Hardship improves the breed.
Darwin knew it. Dr. Porsche knew it.
A few hardships encountered on the celebrated Trans-Antarctica Expedition of 1990:
Wind: 100 m.p.h.
Windchill: -110º F.
Altitude: 6,000-10,000 ft.
Trajectory: 3,741 mi. (on foot; longest possible route sea-to-sea).
Time span: 221 days.
Support: 32 dogs, 3 sleds.
Human diet: 32 oz. per day.
Dog diet: same quantity.
The dogs slept exposed. By morning, they were entirely covered by drifting snow, only their noses visible.
The men slept in small tents; if the wind were to lift your tent and blow it away during the night, you would survive for two minutes.
Through willpower and planning, the T.A.E. (six intrepid souls from six countries, led by American explorer Will Steger) accomplished “the most striking of all journeys” first proposed by Shackleton 75 years earlier. All equipment had to be the best.
This was their luggage.
1000 denier Cordura nylon, flat bottomed to prevent rolling. 1 oz. urethane coated for water resistance. Oversized zipper with lockable pulls (easy to use wearing mittens). Dual compression straps. Wide leather carrying handle. Welded nickel O-rings and 2” wide padded shoulder strap. 6000 lb. break-strength seatbelt webbing throughout. Box-stitching at stress points. Sewn-on address holder.
Hard to improve on.
Large Polar Expedition Bag (No. 2430). Dimensions: 14” high x 18” wide x 28” long; 4200 cu. in. Color: Orange (stands out in snow or at airport) with Charcoal bottom.
Small Polar Expedition Bag (No. 2427). Dimensions: 10” high x 13” wide x 21” long; 2800 cu. in. Color: Charcoal with Orange bottom.
The challenge in making such a bag was to make it easy for human fingers, hands, arms, and brains to perform under less than ideal conditions.
This one does.
