What to pack for Iceland

We had such an incredible adventure while visiting Iceland earlier this year and every time I hear that a friend, blogger or reader is heading to the land of fire and ice, I get so excited for them! I wrote up a full Iceland travel guide with tons of details on things to do and where to eat, but I realized it’d probably also be helpful to know what to pack, since Iceland is such a foreign environment. I’ve truly never experienced such harsh and crazy weather before. The wind is so strong it can knock you over or break off your car door, and on any given day you can experience snow, rain, sleet, hail and maybe even some sunshine. And we weren’t even there in the dead of winter! So while you may think you know the basics of what you need to pack (coat, snow boots, fleece lined pants), I put together a list of the exact items we bought for our Iceland trip and loved—because not all parkas are created equal and having quality pieces will make all the difference!

WHAT TO PACK FOR ICELAND: THE ULTIMATE ICELAND PACKING LIST

Watching the Northern Lights dance across the sky was such a bucket list experience for me. But it was COLD standing out there in the middle of the night! I don’t think I would have lasted very long outside if I didn’t have the proper gear. We also explored the glacier lagoon and walked behind a waterfall (I saw one girl who was not wearing waterproof gear get absolutely soaked, and she looked like a sad, soggy pup), and I was so glad to have my North Face parka. I wore that thing every day! I also layered on all of the Uniqlo heat-tech clothing I could get my hands on. I’d wear a heat-tech crew neck long sleeve, turtleneck, and a wool sweater under my parka, and heat-tech leggings under my snow pants. And you guys, I was still slightly cold a lot of the time, so I can’t even imagine how uncomfortable I would have been without all this cold weather gear. Waterproof, insulated boots (we loved our Sorels!) and a pair of gloves are also key. I’ve linked to everything below!