30 Unmissable Luggage Items For Your Summer Trip to Iceland
Looking for what to pack for a trip to Iceland in the summer? Packing for a trip to Iceland is a funny one, and coming up with an Iceland summer packing list can be confusing. The weather in Iceland is very changeable, and you have to come prepared for the ever-changing weather, and the cold!
The weather in Iceland can also change in a minute, so be prepared to wear t-shirts, jumpers, hats, scarves, and sunglasses all in the one day!
Even in the summer, you have to pack for all eventualities. In the summer it has the highest of around 15 degrees max but up to 24 hours of daylight; in the winter it can be 0 to -10 but in the north can be down to -30 Celsius
We found if you’re well prepared then you don’t have to worry if the weather changes as you have other layers to hand!
Trousers
When Ed and I are travelling anywhere we rarely wear jeans. They can be uncomfortable to hike in and any general walking, and if they get wet, they are extremely heavy and take forever to dry
Not what you want when you’re visiting waterfalls, glaciers, and Geysers!
Ed and I wear hiking trousers. You can often zip off the bottom and they can become shorts. Great in any varying weather
They're really comfortable, you have more room to move and they have lots of pockets!
When creating your own Iceland summer packing list, the trousers where the bottom can be zipped should defintley be included! With varying summer temperatures and weather, easy to change your clothing in a matter of seconds
Hiking Boots
In any other packing list post, hiking boots are always talked about! They’re our favourite shoes! For a Iceland summer packing list, hiking boots are essential for exploring the volcanic terrain which Iceland has to offer
Hiking boots not only support your ankles and your feet. But when visiting mountains in Snaefellsnes Peninsula, or explorning the national park of Thingvellir. The terrain was a lot more rocky than we expected and good foot wear was a must
We often see people struggling in trainers and I can't imagine its as an enjoyable experience
Hiking Boot Socks
Although you're packing for Iceland in the summer, it is usually quite cold. Hiking boot socks not only protect your feet from potential blisters, but keep them nice and warm too!
Have you ever been walking along, and you can feel your sock slipping down your foot. And how annoying that is!
Wearing any other socks with hiking boots will do this. Not what you want when walking across the lava fields in Iceland!
Tops
Seems stupid because of course you’re going to include tops in your Iceland summer packing list. But I mean multiple layers!
Iceland’s weather can fluctuate and you may need to grab another jumper or take your coat 2 jumpers and scarf off because you’ve hiked across a glacier and feel hot!
It’s a good idea to have a few options for each layer. A few simple tops e.g T-shirts, then something thicker such as a jumper, maybe a woolen thinner one such as a hiking fleece.
This way you can take layers off if you’re too hot and put layers on if you’re too cold!
You don't want to have to spend more time inside because you’re too cold, missing the amazing scenery of Iceland
Underwear
Well, what can we say? Don’t pack too many
An Inverter
If you’ve got a car or a camper van or even a 4x4 with a roof tent (what we had!) then you’ll need an inverter
Most come with a 12v cigarette port but you can easily buy an inverter for under £/$30 which will run all your day-to-day stuff.
You will also need this if you want to charge electric devices on the move. Our inverter only came with 2 plug sockets but 4 USB ports and it was amazing!
We always had it plugged in charging something and to think we had 2 phones, a drone, and 3 batteries, 2 kindles, 2 Fitbits, an action camera, and a normal camera, we never ran out of charge of anything.
Bank Cards
Before going we knew cards were widely accepted but we didn’t realise to the extent
We spent our entire 10 days paying on card only and didn’t need cash once
Food, petrol stations, pay and display machines, and campsites, everything!
For petrol, you needed a card because the majority of petrol stations we went to were unattended ones, and you had to use a card to pay for it anyway.
Cables
Charging cables to charge all of your electric devices of course! Try to take as minimal as possible.
Majority of devices use USB C now, or moving to it, so take 1 cable for multiple devices
A Drone
Ed and I have had a drone for numerous years now and should be on anyone's Iceland summer packing list
DJI is one of the most prominent companies out there for buying any type of drone. And they bring out new versions all of the time
We bought the DJI Spark when it was brand new. It’s Handheld and fits extremely easy into a backpack, allowing you to get some of the most amazing footage as an amateur photographer
DJI come with their own app interface which is really easy to use and depending on country rules, you can easily fly it really high to get a birds eye view of the amazing surroundings
We are still in ore with our drone with the amazing photos and videos we can get with it. I don't think it takes much skill, just a little getting used to
DJI definitely have some of the cheapest but the best drones on the market and essential for your summer trip to Iceland
When we originally bought ours, we didn't buy the combo package. But quickly bought a handheld controller and more batteries. So consider whether it would be easier and cheaper to buy the combo package from the beginning, we wish we did
A Camera
Iceland is one of the most beautiful places you will ever visit, that is a given. So you have to capture the amazing scenery. And Lots of people took pictures on their phone
Yes, you can get good photos on phones these days but I much prefer having a camera and being able to zoom properly and change the settings and the photos will never be as good as a camera
Our Iceland summer packing list included my Nikon Coolpix L340. This is a bridge camera. Amazing for point and shoot and I got some really good photos on it too. The digital zoom was excellent also.
Since 2019, I bought a DSLR camera. A Nikon D3500. I owned my previous camera for numerous of year and got a lot of use from it, and felt it was time for an upgrade.
I love this camera and it is perfect. It is very compact in size (sits on the palm of your hand). And for a DSLR, fits in any bag but captures beautiful photos
Action Camera
If you haven't guessed by now, Ed and I usually carry a lot of electrical equipment, including our action camera
You can use one of these to increase the amount of floor footage. We had a Yi Lite for Iceland, which was amazing! Really cheap and excellent footage and it's waterproof too!
For Christmas 2020 as a present to one another we bought a DJI Pocket 2. This is an amazing little camera and does everything you need it too. Stability when vlogging, front and back facing camera, 3 microphones, and fits easily in your pocket to just whip out when you want
We bought this camera when we were doing our Dumbo the Ducato van build and absolutely love it. We couldn’t have a better action camera in our opinion!
There is so many budget action cameras on the market though, you don't have to buy a GoPro! A lot of them are waterproof and have the same mount as GoPro too
A Mirror
Simple things that are often forgotten include a mirror. I used the mirror in the car but Ed used this every day to put his contact lenses in.
If you’re at a campsite and every person is trying to brush their teeth, or put makeup on all at the same time, turns out a little mirror can be really helpful.
Plugs
Plug sockets in Iceland are 2 pinned 230v and 50Hz plugs. If you're from the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and seems like pretty much any other! So double-check before you go to whether you need an adapter.
We didn't need them as we have an inverter which had English plugs on it. But if you're staying in hotels or Airbnbs, then you will need to charge your devices!
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
To obviously brush your teeth with.
Makeup
I took some BB cream, powder and foundation and I ended up wearing none of it.
Whenever we’re away travelling I always take some and then barely wear it and regret taking it! But this is completely up to you.
If you're wanting to try out some restaurants in Reykjavik then maybe dressing us is more your style!
A Torch
If you travel to Iceland in the winter be prepared for complete and utter darkness. However, in the summer it is lighter, but it's better to have a torch when in the tent to be able to see what you’re doing, or walking to the toilet.
Our roof tent was quite thick so not much light got through, which was great but then more difficult to see.
Swimming Stuff
Apart from Blue Lagoon which seems to be the most visited one, and so overpriced, there are so many other lagoons and geothermal springs to visit! Myvatyn Nature Baths, Secret Lagoon, geothermal spring in Snaefellnes Peninsula, and hot rivers!
It wouldn’t be Iceland if you didn’t visit any of those places. Therefore you need to pack a swimming costume/swimming shorts to be able to do so! And it wouldn’t be a trip to Iceland if you didn’t go into a naturally heated pool.
Flip Flops/Crocs
Think what you think, but if you don’t like Crocs, you’ve clearly never had a pair. They are comfortable, and great when hanging around a campsite, or popping into a shop without putting your big boots on
Obviously you can wear flip flops too! But a cold country and open toes don’t really match
Flip flops are also nature pool attire!
Suncream
If you're lucky enough for even faint hot weather, you might want to wear suncream. However, sun cream isn’t only for hot climates, if you’re travelling in the winter and there’s lots of snow around, the sun then reflects off the snow burning you! Even if it is cold!
Camping Card
If camping, a camping card should be included in any Iceland packing list. A camping card costs 149euros/£133/$172. It means you can turn up to 41 campsites across 28 days and just set up your tent/campervan!
This was excellent and we would have spent way more if we booked each campsite individually on arrival.
I overheard the Vik campsite costing 2 adults £40! For one night! This makes the camping card even better. It doesn’t include the lodging tax of 333 however, but this is such a small amount.
Fuel Discount Card
With the camping card, you receive an Orken petrol station discount card. This gives 8krona off a litre of fuel and every little helps right
SD Cards
Travelling to Iceland for 10 days we took 1500 photos across 3 devices. Which was a lot to go through! I ended up cutting it down to 170 when I edited them all and worked out which ones were the best ones.
But, I would have hated to take some photos and run out of space. Iceland is one of those places where everything is amazing, and you take so many amazing photos. Although we started to become a bit complacent towards the end, because every drive was so beautiful, you still want to take lots of photos.
I bought the San Disk 62gb ones. They’re the best SD cards you can get to give the best quality photos, and I use these cards for my camera, drone and our DJI Pocket.
Neck Gaiter/Scarf
Before planning our Iceland packing list, I don't think we really knew what a neck gaiter was. But it really does keep you warm! You can get good neck gaiters or use any scarf to keep yourself warm, this was great when our faces were slightly cold, and was much easier to cover our faces with a gaiter than a scarf.
They also double up as a headband, or the ability to wear it around your ears
A Hat
Again, to keep yourself nice and warm! If I’m honest, although I read a lot about Iceland, I still thought it would be warmer than it was. I packed my woolly hat last minute.
Turns out I wore it every day to keep my head nice and warm from them open cold winds.
Iceland has very minimal trees due to being close to the Arctic Circle, and the winds can be up to 70km/h pretty easily. Something to not forget in your Iceland packing list.
Waterproof Gloves
Since hindsight is a marvellous thing, we wish we took some waterproof gloves. I have big fluffy wool ones which were great in the dry, but once they got wet they were wet forever.
We went whale watching and got absolutely soaked and my gloves were still wet 3 days later. With camping and being outside all the time, I couldn’t just put them on a radiator and would have loved waterproof gloves.
Plasters
Always have to carry a small first aid kit! For when you're exploring lava fields and waterfalls, you don’t want blisters from stopping you seeing all the amazing things you want to see!
Plan to pack protection for your Iceland packing list!
An Eye Mask
24 hours of sunlight is not a rarity in Iceland in the summer, and some tents can be pretty thin or rooms have windows without blackout blinds! Pack an eye mask for more of a settled night's sleep.
Food
If you’re camping in Iceland I would suggest taking some small things. Shopping at bonus is great, and we thought the prices were pretty good.
But we took some instant pasta style things from home which turned out we couldn't get in Iceland. They were great to quickly make and they only take 5 minutes! Rather than waiting an hour by the time your hot water has boiled and you’ve boiled some pasta and some sauce.
Its also good for when you first arrive to have a small meal just in case
Wipes
Any wipes! To wipe your face in the morning, to wipe down your table, or anything else. I always find wipes come really in handy
Just don’t put them down the toilet
A Microfibre Towel
Where you are staying? On a campsite or in an Airbnb, you usually don’t receive a towel. We took the microfibre towels which dried in 2 seconds!
We could wrap them back up and into their carry bags too which made them so much easier to carry. We use them all the time and use them in the van now too!
Visiting Iceland is an amazing bucket list experience and one which must be taken!
Summer is a great time to visit so you can drive around the rest of Iceland with not as much restriction as winter months, road can often be closed due to such high winds or excess snow.
We both fell in love with Iceland when we travelled there and would love to go back. Please comment anything you've decided to take to Iceland, or have taken which was valuable!
