If You Were Going to the Arctic Circle, What Would You Pack?
 

What would you pack if you were going up North, way North like 200 klicks passed Yellowknife North. Like so far North only chartered planes will get you there. Warm socks and long undies is a given, anything else?

ever seen those battery-powered long underwear? might be the place for them. very good boots. i like good ear muffs..sucks for your ears to get cold. oh..and whiskey.. :)
ryan

I'd pack a tribe of Inuit.

Take at least one of the items in this picture alonghttp://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1148192363.jpg
I''ve had good luck in MIchigan winters with polypro undies, like Patagonia stuff.

uhh..yeah..i'd 'pack' her..uh huh huh huh huh... :D

A ticket home...

Check the Weather. It's nearing full time sun.

a very big anti-polar bear belted magnum .375 H&H or bigger caliber! with one bwana behind you to back you up and a .454 casull or bigger handgun! no different from sharks.............can smell minute amount of blood or food in air. ask any caribou hunter. last thing you want to do is be out at night with downed animal trying to recover. always have bwana with rifle, one in pipe safety on, AT ALL TIMES! have had many friends w/float planes do this and there is no room for error should mr bear make his appearance.

the biggest electric banket I could find....

Looks like 20+ hours of sun, about 20F.

Knife, way to make a fire, one of those "help me I'm dying" GPS devices;)

yeah..leave your 'bear call' at home.. ;)

Don't forget a copy of Insomnia!

Whisky and flip-flops.

help me im dying device.............EPIRP 406MHZ emergency positioning indicating response.

last will and testament...

oh..no..leave that at home.. ;)

silk underwear long johns, top, and socks. A couple of pocket warmers. Chap stick and oil-free body cream.

The most important thing this time of year is bug spray and mosquito repellant. These are vicious up there. Go to your local travel shop and get the stuff that is formulated for not only mosquitos - but black flies, horse flies etc etc. And get lots of it.

Trust me on this one.

The scouts have a "ten essentials" list for outdoor activities. I've read that other organizations (e.g., Backpacker magazine)endorse the list too for short-term wilderness survival. Here's the list:


Pocket knife
First Aid kit
Extra clothing
Rain gear
Canteen or water bottle
Flashlight
Trail food
Matches and fire starter
Sun protection
Map and compass


Besides this stuff, you might want to get a radio capable of communicating on 5167.5 kHz, the State of Alaska emergency HF channel. Canadians might monitor that frequency too.

+1 on the tribe of Inuit and the really big gun.

Related and sort of interesting -

My physicist friend spent 3 weeks at the US research station at the South Pole, last year. He brought essentially nothing besides toiletries, camera, and regular city clothes. On the way to the station, you go through a depot where you are issued Arctic clothing. Special boots, parkas, gloves, etc. They will not allow you to use your own outerwear.

My friend spent his time there working on the physical install and software for his scientific experiment, a huge neutrino detector buried a mile deep in the ice. It was way below zero - I want to say -50F but I don't recall if that's the exact temp he mentioned. He said the Arctic clothing was incredibly effective. His biggest concern was his little digital camera. Often the LCDs freeze and crack, but his did fine.