ISSUED ECW GEAR

The thing to remember here is you have to go to the CDC to get your ECW gear.  The CDC stands for the Clothing Distribution Center at the Antarctic Center in Christchurch, New Zealand.  Before we leave home we have to fill out forms that have sizes of all different types of clothing.  When we get to the CDC, every person has three orange canvas bags waiting for them, stuffed full of all the Extreme Cold Weather gear you see here.  You have to try everything on, and it is an hour or two of going up the window to try and exchange everything for something that actually fits you.  Many people who have been "to the ice" before just turn in lots of stuff, as they already know what they usually wear, and what they never will.  I kept everything of mine though, as I wanted to be able to see what would work best for me.

     This red thing is called a  bunny suit and I have never worn it.  It is packed in my emergency bag out in the hypertats.
Here we have the carhartt ensemble. I have never worn the jacket, but since winter started, the overalls are my favorite!


 
To the left here are overall wind pants and the fleece pants for under them.  I wore these all summer, but as I said, I converted over to the carhartts and have never looked back.

To the right is the South Pole issue jacket which only people at the Pole get.  I have never worn the green jacket at all, although some people swear by it.

 
This is the parka that everyone in the United States Antarctic Program gets issued; McMurdo, Palmer and Pole.  Between the Carhartt parka, the Green Pole parka, and the red one here, people choose pretty evenly, although this is the one I wear.

 
This is a wind breaker which is not routinely issued, so you have to ask for one.  It is perfect to wear in McMurdo, so if you don't watch yours there it will get stolen.  Here at the Pole it is really only useful for dome-rats.  I wear mine with my fleece underneath when I am "shopping" for food in the dome.

 
I have never worn the fleece jacket they gave me.  I brought down my own, so I put this fleece in my emergency bag.

They issue two weights of thermals. The grey stuff is the light weight, and the ugly brown stuff is much heavier.  Sometimes I wear the grey ones under my jeans if I am going to go down and work in the carpenter's shop, or if I am wearing jeans under my carhartts.  If I am wearing leggings, then I put the brown ones over them, before I put my carhartts on to go outside.  I have never worn any of the tops.

 
I suppose the socks are pretty
self explanatory but I only wear
them over another pair of socks
when I am going outside.
THE GREY SOCKS
Turn to the Dark Side,
don't return your grey
socks to the CDC.
     The blue boots we call Frankenstiener boots, but are actually known as FDX boots, and the white pads and the slipper looking things go inside them.  Many people feel they are much warmer and the plastic doesn't get so brittle on them.  I wore them once or twice but since they are platforms and I am strictly a "flats" kind of gal, I put them away in my emergency bag.  The white ones are bunny boots.  I wear them occasionally, especially if I am going to be standing outside as opposed to walking constantly.  Mostly though, I wear my Lobenz which are wool boots that I wear all the time in Fairbanks.

 
I wear the skinny fleece black gloves with the bear mittens over them.


 
I don't wear anything on the top of my head except for the hood of my parka.  I use the blue neck gaiter folded up for a head band.

 
I wear the goggles most of the time, even though they fog up terribly.  Where the dark lenses are in them for this picture, I changed to the clear lenses for winter.
This obviously this isn't ECW gear, but it was issued.  Along with ECW gear, the CDC issues you anything you need that is particular to your job.  These blue jackets are for the cooks, although I never ever wore one.  The hat came directly from Sally and although I am not a hat person at all, I like it nonetheless.  It has a picture of the Dome, and is says South Pole, Pots and Pans Catering.

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