Polarmitten and HD Video Camera

January 17, 2008
One of the intentions of the trip is to take video footage of the sights and sounds of the backcountry. Thanks to my friend Kris Denton i will have the equipment necessary to film in High Definition. The first photo shows the camera in the Polarmitten which is basically a warm coat for the camera. The pouch on the front of my body was custom made by Apocalypse Design to make the video camera accessible whenever i need it. i opened up the front of the Polarmitten so you could see the front of the camera but typically this will be closed tight around the lens.

i have found that whenever you are in the outdoors that if your hope is to write, sketch, take photos or video it is always best to have your mode of expression readily available. The last thing you want is the missed opportunity to take a photo of that wolverine that you've never seen before because your camera was buried in your backpack. Same thing with writing, sketching or video, if your plan is to go out and do any of these activities, make it easy on yourself, make it way fun, you'll be glad you did.
The camera is a Canon XH A1 which is a high definition video camera. High Definition video is basically a system of filming which has a greater number of lines in the vertical display resolution.
The challenge for filming in the backcountry is threefold: cold, moisture and batteries. If it's really cold your camera won't work. The Polarmitten has pockets built in which accommodate hand warmers and then when the mitten is closed it holds the heat in. This photo shows the pockets.

Moisture is a potential killer of electronics. After spending time outside with cameras, satellite phones and batteries it is important to place them in sealed plastic bags before they have a chance to warm up in my Arctic Oven tent. The moisture will form on the plastic bag rather than on the electronics and have a chance to warm up without being filled with moisture.

Batteries drain in cold weather and since i will not have a ready source of power it is critical to have a system to rotate and keep batteries warm. i have interior pockets on most of my coats and plan on keeping the batteries here at the start of each day. i will also keep spare batteries in a sealed plastic bag and have them in my sleeping bag each night.

The camera inside the front pouch, ready to go.

Thank you to Kris Denton for having the faith to make this happen. i will do the best i can each day...