On a wet and windy November Saturday we met up in a village hall in Gloucestershire, to issue all the clothing and most of the equipment we’ll be wearing on the Expedition. The cold hall was quite a good setting to be trying on layers of thermals!
Steve Davis sporting the new thermals……ummm very nice!
Some of the kit we’ll be wearing includes inner and outer layers of thermals, which need to balance being comfortable enough to wear while walking, while being a snug enough fit to keep the warmth in and wind out. On top of thermal layers over legs and torso are the gloves, boots, jackets and head gear, including sun glasses and goggles.
The reason for issuing kit so early is to make sure we have enough clothing which fits well in advance – much of our kit is made to order and some imported, so there’s no easy way of getting specialist kit last minute. We also need to spend time customising it for our needs – opening zips for example is hard work wearing two layers of gloves, so all zips need to have strong tags or cord tied onto them to make them easier to grasp. Windsuit hoods need to have fur linings sewn in which must stand the test of brutal winds, and since we’ll be four to a tent, and all mostly wearing the same clothes, absolutely everything has to be clearly named so we don’t get our clothing mixed up!
I’ll be setting quite a few evenings aside in the coming months for my needle and thread!
Above is are pictures of Richard trying to keep track of all the kit that has been issued……no chance, “shiny new kit, quick, grab what you can and run”
