Canada | Polar Bears and Northern Lights with Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

Suggested Packing List

Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to packing; for this reason, the information below is offered as a general guide and not a definitive list. You know yourself best: Use your discretion and pack what you think will serve you, based on your personal preferences and specific itinerary.

You may find many of the items below in our Gear Store.

Please note: Checked baggage for all flights must be limited to one piece per guest for a maximum total of 50 lbs. The maximum dimensions permitted for carry-on baggage is 10” x 16” x 12”. Carry-on that exceeds these dimensions would be considered checked baggage and would have to be stored in the general baggage compartment.

NOTE: Please do not pack valuables such as money, cameras, jewelry, and expensive clothing in your checked baggage. We cannot be held responsible for any losses.

CLOTHING

Bring enough clothing suitable for the length of your program. Temperatures in autumn can vary from 9 °F to 29 °F, but strong winds can make the temperature feel colder. The Tundra Buggy is heated, but the interior cools when wildlife is observed because the windows are opened to get a better view. The best way to stay comfortable is to dress in warm layers.

Canada Goose parkas, snow pants, and Baffin boots may be available to rent; contact your travel specialist for more information.

• A combination of warm base and mid layers – ability to layer is very important
• Snow/ski/wind pants
• Warm hooded parka
• Warm sweater and/or hooded sweatshirt
• Long underwear or thermal layers
• Hat (beanie/knit cap), scarf, neck warmer or similar gear to cover and protect your face against the cold north winds
• Warm gloves/mitts and thin gloves – mitts tend to be warmer, but also restrict movement, making it harder to take pictures, for example. Having a pair of finger gloves you can wear under mitts gives you the best of both worlds.
• Wool blend socks
• Footwear: Warm, rubber-soled winter boots; you may also want a pair of old sneakers or slip-on shoes for around your accommodations

MISCELLANEOUS

• Camera and related equipment – See additional notes below.
• Binoculars and lens cleaner
• Flashlight or headlamp
• A small daypack for hikes and excursions
• Photocopies of ID and other travel documentation
• Prescription drugs and a copy of the prescription
• Personal toiletries
• Sunglasses – Despite the cold weather the sun can still be very strong, especially when it reflects off the snow.
• Sunscreen and lip balm (SPF 30 or higher recommended) to block the sun reflecting off the tundra
• Reusable, sealable travel mug or water bottle
• Zip-top style baggies (to use as dry bags or for storing wet or soiled shoes/clothing)
• Notepad or journal and pen
• Music or reading material for down time, long drives, or on the airplane
• Chargers for electronics

In addition to your toiletries it is useful to pack a small medical kit which you can easily prepare. Helpful items include a pocketknife, a lighter, Band-Aids, antihistamine (such as Benadryl), a pain-reliever, individually-wrapped moist towelettes, anti-diarrhea medicine, anti-fungal cream, an extra pair of disposable contact lenses or glasses if you wear them, and a small sewing kit.

Camera & Related Equipment

Compact cameras or mobile phone cameras are fine at times when bears or other wildlife are close to the Tundra Buggy, but a midrange zoom or interchangeable telephoto lens with image stabilization allows the most flexibility. Many digital cameras also have a video feature built in, which is great for capturing wildlife behavior, movement, and audio.

A midrange zoom lens allows for quick maneuverability and composure. For those with interchangeable lenses, it’s a good idea to have at minimum wide and midrange lenses on hand (less than 80 mm and 70-200 mm, respectively). You may also consider adding a good telephoto lens to complete your kit (greater than 200 mm). In autumn, heavy cloud over Churchill often results in lower light levels, so faster lenses (minimum F4.0) will help combat low-light conditions. Wide angle lenses are well-suited for images of the landscape, northern lights and bears when they’re near the Tundra Buggy, while longer lenses are great for wildlife such as foxes, birds, and bears that may be approaching from further away. Longer lenses also give the illusion of being closer to eye level with your subjects. Autofocus settings (AF) work well the majority of the time but rely on contrast, so they may not function well when aimed directly at light patches of fur or snow without obvious detail. Focus on the animal’s eye, nose or other obvious detail, or change your camera settings to manual focus (MF) if it’s too challenging.

Most point-and-shoot cameras can be handheld, but cameras with longer lenses need support in order to obtain sharper images. A monopod is a good form of support for your camera when shooting from the Tundra Buggy. It is also recommended to bring a beanbag to rest your camera on the windowsill while shooting.

Make sure you have enough memory card storage with you. Bring extra memory cards and/or have a way to download the images on another storage device, such as a laptop and spare hard drive. It’s common to use 32GB of storage—or more—in a single day. TIP: Take a few smaller cards (four 8GB cards) rather than one big card (32GB or 64GB) unless shooting HD or 4K video continuously. If a card breaks, it’s hard to retrieve images.

The cold will drain batteries quicker than normal, so keep spares in a warm pocket near your body to help maintain their charge. There are no outlets to charge batteries on the Tundra Buggy. Make sure to also pack your battery charger, and travel plug adapter if required, so you can recharge your batteries at your overnight accommodations.

Digital capture at ISO 400-800 usually works well on overcast days and early evenings as the light wanes. For bright days when the sun is out, it is recommended to set your camera settings to ISO 100.