Even though the Australian Antarctic Division fully kits expeditioners out with all the cold weather gear we could possibly need, some still bring their own personal gear down. One of our resident plumbers Darren, aka Daz, brought down his own bivy bag and sleeping bag.
Curious to test his sleeping gear in Antarctic conditions, Daz challenged himself to sleep outside in it one night. To make things even more interesting he decided not to sleep in a tent or under the stars but in a cave.
Caves are rare at Davis station but this wasn’t going to stop Daz, he just simply made his own. Taking advantage of the bliz tail downwind from the living quarters, Daz found himself a shovel and put it to good use. He slept one night in his bliz tail cave on a −25°C degree night.
The next morning he said he could feel the cold coming up from beneath him despite laying on a self-inflating mat and a sheep skin rug. He was warm on top though.
For Daz’s next challenge he intends sleeping in his sleeping bag in his bivy bag in a bath tub full of water. He said because his bivy bag is made of Gortex and therefore waterproof ‘it will be just like sleeping on a water bed'.
Craig Butsch