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Victoria University Antarctic Research Expedition Science and Logistics Reports 2007-08: VUWAE 52

FIELD EQUIPMENT

FIELD EQUIPMENT

Quality, suitability and performance of field clothing

page 14

ECW Jackets: The Tiger Angel ECW jackets performed extremely well. They are comfortable, warm, relatively light weight, and shed snow extremely well. The design and black colour was also well perceived. The two-layer system is very practical and allows the jacket to be used in cold and temperate conditions alike. The hood doesn't perform in high winds as it is not ridged enough. In addition the neck is cut too narrow and the sippers can't be closed over a neck gaiter. The sippers on arms and wrists are too narrow and don't allow for fleece or lather gloves to go underneath.

Overall, this is a very functional and the best performing ECW jacket our group has tested yet. The Canadian Goose jacket is similar in its feature. However, it doesn't shed the snow as well, and the artificial fur is trapping snow rather than shedding it. In addition, the inner jacket cannot be zipped out as in the case of the Tiger Angel jacket. In summary, we prefer and recommend the Tiger Angel jacket.

Windproof Trousers: The new Earth Sea and Sky windproof trousers are impractical. The cut is too high and too tight around the waist, limiting freedom of movement. However, the material shed the snow well. Overall, we preferred the Cactus windproof trousers, which we used last year and found to be practical, shed snow extremely well, provide good freedom of movement, and are very durable. All members of the group wore almost exclusively these trousers from October to January, regardless of weather conditions or work tasks. Despite the heavy use, they showed little or no sign of fatigue. Only during the coldest of days (~30°C) during skidoo traversing in high winds were the trousers somewhat too cold. The only complaints some group members have is, that the full length sippers catch in the material as the seam is not stiffened enough. D.Robinson had a more durable version of this trouser. However, the material was less efficient in shedding snow and hence got wet at times. For this reason, we would recommend the simpler version. Together with the Tiger Angel ECW jackets, this combination offers an excellent and weather proof outer shell.

Polarfleece Jackets: The new polarfleece Earth, Sea, and Sky fleece jackets are suitable for a narrow temperature range as they are not designed to be used in a layering system. The cut of waist and arms is too narrow to allow other layers, such as a fleece shirt to be worn underneath. In addition the neck is cut too narrow to allow for a neck-gaiter to fit inside. Furthermore, the jacket has not enough pockets to keep for example batteries warm in inside pockets. Moreover, the material did not appear as durable as previously issued fleece jackets.

Fleece Shirt: The new Earth, Sea, and Sky fleece shirt did not withstand the challenges of the field deployment. In the short time we wore the shirts, the material around shoulders thinned significantly. As with the fleece jackets, the cut is too narrow to allow a layering of clothing, such as ice breaker underwear below the fleece shirt.

page 15

Windproof Jacket: The new windproof jacket was much worn by all team members. The material is durable, comfortable, lightweight and provides good freedom of movement. However, the cut is too narrow to permit layering, eg. the fleece jacket would not fit underneath the windproof jacket. Furthermore, the jacket doesn't provide a hood, a crucial feature to keep warm in windy conditions.

Carhart Salopetts: We welcome the decision to allow Carhart trousers as ECW trousers. We feel Carharts are warmer than down-ECW trousers and remain dry longer in blowing snow conditions than their blue equivalents. While they are somewhat heavier, they are also more durable.

Performance and design of field equipment such as tents, technical climbing equipment, kitchen gear, stoves, sleep kits and sledges

Polar Heaven Tent: the new polar heaven greatly improved working and living conditions in the field through significantly higher insulation, stability, and functional doors. The new floor however, is extremely slippery with snow and poses a significant risk, in particular during set-up of the tent. We used old carpet from Scott Base which not only provided a safe surface, but also provided further insulation and improved ground stability over time. The new oven heaters for the polar heaven are a good addition, however they are too large and bulky to transport (240lb). Instead, we used the VUW heater, which is smaller and lighter (60lb). In addition, the VUW heater can be connected directly to a 60L fuel drum, while the SB heater requires an additional fuel container, which increases weight and bulk. The new H-shaped chimney improved the heater performance significantly during stormy conditions and/or heavy snow fall and we would like to suggest fitting SB heaters with the similar chimney top. After some very cold nights, water in the diesel fuel froze in the hose and stopped the fuel flow to the oven. Placing the hose frequently (every few days) in a hot water bath prevents the ice built-up and improves efficiency.

Sleeping bags: We used a combined system of a synthetic outer and a down inner. The combination provided excellent thermal conditions. However, the synthetic outer layer required frequent drying or else significant ice built-up occurred and subsequent melt.

20 person day ration box or bulk food system

The variety and quality of food in the new bags is good and sufficient. Freeze-dry food back up for 14day additional supply is a good alternative for taking full new bags. It saves room and weight. Maybe this could replace all freeze-dry in general food bags, since freeze-dry is expensive, not much liked, and causes digestive problems for some people. Some of the items in the food boxes had gone off. E.g. most of the milk-power and nuts were not useable.

Condition and performance of 'wannigans'

N.A.

page 16

Performance and use of generators, spill kits, alternative energy systems

We used a 1kV, 2kV, and a 4kV generator. All generators were well serviced and functioned without problems.

Specialised field equipment

We are grateful for the Nansen sledge cockpit built by the SB carpenters which provided wind protection for the ground penetrating radar operator and equipment and improved significantly work conditions and efficiency, in particular during marginal weather conditions.

We also would like to thank the SB engineer shop to built the glycol melt head designed by Alex Pyne which allowed to us to retrieve the arrested ice core drill from Gawn Ice Piedmont.

Other comments

Throughout the season, Scott Base staff was exceptionally supportive, helpful, and innovative in solving problems or accommodating special requirements of our programme.