Congratulations! You booked your flight to Iceland. Now what? Below are some do’s and don’ts that may be useful to you on your trip! Let’s start off with a list of things I brought on the trip and what I wished I had brought. I went in the winter time but I’ll also make recommendations for those going in the summer as well. Depending where you’re coming from, it’ll still be cold in the summer.

Waterproof Hard shell – I brought a softshell which was perfect in the snow but when it started raining, it leaked into my inner layers

Down jacket – for layering

Fleece jacket – for layering

Quick dry shirts (3)

Quick dry pants (1)

Waterproof pants shell (1) – These were a life saver in the rain! I got caught out in the rain one of the days without them and I was walking around with wet inner layers most of the day!

Long johns (2) – for layering

Warm hat

A buff – these were also life savers when it got windy.

Gloves (2) – you can get away with one but if you have an inner pair/outer gloves, I’d bring them

Warm socks (6) – I’d bring 1 for each day, it’s nice to switch out to new socks after a long day of walking and there are good chances they’ll get wet

Boxers (6) – Brought one for each day

Swim trunks

A pair of jeans – for going out

Nice shirt – for going out

Nike – for casual wear and going out

Sandals

Gore-Tex hiking boots that covers your ankles – You’ll be walking on a lot of ice and possibly water. These are necessary and you’ll be glad you had these!

Water bottle for the long drive

Portable charger

Toiletries

Ziplock bags – for your documents and electronics (in case of extreme weather)

First aid kits and medications – never know what’ll happen

Sunglasses

Dry bag for dirty/wet laundry

Passports/ Documents

Headlamp

Power converter – Iceland uses Type C, E, and F sockets and are 220-240 volts

Car charger + USB phone chargers (this was very helpful throughout the day as we spent a good amount of time in our cars driving to destinations)

I fit all the above in a Gregory 65L backpack pretty comfortably. I’d say you can get away with a mid-sized luggage if you don’t have a backpack.

For those going in the summer I would still recommend bringing the above with maybe the exceptions of either the down or fleece jacket, long johns, and ankle high hiking boots. In addition, I’d bring:

Sunblock

Eye mask

Sleeping pills if needed

If you’re big in photography, Iceland will be your heaven! There are many opportunities to take great pictures of the scenery there. Here’s the photography equipment I brought on my journey:

Sony A6000 – I have since upgraded to the A7II and am in love with it!

Sony 10-18 F/4

Zeiss 32 F/1.8

Batteries (3)

Memory cards (2)

Camera Remote

Portable tripod

ND Filters

DJI Phantom 3

IPad mini for the drone

Drone batteries (4)

Extra set of propellers

GoPro (2)

GoPro Action Stick

Chest Mount

Shoulder Mount

Wrist Mount

Headmount

Drone bag – I also fit my camera and lens in here

Now that we got an idea of what to bring, here are some recommendations for while you’re in Iceland!