Borge Ousland, the greatest polar traveler of the last 30 years, has shared his equipment list with ExplorersWeb. This week, we present his Clothing, Key Gear, Medical Kit, and Repair Kit for polar expeditions. This list, in particular, is what he used for his 2025 vertical crossing of Ellesmere Island with Vince Colliard.
Today, we present Ousland’s repair kit. Total weight is about 1.5kg.
- Leatherman
- Repair kit, MSR stove
- Hand drill
- Araldit Rapid two-component glue. First, warm it in the tent near the stove. The glue cures quickly, says Ousland. It’s valuable for a lot of repairs, such as to skis or bindings. Sometimes it’s used together with tape.
- Superglue. Good on hard materials, cracks in boots, etc.
- Contact adhesive. Carried only on North Pole expeditions for patching up the drysuit Ousland uses for swimming leads. It’s handy for creating a flexible patch on clothing. He brings just a little, one-third of a tube or so.
Broken ski poles happen occasionally. Photo: Borge Ousland
Lots of tape
- Spinnaker tape. For patching a tent or a sled cover ripped by a curious polar bear. The glue won’t work well in the cold, but you can sew it on.
- Self-adhesive tape. This is the tape you use to glue carpets. “Sometimes an insole moves around in the boot,” says Ousland. “This helps keep it in place.”
- Electrician’s tape. Used to lash something small together. Be sure to buy high-quality tape, he advises. “There’s a big difference in quality.” As usual, apply it after warming it up in the tent first.
- Silicone cable, about 50cm. For electronics, eg. chargers. In very cold weather, standard electrical cables can fail because the plastic insulation becomes brittle.
- Speaker plug. Also for electronics.
- Cord locks for drawstrings.
- Split metal rings, 2 or 3.
- Spare pump for stove
- O-ring for stove
- Stove burner bracket
- Sewing thread, thin and thick. Thimble. Scissors.
- Various sewing needles in different thicknesses
- Wool thread
- Safety pins
Photo: Borge Ousland
- Velcro, different widths
- Polyurethane patch. For repairing drysuit on North Pole expeditions.
- Allen key, if any of your screw heads need one.
- Kevlar wire, two meters.
- Parachute cord, six meters
- 2 long, strong shoelaces
- Steel wire, one thin and one thick
- Shoemaker’s thread
A sled repair in progress. Photo: Borge Ousland
- Fabric bits: piece of thin neoprene, piece of leather
- 2 extra plastic buckles, 50mm
- 1 extra plastic buckle, 25mm
- Sandpaper
- 2 spare hooks, like the kind on the end of bungie cords. For his bear fence.
- Screwdriver
- Screws, nails, and washers
- Plugs to insert in screw holes for a ski binding
- Patches for sleeping pad
- Metal sleeves for tent pole repair.
- 2 hacksaw blades
A complex repair is complete. Photo: Borge Ousland
