Before I give you my Iceland
packing list, you need to know a few things about me:
1) I am a minimalist at home as
well as abroad,
2) I am perfectly content wearing
the same articles of clothing over and over, and
3) We were traveling with a group
of 18, so some things we planned ahead and shared.
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| Outfit of the Day: Day 1 |
That said, I'll give you the list
of everything I used (and didn't use) during our 5 day (+2 days of travel) adventure. Now that WOW Air recently upped their carry-on weight allowance from
11 pounds to 22 pounds, I will most certainly not be paying for
the extra baggage fee again. (Side note: WOW Air is incredible, and we will
most certainly be flying with them again! Hence knowing I will not pay for the
extra bag in the future.)
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| Outfit of the Day: Day 2 |
Here's the thing: As your time in Iceland will be a LOT of walking and hiking, most people in Iceland are
dressed far more for comfort than style. In the summer, highs are in the mid-to-high
50's, and lows dip down to the mid-40's, which was bearable even coming from
95+ degrees and 90% humidity. It rains most days, at least for a few hours, so if
there is one article of clothing you absolutely must pack, it’s a raincoat. In fact, a raincoat is 100%
non-negotiable. I picked one up at a local North Face outlet right before we
left, and I wore it 80% of the trip. Speaking of rain: As cute as your skinny
jeans are, leave them at home, because wet denim is miserable, and you will get
wet. (Ok, ok, I have to add that some of our group did wear jeans, but
personally I would have died.)
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| Outfit of the Day: Day 3 |
I bought a pair of Hunter rain
boots for this trip, and I didn't once regret them. For more strenuous hiking and
climbing, I'd recommend a back-up pair of running or hiking shoes, but only one
hike we took had me wishing for shoes less clunky than my boots (and more than once I
was thankful for how dry they kept my feet, so it was worth the trade off). We
covered about 8-12 miles per day of walking, and even still my running shoes stayed in my bag until the return trip home. That said, if you are
only taking running or hiking shoes, I'd suggest two pairs, because one will
inevitably get wet (and they don't dry nearly as fast as rain boots).
Are you
with me so far? North Face rain jacket and red Hunter boots. No jeans. Alright, here we go -- your packing list for Iceland in the summer.
A few notes:
- The AirBNB had a
hair dryer, which proved to be invaluable for flash-drying shoes and socks, as there was a washer but not a clothes dryer where we stayed.
- I also borrowed a curling iron one day and brought a straightener (which I didn't use, because #raineveryday), but I
could have gone without both.
- Gloves would have been nice one of the
particularly windy and rainy days, but I didn't feel like they were essential
enough to buy a pair (and they are everywhere if you need them).
- We did not end
up going to the Blue Lagoon, as we forgot to pre-book and it was full, but that
may have been an opportunity to use the flip flops.
- We also packed Clif bars,
protein bars, protein powder, and gluten free bread, but we could have gone
without everything but the GF bread.
Food is expensive in Iceland, but we ate less than we thought and would have
been better off not paying the baggage fee (and honestly, was it just our group or does everyone's appetite have a one-Clif-bar-a-day limit?).
- Thanks to the trusty rain coat I know you're going to pack, you're going to look mostly the same in each day's pictures anyway. So pack light, enjoy the journey, and avoid those extraneous baggage fees. :)
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| Outfit of the Day: Day 4. Which looks exactly like Day 1 thanks to my raincoat and 2 pairs of identical leggings. Did I mention you need a raincoat? |
