IMG Iceland Trek Gear List
This equipment list is meant to help you compile your personal gear for your trek. Most items are required. Please consider each item carefully and be sure you understand the function of each piece of equipment before you substitute or delete items. Don't cut corners on the quality of your gear.
| Travel Items: | |
| [ ] | Duffel Bag: One duffle will accompany you on the trek. Duffels are required and should be sturdy and waterproof with your name written on bag (in case the tag is lost). Bags with wheels are nice for the airport, but will not work during your trek, so don't bring wheeled bags or suitcases. You will also store some travel clothes at the hotel while trekking, so a smaller additional bag with a lock might be handy. Tip: Bring 5 large plastic garbage bags to pack gear inside duffels to protect gear from rain. |
| [ ] | Daypack: Large daypack or bag with a shoulder strap, so you don't have to set it down while doing the duffle shuffle or handling travel documents while going through passport control and customs at the airport. |
| [ ] | Locks: TSA Locks or zip ties |
| [ ] | Travel Wallet: Important for carrying your important documents including passport, extra photos, duffel inventory list, and money. We suggest that you use a travel wallet that you can hang around your neck and place inside your shirt, or around your waist tucked under your shirt or trousers. |
| [ ] | Passport (valid for at least 6 months after the trip ends with enough extra pages for visa stamps and in same name as airline ticket (or with endorsement-for women who changed name w/ marriage). |
| [ ] | Additional passport photos |
| [ ] | Photocopy of passport and photocopy of flight itinerary
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| Trekking Gear: | |
| [ ] | Trekking Poles: Get collapsible poles that can attach to your backpack and bring rubber tips to protect the delicate vegetation |
| [ ] | Backpacks: The "day pack" is great for a travel carry-on and may be big enough for the trek (need room for your clothes, water, camera, food, etc. during the day while hiking). Climbers will need a larger pack (25-40-liter size is popular) and this will also be fine for the trek. |
| [ ] | Pack Cover: Waterproof rain cover for your pack. |
| [ ] | Small closed cell foam pad to sit on during lunch breaks |
| [ ] | Sleeping Bag: Rated to at least 0 to 15° Fahrenheit. Synthetic or Down. (The huts are heated) |
| [ ] | Sleeping Bag Liner for the final night of the trek.
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| Footwear: | |
| [ ] | Lightweight Shoes: Running/tennis shoes for around town |
| [ ] | Hiking Boots: Medium-weight hiking boots, waterproofed and broken-in. |
| [ ] | Gaiters |
| [ ] | River Shoes: Closed toe walking sandals with a good grip along with a pair of warm or neoprene socks for the river crossings. Open sandals or flip-flops will not work. |
| [ ] | Socks: 3 complete changes of socks, in a combination that you have used and know works for you.
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| Clothing: | |
| [ ] | Base Layer: 1 pair synthetic long johns with 2 pairs of synthetic long sleeve trekking shirts: Lightweight or Midweight |
| [ ] | Mid Layers: One additional warm layer (wool sweater, fleece jacket, shelled vest, light puffy, etc.). |
| [ ] | Shell Jacket: Waterproof/breathable jacket with hood. |
| [ ] | Shell Pants: Waterproof/breathable pants (full side zips are best). |
| [ ] | Puffy jacket: Synthetic or Down Sweater that you can fit over your other clothing for additional warmth |
| [ ] | Trekking Pants: Look for construction that provides freedom of movement and/or stretch materials. Fabric should be a breathable synthetic that preferably holds up to abrasion and dries quickly. You can wear them over long johns if it is cold. |
| [ ] | Trekking Clothes: Light hiking pants and / or hiking shorts for warm weather down low- NOT cotton. Shirts for hiking on nice days (t-shirts OK, quick-drying synthetic fabric far better.) |
| [ ] | Casual Clothes: For travel/meals in hotels. You'll want a shirt or two with a collar to wear on flights and for restaurants. A sweatshirt or light jacket might be nice in the evening. |
| [ ] | Bathing Suit: If you would like to get in the hot geothermal pool in Landmannalauger |
| [ ] | Trekking Shorts in case it is warm |
| [ ] | Casual Clothing for the huts: Bring a comfortable change of clothes to wear in the huts after the day of trekking. We like sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt or comfortable pants.
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| Clothing Accessories: | |
| [ ] | Gloves: Light gloves for hiking and warm ski gloves. |
| [ ] | Hats: Warm wool or heavy fleece hat, sun hat and bandana. |
| [ ] | A "Buff" or light balaclava to breathe through in the cold dry air and to protect your airway. |
| [ ] | Sun/Rain hat
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| Camp Accessories: | |
| [ ] | Headlamp: With several sets of extra batteries. |
| [ ] | Water Bottles: 2 water bottles |
| [ ] | Water Treatment: Iodine tablets (Potable Aqua or similar) or iodine crystals (Polar Pure). |
| [ ] | Camera: With spare batteries and memory cards. |
| [ ] | Pocket Knife. |
| [ ] | Towel: Lightweight and packable |
| [ ] | Pillow case to stuff your puffy jacket in to use as a pillow.
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| Personal Accessories: | |
| [ ] | Wrist Watch: With alarm and light for reading in the dark. We like the Suunto ones. |
| [ ] | Eyewear: Bring good sunglasses. For contact lens wearers, ski goggles with light color lenses (for use at night) might be useful in windy conditions that cause blowing dust. |
| [ ] | Vision correction: Bring extra prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses if you wear them. Lens solutions are not widely available in Nepal, bring enough. |
| [ ] | Skin Care: Maximum SPF sunscreen and lip balm. |
| [ ] | Basic First Aid and personal: Bring plenty of hand sanitizer (Purell). Also, you'll want moleskin, tape), ibuprofen / acetaminophen, Imodium and Pepto Bismol for diarrhea, Band-Aids, antacid, insect repellant, ear plugs) |
| [ ] | Toilet paper, soap and shampoo |
| [ ] | Prescription Medications:
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| [ ] | Cold medicine (Sudafed, etc.), Chloroseptic or Tessalon Perles throat lozenges. |
| [ ] | Books/ iPod/ Kindle/etc. |
| [ ] | Power bank for recharging your electronics. Solar panels usually do not work very well in Iceland. Charging your electronics in the Highlands is not always an option and can be expensive if available. |
| [ ] | Power Plugs in Iceland: Type F: also known as "Schuko". This socket also works with plug C and plug E. power-plugs-sockets.com/iceland/
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