Preparing for the Greenland Expedition: What to Wear?

While the summer heat in the Netherlands reaches its peak, I’m busy preparing for our upcoming expedition to Greenland. The contrast couldn’t be greater: while it’s scorching hot outside, I’m packing my down jacket for an adventure on the ice cap. In this update, I’d like to share some information about the clothing we wear during our expedition. So if you’re interested in what needs to be packed, read on!

Feet: the Foundation of Warmth and Comfort

We start with the feet, as they deserve special attention during an expedition. I first wear thin liner socks, over which I put on a Vapor Barrier Liner (VBL). This is essentially nothing more than a plastic bag that prevents moisture from my feet from getting into my shoes. Over the VBL, I wear thick socks and then step into my Tour Langnauf shoes. For the entire 30-day expedition, I’m bringing three pairs of thin liner socks. In the tent, I take off my socks and wear thick woolen tent socks in my slippers. These slippers have no tread pattern, so snow doesn’t stick to them when I need to step outside briefly.

Legs: Warmth and Protection

For my legs, I’m bringing three pairs of shorts and one pair of long underwear. Over these, I wear windproof Gore-Tex pants. In the tent, I take these off and put on down pants for extra comfort.

Torso: Layers for Every Situation

At night, I sleep in a thin short-sleeved Merino wool shirt. During the day, I wear a long-sleeved shirt of the same material. I also have a Woolpower wool sweater with me, weighing only 270 grams. If it gets really cold, I’ll put a down vest over that. For extra warmth during breaks and in the tent, I have a thick down jacket with me. And for emergencies, I have a simple festival poncho to prevent my Gore-Tex jacket from getting wet.

Hands: Protection against the Cold

To keep my hands warm, I wear wrist warmers with thick woolen mittens over them. For extreme cold, I’ve brought down mittens, and for setting up the tent, I use gloves. I also have thin liner gloves for when it’s really necessary.

Face: Protection against Weather Conditions

A hat is essential, and I wear it 24/7 to keep my ears warm. I also have two buffs to protect my neck and face from the cold. For extremely cold days, I use a balaclava, and on sunny days, I wear a desert cap to prevent sunburn. Glacier glasses protect my eyes from snow blindness, and I use ski goggles when snow is blowing around.

Spare Clothing and Clean Clothes

In addition to all these garments, we also bring spare clothing, such as extra mittens and sunglasses. Clean clothes are sent to the endpoint so we can enjoy fresh clothes after our efforts.

I hope this update gives you a good idea of what we’re taking on our expedition to Greenland. If you have questions about specific clothing items or other preparations, let me know in the comments or send me a message! I look forward to sharing more updates with you as we continue our adventure.