Edited by Rachel Duncan 4th Edition ISBN 0-907649-91-2 London ...

Campcraft, Equipment and Clothing 23
Leisure Ltd in Walsall, produce a lightweight 3 person quick erection geodesic tent that
was used on a 90-day British North Pole Expedition in 1997. The Vango Force Ten is a
summer favourite on youth expeditions, and though heavy is easy to erect and sturdy. A
snow valance is useful but not essential. However, having two exits is very useful with at
least one having a porch big enough for cooking. In extreme cold, watch out for loss of
elasticity in tent pole elastics. Mark your poles in case the elastic has to be cut. Always
take a splint for poles. With a small expedition, consider the pros and cons of one tent for
all (risky if destroyed) versus two (colder, less sociable, longer to erect, etc.).
In warm conditions, a tent left in one place for some days ends up on a pedestal and
will probably have to be moved.
In contrast, in poor weather a tent can quickly become buried. It is vital to check
conditions outside regularly. In such conditions, keep a shovel inside the tent; you may
need to dig yourself out! In blizzard conditions use a hand line if leaving the vicinity of
your tent. In 1990, a member of Will Steger’s Trans-Antarctic expedition lost his sense of
direction only a few metres from his tent and was only found hours later…alive. Others
have not been so lucky.
Bivis, snow holes, etc., are covered comprehensively in mountaineering books and
will not be covered here. Suffice to say, you should know how to build one.
3.3 Sleeping bags
The issues for sleeping bag selection are: knowing how cold it is likely to be where you
plan to go at that time of year, the duration of the expedition, the opportunities for
resupply, the budget available, and weight and volume issues similar to those applicable to
tents.
The question of down versus synthetic bags will always elicit different opinions.
There are both down and synthetic sleeping bags available for the most extreme polar
conditions. However, few retailers stock the warmest models available so it is a good idea
to obtain the manufacturer’s own brochures. For any given temperature rating synthetic
bags are much cheaper than down. All sleeping bags are vulnerable to accumulating
moisture from spills and steam in the tent as well as Down, if it gets wet (from overnight
sweating. loses its insulation more or accumulates moisture and) will freeze into clumps if
it cannot be dried out, . This will be extremely cold and uncomfortable.
The key is to protect the sleeping bag from damp both from inside and from outside
the bag. Many bags are available with a more weatherproof outer fabric as an option. Other
options are to use the sleeping bag inside a separate Gore-tex type PTFE bivi bag.Vapour
barrier liners can be used in continuously low temperatures to prevent the build up of sweat
in the sleeping bag. They may only work to a certain extent, and they are pretty unpleasant
to sleep in. Though bulkier and heavier, a couple of synthetic bags, one inside the other, is
could be the preferred an option. If planning to use a number of layers, match up the zips
so that they are all on the same side.
At the time of writing, the Ajungilak Denali and the RAB Expedition bags were top
quality synthetic and down bags respectively, that would be good models against which to
compare other options.