When I found out where we were going, I quickly joined a couple of facebook groups of travelers to Iceland and started looking for suggestions. Some I followed, some I did not, and wish that I had! One word is the KEY to packing for Iceland- LAYERS!
The weather, similar to Oklahoma, changes within miles and hours frequently. Most mornings, we woke up in the high 20s or low 30s (F) with a damp fog hanging in the air. Highs were only in the mid to high 30s, and to the surprise of this Oklahoma girl, the wind was way MORE than I bargained for.
I had counted on several days of driving in the car, and we didn’t plan on hiking more than 1/2 a mile to any attraction, so I had planned on my fleece leggins being sufficient. They were no match for the freezing cold wind. I ended up borrowing a pair of Ray’s hiking pants over my leggins a couple of times. My ski pants were great for night shooting the aurora where it got really cold, but during the day, were way too sweaty! I wish I had brought a couple pair of jeans and maybe some midweight hiking pants. My mittens got wet on day 2, and really didn’t dry out very well. In retrospect, I wish I had packed some thinsulate waterproof gloves, because in October, all the handrails to everything were damp, and wet wool doesn’t smell the very best. I took a pair of Sperry waterproof insulated boots, which were handy on the whale boat, but were heavy and I could have done without. I did not take hiking boots (didn’t plan on hiking) but a few of the waterfalls had a thin covering of ice and wish I had more traction than my Hoka’s provided.
Ray – I wish I had brought warmer gloves, and I only brought liners.
Iceland is a photographer’s dream, and if you’ve followed me at all you know that I’m going to try to take ALL the pictures. The gear I packed includes
My tripod was ok, but the winds had me missing my SLIK tripod. On another trip, I’ll likely look to rent a slik or heavier tripod once I get in-country, as its really too big to travel with. One one scene, I had to give up a shot because I could not keep the camera still.