How to Get Dressed in the Morning

The very first item of clothing necessary in the morning are the Raytheon Inc. issued, extra-thick wool socks. The reason for this is because the floor in the Jamesways Tents (which are actually tents, thick canvas tents, but tents nonetheless) is COLD, like below 32F, and having freezing feet the first thing in the morning is no fun. The next thing to put on is thermal underwear. After the thermals, the ECWs, which stand for Extreme Cold Weather gear (they just adore acronyms and abbreviations in Antarctica. It makes everything sound so much more official). Then Windpants and “Bunny Boots” which are thick-soled rubber boots. They weigh a total of 7 pounds, are bulky and clunky, but are absolutely essential to combat freezing cold snow. There is no dirt at the South Pole, only 9,000 feet of snow beneath your feet. That’s a lot of coldness underfoot, so the boots come in handy (or footy). It's also very important to remember to put the boots on AFTER the pants, or things can get a little unstable as you try to balance on one foot as your other foot is stuck halfway down your pantleg.
After the windpants and boots, it’s time to put on the fleece jacket, the big green or red coat, hat, neck gator and last, but not least, goggles or sunglasses. Smear some sunscreen on any exposed areas of skin (the tip of the nose is about all that should be visible at this point), slip your water bottle in your pocket and you’re ready to go. The overall weight of this ECW gear is about 20 lbs.
Though it sounds simple, this process of getting dressed can take up to 15 minutes – depending on your level of concentration first thing in the morning.
Because of the complication of dressing for cold, waking up in the middle of the night and having to go to the bathroom can be a truly disheartening experience.