5 Packing Tips for Fall Weather in Iceland
- Jenna Knox
- Jul 24, 2018
- 6 min read
When we took our trip to Iceland, we decided to go in the fall so we could get enough sunlight to enjoy the day and see waterfalls and mountains, but also have a chance of catching a glimpse of the northern lights at night. Here are some tips from our fall Iceland adventure that will hopefully help you prepare for a trip of a lifetime.
1. It WILL RAIN on you... Bring appropriate clothes for getting wet
Since we were going during the fall, we were lucky enough to not completely freeze. Though the temperatures were not in the extreme ranges, we did get hit with a LOT of rain.
I recommend the following to be included in your backpack or suitcase at minimum:
At least 2 pairs of comfortable (and preferably somewhat waterproof) shoes.
I bought a pair of Keen hiking boots right before the trip and I would definitely say I got my money's worth. I wore my hiking boots almost the entire trip. The reason I say you should bring 2 pairs of comfortable shoes is because if your trip is anything like ours, your first pair is likely going to get soaked at some point. My Keen boots held up well to the rain, but the unexpected mistake on my part is that my pants were not waterproof. One of the days when it was pouring down rain, my pants soaked through, got my leggings wet, in turn soaking my socks which were layered over the bottom of my leggings. The water traveled all the way from my pants to toes and my shoes ended up getting nice little puddles inside them. I was not accounting for the fact that they could get wet from the inside out, instead of the more common way of getting wet on the outside and having it soak in. Drying out waterproof shoes while traveling around in a campervan is not the easiest task. I switched to my second pair of shoes until my first pair dried again.
2 rain jackets or waterproof coats
Similar to the shoes, one of your rain jackets is going to eventually soak through if it's raining, unless you have a very high quality jacket, and you're gonna want to switch to the dry one while the wet one dries out.
2 pairs of waterproof or water resistant pants.
There are tons of options out there for water resistant pants, but my favorite was the one I already had in my closet. The tactical pants that we wear for work are a great option for water resistant pants that are comfortable and have lots of pockets to hold all sorts of odds and ends (or snacks on hikes). I use 5.11 Tactical Stryke Pants, but like I said, any water proof or water resistant pants will do.
If waterproof pants are an option, I would go with that. If you're wondering why, please refer back to my story of my puddle filled shoes :) My 5.11 pants were great for comfort and keeping out most of the water though, and they were quick to dry even once they were soaked. I brought along a pair of jeans on the trip as well, but mostly just wore my tactical pants. Jeans tend to take a while to dry once they are wet.
Just like with the jackets and shoes, I recommend two pairs for when the first pair gets wet.
We may look happy here (and we were) but what you can't see from the picture is the puddles inside our shoes... By the way, those pants I'm wearing were originally LIGHT grey in color.
2. Layers, Layers, Layers
The weather in Iceland during Fall can have you changing your outfit as many times as a runway model. Layers are key.
Going on hikes or long walks can quickly warm up your body, even when the temperature outside is chilly. Being able to add layers when cold, and peel them off again once you warm up, makes a huge difference.
Make sure to bring a good scarf (or two) to keep your neck warm.
A chunky knit headband can keep your ears protected from the wind chill and is great when you want your hair up in a pony tail or bun. Mine was courtesy of my talented sister :)
Similarly, a beanie will keep your noggin warm on those windy days.
Gloves!!! I brought a pair of fingerless gloves that ended up being very useful when trying to manipulate camera equipment. They kept most of my hands warm while also letting me easily change settings on my camera or unlock my phone.
Rain jackets, waterproof pants, waterproof shoes (see above)
Flannels - because I live in the Pacific North West and that's one of our staple clothing items.
Puffy jacket - Again, I live in the PNW. Puffy jackets keep you warm while also easily compacted into a small space when not in use. Great for stuffing into a tightly packed suitcase or backpack.
Leggings - Leggings or long johns are a great extra layer to have under pants for added warmth.
Socks, socks and more socks.
​Long socks, short socks, fuzzy socks, wool socks. You can never have too many socks, especially in case a pair gets wet and you need to switch to a new pair.
3. Bring a Poncho, Not an Umbrella
Ponchos were one of the things we forgot to bring with us to Iceland, and we were kicking ourselves while we hiked through a gorge being pounded by rain the whole time. We assumed we would be okay with our water resistant clothes, but we were sadly wrong. We were soaked down to the skin by the end of our hike, and each time we passed another tourist with a poncho, we got a little more jealous of their smart thinking.
Now if you're anything like me, you think Ponchos are ugly. My mom always tried to get me to wear one as a kid. We had a few bright purple ponchos that sat in our cupboard for years. I hated the idea of wearing a big plastic bag over my outfit as a kid, but all I could think of were those purple plastic bags and how much I wish I had them when I was dripping wet in Iceland.
Another great thing about ponchos is the ease with which you can take them off and bundle them up when you are done using them. There were many times where we peeled off our rain jackets and tried to shake them out and fold them up neatly so the water wouldn't continue to soak through the jackets. Ponchos are literally plastic that water is not getting through. Shake it off, toss it in the back, and call it a day until you get to your next destination where you need to pull it out.
The reason I say not to bring an umbrella is that the lay of the land in Iceland makes it a very windy country. With all the wind, any time it was raining the rain was coming sideways. I don't remember a time during the trip where the rain was coming straight down. Umbrellas really only help with rain that's coming down, but not rain that is coming at you at a 45 degree angle.
I'm pretty sure my mom was never actually able to get me to wear the purple ponchos we had, so there probably isn't a photo for illustrative purposes. I'll have to stick with the generic photo for this one.
4. Shoe Ponchos/Booties
Okay now this one is going to sound pretty ridiculous but bear with me. Shoe Ponchos...
You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about and why you would possibly need them.
We saw multiple people in Iceland that were wearing these silly little shoe ponchos. I think the initial idea is to let people see your stylish shoes while also keeping them dry. If you know me, you know I'm much more into comfort than style. But that is also where these come in. Why would I want wet shoes when I could have dry shoes... dry is much more comfortable. If you don't have waterproof shoes, or you don't think its going to rain much, you could always bring along a pair of these shoe covers to keep your sneakers dry if you do run into rain. As I walked with puddles in my shoes, each step feeling more squishy than the last, I saw some people wearing these silly things and I was considering asking where they got them. If you're thinking this might be a good option for you, I've linked up amazon to the picture so you can add them to your cart.
If I go to Iceland again in the rainy season, you can bet that I'll be adding these to my Amazon cart.
***And for those of you that ARE into fashion, it looks like there are weirdly quite a few options to fit different preferences :)
5. Hand Warmers
Hand warmers are a great invention that take up very little space. Toss a few packs of these in your suitcase or backpack and instantly warm up your fingers (or toes if you get the foot warmers) when you're cold.
Hopefully these tips will help you when packing for your trip so you can stay warm and dry while exploring the marvels of the beautiful country of Iceland.