My new
Glacier Sorel boots arrived! With extra liners. Plus liners for my old, less warm Sorels.
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| They go with my skirt! |
The Glaciers are rated to -100°F or -73.3°C.
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| I find the increase in the number of significant digits after a unit change amusing. Are they really rated to exactly -73.3°C? I'm sure that if it gets down to -73.4°C, my feet will get cold! |
I typically wear size 8 women's shoes. However, I bought size 9 men's boots. One of the key things I have found for foot comfort is to be able to wear a couple of pairs of socks and still have my boots loose around my feet. That allows good blood circulation to my feet, which is essential for keeping them warm, particularly when standing around handling lines for divers under the ice. However, I think most people would think that the boots feel way too big. They do have good laces at the ankle, and I can tighten them down so they won't fall off. And my feet and ankles are very strong, so I don't need support from the boots. They will work great for me.
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| Felt liners: The insoles have a gridded plastic on the bottom for increased insulation. They go at the bottom of the boot, outside the liners. There is a thick, soft felt insole inside the liner, too. |
I also bought an extra pair of felt liners. They have a thin layer of foil for extra warmth and waterproofing. It is really important to have extra boot liners. Feet sweat when they are warm enough, and if the boots are waterproof, that sweat will stay inside your boots and make your feet wet. In the field, I swap out the liners every day, letting one pair thoroughly (freeze) dry while wearing the others. It would probably work to just take the liners out every night, but I feel it is really worth the extra $45 for more liners. Also, we will be drilling a lot of holes in the ice, and there is a risk of ending up with water coming in the top of the boots. If my boots get soaked, I'll be able to swap out liners and be ready to go again.
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| My old Sorel's with old liners. |
I will also bring my old Sorels. They are significantly less warm and will be appropriate for times when I'm active, and it's not too cold. I have worn these most of the time for all 3 of my previous field seasons and love them. They aren't for everyone, though. Tyler found the ones he tried hurt his ankle. It's very good to wear boots before taking them in the field - unless you have extras. I am not going to be able to wear my new Glacier boots much before going; they are just too warm.
Tip: For my old Sorels, the best way to get the liner into the boot is to put the liner on my foot and then put my foot into the boot. I don't know if this will work for the Glacier liners or not. And I can't try since I put them in a crate and they are already on their way to Antarctica (since they were too warm to wear for more than 15 minutes).
I will also bring some regular hiking boots. I might wear these some in the field. However, they will be most useful in McMurdo when we come back and it's warm. It will be much nicer to tromp around in shoes that actually fit without a couple pairs of socks. Also, I'll be wearing some regular shoes on my way to and from McMurdo, and they'll come with me for use inside.
Finally, I'll have to take these:
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| Courtesy of http://www.polartrec.com/files/resize/members/brandon-gillette/images/img1489-500x375.jpg |
They are the "bunny boots" issued by the US Antarctic Program. They are rubber, uncomfortable, heavy, and don't breath at all. I don't know how to get them to dry out in the field. The small metal knob on the outside of the boot on the right is an air valve. You can close that up to increase the insulation, but you need to remember to open it before you fly on a plane - otherwise the boots expand... They are very warm, but that's about the only good think I have to say about them.
Before my first Antarctic field season, I met with a friend who had been before, and we talked about gear. She said that the bunny boots weren't really all that bad. Eventually, it came out that "they aren't that bad if you don't have to walk more than 50 feet in them." It turns out that most of her work was done via snow mobile. They are perfectly comfortable when sitting in the cold. I have (get) to walk, a lot, every day. Thus, I want boots I love.
I will have to wear bunny boots as I get on the C-17 plane in Christchurch to fly to McMurdo. We are required to wear our issued ECW (extreme cold weather) gear. Once in McMurdo, I'll go to FSTP (don't remember what that stands for...) and get them to approve my own boots for use in the field so I don't have to put the bunny boots on again.
