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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 1985-86: VUWAE 30

Field equipment

Field equipment

Most field equipment was satisfactory. All members of the party complained about the wool-lined leather boots. Although the boots stood up to the conditions, they are far from ideal. We all suffered from blisters and or painful pressure points, especially when they were used with crampons. Surely a lighter boot constructed of modern materials could be found. Sunglasses provided by Antarctic Division for the field assistants were particularly unsuitable. They were so dark it was not possible to readily distinguish between rock, ice or snow. The woollen finger gloves wear through after a few days of handling rocks. Thinner dacron gloves would perhaps be more suitable for geological work.

There still appears to be problems with the food boxes if earlier reports are anything to go by. There is still insufficient "Refresh" provided, there should be at least 10 packets/box. There are too many salty soups and sauces, and less than a third of the 1.5 kg bag of sugar would be adequate. The bulky container of salt is also far more than required. Too many dry biscuits are provided and the dry Army ration biscuits should be replaced with some sort of ordinary sweet biscuits. Much to the helicopter crewman's distaste we found the thin blue plastic garbage bags unsuitable for human waste, they leak even when two are used. A thick heavy duty bag is required.