2021 Iceland packing list
“Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune, but great minds rise above them.”
Iceland 2018 crew with VoyEdge RX. Photo by: Kevin Walsh
Hello and welcome back to the VoyEdge RX blog! If this is your first time here, welcome, we are a travel & fitness company that offers group and custom tours which you can find out more about here. Below is a comprehensive list about what to pack for your trip to Iceland!
You can see a bunch of blogs we’ve already written about Iceland here, but for every trip, every year, we like to talk about what to pack, what to bring, and a little bit about what to expect. Let’s talk about the latter here first. Iceland is an awesome country with over 2 million tourists visiting this country each year! Not bad for a country just over 335,000 people in the Northern Atlantic.
As it is, Iceland’s weather can be unpredictable at best. The avg. temp in Fahrenheit for July in Iceland is approximately 50 degrees. Meaning the high is about 55 F and the low is about 46 F. So, expect to wear quite a bit of layers. If you want to dive all in on Iceland’s climate (yes, it rains, snows, blows, and everything else in Iceland year-round) you can read here.
Ice climbing in Iceland….ironic, right?
For the glacier hike the tour company will have the appropriate equipment, so you can leave your crampons at home, but here is what we generally recommend. Please keep in mind we recommend only taking one suitcase (as small as possible with some room) and one day pack for the excursions etc.
Packing List
1 rain jacket
1-2 sweatshirt or vest
Nalgene bottle
sunglasses
Day pack (hiking)
Snacks
Iphone/Android external charger
Laptop, if you must
Swim trunks for the Blue Lagoon
Copies of your passport in case you lose it!
Anything else you deem necessary
1 Scarf
Anything else you deem necessary
Any make-up or additional items/feminine products
For Both Men & Women:
1-2 wool socks
5-6 regular socks
1-2 pair of jeans
1 pair of athletic shorts
1 pair of active footwear
1 pair of hiking boots
4-5 t-shirts
1-2 long sleeve shirts
1 thermal top
1 thermal bottom
Gloves
Winter hat
Baseball cap
1 sweater
1 outershell jacket or light winter coat
The group from 2018 beneath the massive Skógafoss Waterfall on the Southern Coast of Iceland
As you can see in the above photo, everyone has long pants/joggers on with a windbreaker (raincoat) and or a vest. Expect plenty of precipitation during our time in Iceland, and the better gear you have for the inclement weather, the better. When you are wet, you get cold. The more dry you are, the better. There will also be little to no humidity in Iceland, so don’t expect those wet socks to dry out any faster. You should aim to stay dry and I guarantee it will rain when we are in Iceland. How wet you get is ultimately up to you!
Pro Packing Tips: Pack 1 suitcase and one day pack. Plan to have your outfits be worn twice throughout the trip to save time and space in your packing efforts. We like to pack as light as possible and really strive to do this on every trip I take. Unless it is an absolute necessity, don’t take it. That’s usually our motto.
What to Expect for the Day Trips: Some of the tours we will be taking will be long days. Meaning earlier departures from the hotel at 6:30 to 7:30 AM. It will be important to bring a reusable water bottle, snacks, and a day pack for anything else you may want to stash in there (like a good book or a charger). If you have a camelbak, take it!
Again, some of the days will be long (but so worth it) so mentally prepare for it, and know you will have some downtime while traveling but the views you will be taking in will be unlike anything else you have ever witness or experienced on this planet. Iceland truly is incredible.
Iceland’s amazing landscape by the one and only, Kevin Walsh
So, again….mentally prepare for some of the longer tours like the Golden Circle, as well as the Southern Coast tour where we will see both the Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss Waterfalls, as well as go ice climbing (equipment provided). The last day of the tour, we will be venturing to the Snæfelsness area as well, which is the most photographed area in all of Iceland, and for good reason!
