Polar / Expedition Equipment

Extreme Temp.

Absolute expedition essentials are super-warm boots and a good down jacket. The jacket is used only in the most extreme temperatures and during breaks while in the boots you walk many miles every day.

Hard Shell

Hard shell, the outermost layer, comprises of a membrane jacket and pants which are not insulated. You spend more than 10 hours a day in these clothes, so it is essential that they work properly and fit you well.

Base Layer

The base layer is what you wear right next to your skin all the time throughout the whole expedition - day and night. This layer comprises of long underwear made of merino wool which is very warm and wicks sweat away from the skin.

Sleeping

The sleeping kit comprises of good and warm down sleeping bag which is designed for extremely low temperatures. Than there are two mattresses and two bivy sacks which protect the sleeping bag and keep it dry.

Tent Hilleberg Kaitum 2

We’ve been through many tents - different shapes, materials, brands, constructions. Some were better some worse. In the end we went for a tunnel made by Swedish company Hilleberg. Kaitum 2 by Hilleberg will be used for the expedition while for other trips we often use the smaller version called Nammatj 2. Kaitum 2 is a bigger tent for three people which is a must for winter expeditions because you need to have enough room inside for cooking.

The biggest plus of this tent is it’s simple tunnel design. It’s construction comprises of three poles and only to major anchor points. This kind of construction is very simple, easy to set up, and is remarkably strong even in powerful gusts of wind. What’s also great is that you can set it up with only two pegs if you have to.

During winter trips when you have a sled with you, you can also pack it very easily - you don’t remove the poles, just disconnect them in the middle, roll up the tent along the poles and put the bundle on the top of the sled. It significantly speeds up the whole dealing with the tent. The poles are run through the outside tent with the inner tent being attached to it by toggles. You can thus often (always when not wet) keep the outside and inside tents in one piece which makes setting of the tent much easier. Thanks to the tunnel design, the tent is also very spacious while it’s weight is only 2.9 kg.

Hilleberg also means the highest quality materials, superior manufacturing and durability - 9 mm poles and lightweight but strong outer ripstop fabric. We also appreciated that you can get the tent in red which makes the tent more visible and easier to be found in case of emergency.