The British Antarctic Survey (BAS), along with all the other agencies operating in the Antarctic, stopped using dog teams as a mode of transport in 1994, citing various environmental concerns. The dog teams had been operating successfully for decades prior to the ban and, of course, they required someone to control them and the sledges they pulled. The guys & girls in charge had various titles: drivers; mushers etc, and they all required good clothing to do the job. The sledging trousers that we have here in the collection were part of the outfit. Dating from the 1960s this pair were made by the, now defunct, Compass Clothing Co, sometimes directly, and sometimes via a guy called Robert Lawrie, who, as well being a bootmaker, provided lots of gear to BAS.

The rather voluminous trousers were designed to be pulled on over boots and other clothing and were made of windproof material, which in this case, we think, is ventile. This pair were kindly donated by Joe Porter, who spent time working for BAS in the 1960s.