Its ship, Nimrod, was less than half of the size of Robert Falcon Scott's 1901–04 expedition ship Discovery, and Shackleton's crew lacked relevant experience.
Ekspeditionens skib, Nimrod, var under den halve størrelse af Discovery, som Robert Falcon Scott havde brugt på Discovery-ekspeditionen 1901–04, og Shackletons mandskab manglede relevant erfaring.