The general standard of field equipment was very high. However, there are a number of points that we would raise:

Solar Panels

There is need for tie down points on these as they are difficult to anchor in even moderate wind.

Steering Compass

It is very difficult to steer a sledge train by standing on the sledge with a hand-held compass, especially in poor definition when unexpected bumps can cause the compass bearer to fall off!

Parties sledging on the Ice Shelf or on the Plateau should be provided with a more suitable steering compass. A small, gimbaled, liquid filled card compass of the type used on small boats would be ideal. This could be attached to the handle bars leaving the breakmans hands free.

Sleeping Mats

The new "thick snow foam" type mats are excellent. However they are easily damaged by ropes and the like, especially when they are lashed to sledges. Their reduced bulk is a great asset.

Radio Box

The boxes supplied with the large Codan radios are useless! They make it very difficult to operate the radio inside the tent and impossible to use while lashed to a sledge.

A suggested new design was submitted last year.

Flags

Pale green and pale blue flags are very difficult to see and their use should be discontinued. A line of pale green flags spaced every third of a mile was laid by the Hovercraft from McMurdo to Fishtail Point. Even though we crossed this line at least once and recovered a depot from the end of it we did not see a single flag!

Fuel Drums

Care must be taken not to use dirty, rusty or water filled drums for fuel. Two drums (B8929, B8930) sent to us at Mt Metschel proved to be rusty, contaminated with water and full of flaking paint. This led to us breaking down numerous times between Mt Metschel and Portal Mountain. The delay as well as being frustrating was potentially dangerous, forcing us to make otherwise unnecessary repairs in cold windy conditions, it also resulted in us being over run by bad weather. Such drums should be dumped.

Fuel Hose

The clear plastic fuel hose used in the grizzly toboggans is unworkable at very low temperatures. The Black rubber hosing is much softer even when cold.

Hose Clips

Hose clips taken as spares for the grizzly fuel lines should stainless steel and not soft alloy.

Colour Codes for Drums

There was some confusion at one stage as to whether I.P.A. had been added to some of our fuel (the same fuel that caused us problems as outlined above). We suggest that Fuel containing I.P.A. should be colour coded. A stripe on the cap would be ideal.

Dee Rings on Polar Tent

Some of the Dee Rings on the skirts of the Polar Tents were too small for the hollow tube ice pegs. We recommend that they be replaced with larger ones.

Primuses

Field parties are issued with cleaned heads as spares, these were often found to contain small holes or other defects making them unsafe. It is a shame that Ant. Div. goes to so much trouble emphasising the dangers of carbon monoxide at its training course and then causes the problem itself by issuing second hand burner heads. Returned defective heads should be thrown away regardless of cost. We spent much of the trip with one primus inoperative because all the spares were useless.