Adjustments for expeditions in the Arctic cold

Adjustments for use in the cold

For Arctic expeditions, I modify a huge number of things because gear you buy in the store is usually tested at around +20 degrees and often only in an office environment. What product developers come up with is nice, but it’s not always practical in the cold.

In the cold, plastic becomes brittle and breaks more easily. Duct tape doesn’t work the way you’re used to. You can’t keep taking your gloves on and off because your fingers will freeze too quickly. These kinds of inconveniences are a constant factor.

Adjusting grip and materials

A simple adjustment I make is wrapping duct tape around metal parts. For example, around a thermos. This makes it easier to grab in the cold. It gives you just that bit of extra grip when you’re wearing gloves or working with cold hands.

Practical solutions for daily use

Another adjustment is a knot in the middle of my shoelace. If I tie a knot there, one end never ends up longer than the other. This makes tying them much easier, and you don’t have to fumble in the morning to get the laces even.

I also attach pull cords to all zippers. Opening and closing a zipper with bare hands is just miserable in the cold. With those cords, you can easily operate a zipper even while wearing mittens.

Keeping food accessible with gloves

I put my lunch in a 1-liter Nalgene bottle. It basically just contains nuts, M&Ms, some Haribo, and broken energy bars. You can easily open a bottle like that with your gloves on.

So, in the cold, I’m constantly looking at what still works with gloves on. And that is incredibly difficult to achieve compared to a normal office environment.