passport guy from UK/Canada) was the Orca specialist, and Damien (British) was our historian. Marla (Canadian) and Jeohnni (South Africa) and Nicola (Canadian) ran the zodiacs. We LOVED our expedition team. They made the trip in every possible way, as they were an accomplished bunch and obviously enjoyed working together. Their esprit de corps was infectious, and really influenced the tone of our trip.

At the end of the trip I went up to Damien to thank him, because at the outset of the trip it seemed a bit of a stretch to have a historian on board, and by the end of the trip I could not have imagined really understanding the Antarctic without him.

The Orca specialist was a particular thrill, as he was the real life guy who helped to return Keiko (the star of Free Willy) back to the wild - a thing that has never been done before, and which was a beautiful, personal journey for him and the whale he was so very close to.

I can tell you enjoyed your team as well. They are an unusual bunch, the people who work these expeditions, but their passion for the Antarctic is never in question.