Keep in mind that on a backpacking trip it is very important to bring as little as possible but still, bring enough. You don´t want your backpack to be too heavy. We will provide tents, cooking gear and food, so make sure you leave some space in your backpack for those things.
Clothing:
-Inner shirt and long john’s made of wool or synthetics. Two sets.
-Light fleece sweater or other equivalent sweater.
-Thicker fleece sweater or other equivalent sweater.
-One pair of trousers of a strong and light material that dries quickly.
-A jacket of waterproof material, Gore-Tex or equivalents is preferable. The jacket must have a hood that covers well ones head.
-Waterproof trousers from the same material as the jacket.
-A down jacket or a fiber jacked for chilly evenings.
-Hiking boots with a medium stiff and robust sole. They should either be leather or mixed leather and nylon. Gore-Tex is a preferable extra. Make sure that you don´t bring brand new shoes on the trek, you need to have worn them in before going on an multi day trek.
-One pair of wool gloves or mittens.
-Three pairs of wool socks.
-A good wool hat or balaclava.
-Shoes suitable for walking a short distance in water (for instance Crocs, sandals, old trainers or similar).
All inner clothing should be woolen or fleece/polyester. Those materials keep their insulation capacity when they get wet, which is essential for Icelandic conditions. Avoid all cotton materials, and jeans should never be worn during mountain hikes. The outer layer must be wind and waterproof. Good hiking boots are necessary and they should not be brand new. All gear must be wrapped in plastic bags before packing it in your backpack.
Other gear:
- Insulation mattress, preferably inflatable camping mat. You can rent an insulation mattress from Arctic Adventures.
- A sleeping bag. It is necessary that it is both warm and light. We recommend goose down with high fill power, since they are lighter than fiber sleeping bags. Bear in mind that isolation capacity of sleeping bags is usually highly exaggerated, so you will need one marked for -5°C or colder.
- Backpack for your gear and food carried during the trek. Size approx 80 L. It is not recommended that you carry more than 1/3 of your body weight in your backpack.
- A penknife.
- Walking sticks, one or two.
- Sunglasses and sun protection.
- Towel, toothbrush and other personal hygene objects.
- Camera.
NOTE: Once you book a trekking trip you will receive a more detailed equipment list via e-mail.