Packing for Iceland

[mrsfluffytail]

DH and I are off to Iceland over Christmas, a trip of a lifetime for us before we start ttc. We've prebooked whale watching, golden circle tour and northern lights. I don't have any expectations other than to relax and enjoy (totally aware that it's going to be pretty dark, may not see whales, northern lights etc).

I'm struggling to figure out what to pack- every search says "layers" but what kind of layers?! I'm not particularly outdoorsy so don't have much I can use, budget is quite tight as trying to save for some nice meals while we're there.

So far I've got:
Triclimate waterproof coat
Thermal leggings and long sleeve tops
Thermal socks
Fleece-lined hat
Walking trousers - don't think these are waterproof
Warm fleece
Swimming costume for thermal pools

I was also going to take some jeans to wear in the city and plan on getting some warmer globes and a buff type scarf.

Does anyone have any other suggestions of what else to take and where to get it from?
I know I need to take some walking boots but really confused as to which ones to get. Need to be relatively cheap but would like to be able to use in the uk.

Thanks in advance.

A pair of waterproof overtrousers - you can get these quite cheap in Mountain Warehouse: they help to cut out the wind. If you wear these over the thermals and walking trousers you should be fine.

Leave in conditioner for when you are in the pools.

DD and I wore our snowboots; DH wore a pair of waterproof walking boots - I think from either the Trespass outlet store, or Mountain Warehouse; cost about £40, and he was fine in them.

A decent camera; if you see the northern lights you will only get photos with the vivid colours if you have a good camera (the ones on my phone (Samsung S7) are def not as bright); and the colours are no-where near as bright to the naked eye either (I wish I had been told in advance, so that I could manage my expectations!).

Make sure you tuck your layers into your pants/leggings: stops the draughts!

£9 for a glass of house wine in the restaurant in Reykjavik; be prepared.

Lots of money, it's really expensive.

Also, even though the temperature was almost the same as here when I went, if feels SO much colder! I wore thermal long sleeved tops under normal clothes, thermal leggings under my jeans and a coat and I was still bloody freezing and I run hot.

I forgot to post what I was going to.

I bought Gelert walking boots in Sports Direct for £20. They're waterproof and are the most comfortable walking shoes I've ever owned. DD and DH have them too and they're seriously good!

Thank you to both of you, going to check out mountain warehouse at the weekend.

Yes, got my wheely bag of money at the ready too!!! Although I feel living in London has prepared me for extortionate prices of alcohol.

Both my DD and DSis have been there recently.
It rained non-stop on my sisters trip so def the waterproof trousers. If you're near a Decathlon they are great for cheap and cheerful kit.
My DD said Blue Lagoon was her favourite. But you need to leave conditioner in your hair if you go in as your hair goes green....
Both loved it-DD lucky enough to see Northern Lights.
By layers it will be things you can peel on and off to adjust so more light layers versus one heavy one.
Have a fantastic trip!!

We went about five years ago and loved it. I hope you have more luck than us with the Northern Lights as it was too cloudy while we were there.

Can't add anything on the kit advice but one tip to pass on. At the airport before you leave airside go in to the duty free. The wine isn't cheap but it is less expensive than anywhere else.

No advice on the clothing, but wanted to say have an amazing time!
It’s the one place I would really love to go to....do come back and let us know how it went!

Pack, then pack a bit more! We've been to Finland at that time and it can be brutal. I'd pack all the jumpers you own. Layer up.

We were in Canada last Xmas and it was -30. 8 layers was what I was wearing to ski in.

Take it, if you don't wear it, no harm done (I only ever change my base layers, not the top ones), but you won't want to buy stuff there: think £300 for a wool jumper.

Ditto going to Decathlon. Layers are key. We went to Lapland one February, and under our snowsuits we wore:

A base layer, second layer and fleece
Thermal leggings, over leggings
Thermal waterproof gloves plus thin gloves underneath
Socks and thermal socks
Snood
Thermal hat
Snowboots

Never undersetimate how cold it will be, and you need to factor in the wind chill factor. Quite frankly I would forego the alcohol money to spend on layers. Being cold all the time will massively spoil your holiday.

Iceland doesn’t get anything like as cold as Lapland. Waterproof and windproof outer layers are a definite must and I wore thermal under layers with jumpers and either waterproof trousers or jeans depending on the weather on any given day. The wind in Iceland is insane in winter but temperatures aren’t that cold.

That makes sense Dumbledore, but we had no wind at all in Lapland. Wind chill makes it feel much much colder though.

You need to pack your inner child.

DH and I loved Reykjaviks animated projections of Gryla and her lads. My younger two were so concerned about the lads that they put their elder brothers shoes out on the windowcil rather than their own.

Gryla and the Yuletide lads

You can buy alcohol before you take off in the UK or when you land in Keflavik. We purchased wine boxes last time we went.

Some of the local ales are quite nice and not too badly priced.

For clothes lots of layers. Gloves and liners( or thin pair and over sized pair), socks and liners, I like a cotton neck warmer under a scarf.

Whale watching on the boat we went they provided oilskins.

If you have time the Whale museum is quite interesting. Not that big but has lots of full scale models of whales. A real eye opener to how big some are and how relatively small others are.

Being costal, Reykjavik often has a bit of a breeze so a hat to keep your hair in check or snood type things you can pull over ears and hair are useful.