Iceland Packing in July

Shoes:
Columbia hiking shoes
Dress sandals
Sanuk flip-flops

Review:

I wore all of the shoes multiple times. The hiking shoes looked like running shoes but with better traction and were water resistant, not waterproof. Which ended up being absolutely fine, even in Iceland. The flip-flops were crucial for the onboard spa and the thermal spas we visited. Dress sandals were nice, but I wish I had found a lighter option as they were a little heavy and took up too much space.

Tech/Entertainment:

5 books, all softcover. I only read 3 though!
Journal
Iphone
Converter w/USB plugs
Phone charger (pink with a clip to hold it together - recommend getting one that is not white or black so it stands out in hotel rooms!)
Maps from guidebooks
Hard copies of reservations, etc (thrown out as we used them)
4 pens
2 earphones for the plane

Review:

We had both F and C converters, as I had read Iceland uses both but we only saw/used F. So take that for what it’s worth. Both our hotel in Reykjavik and the cruise had ample USB ports so it was never really an issue as we were only plugging in phones and the camera.

Toiletries:

Shampoo and Conditioner (2 oz each, from previous hotel stay)
Hand cream (only one this time, I can learn a lesson)
Full sized razor
Body pouf
Shower gel (2 oz, previous hotel)
Toothbrush
Travel toothpaste (crest)
Sunscreen (Neutrogena stick)
Eye drops (0.5 oz, Walmart brand)
2 emery boards
Tweezers
Deodorant (Arm and Hammer, full size)
25 count facial wipes (Neutrogena)
Mario Bedescu facial spray (2 oz)
Dry shampoo (Not your mother’s, 2 oz)
Hairspray (2 oz)
Clinique mini face care, cleanser, toner and moisturizer (0.5 oz each)
Anti-chafe stick (1 oz)
All of the above fit in a small toiletries bag

Make up:

Neutrogena tinted moisturizer with SPF (1 oz)
Cover Girl simply ageless liquid foundation (1 oz)
Elf eyeshadow palette, small
Clinique Concealer (0.7 oz)
Elf mascara
Elf primer (0.5 oz)
Elf stick blush
Nivea tinted lip balm x2
Cover Girl compact
Eyeshadow brush
Elf eye pencil
Small detangler brush
Large comb
Small perfume (Clinique Happy. 0.05 oz)
All of this fit in a small toiletry bag from Home Goods

Review:

I wanted to run out of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, and my facial wipes - and I did! I could have left sunscreen at home, but I didn’t regret having it. These containers got significantly lighter as the trip went on!

Misc:

12 oz water bottle
Sunglasses (GoodR)
1 pack WetWipes
1 pack flushable wipes
2 foldable grocery bags
Foldable laundry bag
Snacks (protein bars, packs of trail mix, dried fruit)
5 masks
Hand sanitizer (1 oz)
2 mesh covers for midges
Insect repellent
Travel laundry sheets
2 lanyards for cruise cards
Waterproof phone cover
2 card games
Small febreeze spray bottle

Review

Wipes of all kinds came in handy, whether I was wiping down tray tables and arm rests on planes or the hotel room remote control. Flushable wipes (which I would never flush in non-US plumbing!) were handy when I ran into a bathroom without paper or needed to wash my hands from something sticky, and several of the bathrooms at waterfalls were out of toilet paper. And the foldable grocery bags were used almost daily. I ended up not needed the mesh covers (goes over your head/hat to protect you from midges) or the bug spray but I can’t be mad about that!! I also didn’t use the phone cover, which I thought we would at the lagoons, but I need it for our next trip anyway so it’s fine.

Medicine:

1 large humangear tub w/ my daily medications
1 large humangear tub w/ excedrin and RX migraine medication
1 small humangear tub w/ advil and excedrin for my purse
12 Halls cough drops
Bonine
4 doses of Advil cold + sinus
4 doses of Tylenol
Nose spray
4 bandaids
2 alcohol wipes
1 sheet of pre-cut moleskin
1 sheet of chewable pepto
1 sheet of anti-diarrhea medication
2 doses of cold relief powder

Review

All of these definitely fall into ‘better to have and not need than need and not have!’, so I didn’t mind carrying them around. After last year’s trip, I beefed up this kit and I’m not upset about it. Luckily, the only things I used out of it were some of the bonine for a couple of bumpy tender rides.

Money/Documents:

I’m not a money belt person. I kept my single credit card in a pink cc holder (coach) in my purse (being pink, it was easy to spot). I had my backup credit cards in a separate cc zip (vera bradley) that had a key chain on it, so I clipped that into my bag. We never got cash, and never felt that we needed it.

After the last trip I switched to a small Adidas cross-body or sling bag. It was big enough for essentials including my water bottle, but never too heavy or cumbersome. I kept hand sanitizer and a mask in the front pocket, wallet and passports in an inside zipper. Water bottle and tissues and wipes in the main compartment along with (seldom needed) sunglasses.

Overall:

My checked bag came in around 35 pounds, but had great wheels and maneuverability. My backpack remains a travel favorite, but is always heavy because it is so convenient that I over-pack it.

I probably could have shaved off 1 pound by removing dress sandals and switching them for something lighter and getting rid of the heavier scarf and bug spray.

I used packing cubes for organization. 1 med sized cube held all of my tops, 1 med sized cube held all of my bottoms, 1 small cube held all of my underthings. A second small cube had pajamas, scarf, and swimsuit. I put my 2 dresses in a shoe bag. A plastic zippered airline-compliant liquids bags held my liquids/necessities for the plane which included things like chapstick, mints, mini toothbrush (those Whisk things), and ear phones for the plane entertainment system.

Bought along the way:

We are not big souvenir people, and everything in Iceland is crazy expensive. I picked up some Icelandic candies and lava salt for gifts, some postcards, a keychain, and a Christmas ornament, as well as 2 prints from the ship. I don’t think my husband bought anything.

MVPs:

Foldable grocery bags - used constantly either as a shopping bag or to use around the ship to cart around my book and journal.
Green long-sleeved blouse. This was a tech item I got at Sierra, but it looked good. I wore it over a tech t-shirt or over the black t-shirt or tank for dinners in Reykjavic with jeans and felt put together. It also washed and dried on the line easily.
Columbia shoes. Even though they weren’t waterproof, I stepped in puddles and walked in the rain without wet feet the entire time.

LVPs:

North Face ¼ zip. The day I needed it I really needed it, but I wish I had brough a thin baselayer instead
Fancy sandals - too heavy and not as comfortable as I thought. I wish I had brought a ballet flat instead

I think that’s it! Our temperatures were generally 45-60 degrees, and while we experienced a lot of rain it was never a deluge, more of a drizzle. We were somehow always on a bus or in transit when it really rained, and winds were very mild while we were there. But I know Iceland is luck of the draw, and I could have needed my heavy jacket or rain pants every day!

Thank you for sharing! This is so timely for me, as I leave in 8 days for Iceland (5 days in Reykjavik + a 7 night cruise around Iceland on Windstar).

I currently have everything packed in a very small roller from IKEA that fits the carryon requirements and a suitcase style backpack (it's a personal item in the US on carriers like United and Southwest). It works because I get 2 carryon items on Icelandic Air because we're in Saga Class. While the suitcases aren't overpacked, they are full. I've been debating taking my 22" Travelpro roller instead of the IKEA bag and just shipping it through. I'd pack a cube with some clothes as a just in case. It's easier to pack at the end of the trip when you have some leeway of space (well, at least for me)

I am glad that worked for you. I admit, you lost me though as we are minimal packers and do carryon only, even to Iceland for weeks at a time. Enjoy the salts, I always bring a bunch of those back from our trips and use them almost daily in my cooking.

You were very lucky with the weather:) My husband is there now, although on a sailing yacht, but the winds and rain were just relentless the last few days.

PandaBear--I head back again next month. I do usually check a bag for coming home, as we always end up buying more stuff than will fit in our bags for the weight to do carryon on the way back. I bring a LeSportsac bag for coming home as it only weighs 1#, so that becomes my carryon for coming home. I do also buy hot dogs to bring home, so I bring a super thin cooler bag and then check those in my bag vs carryon since it is colder in the luggage hold than in the cabin. That works to keep them cold enough.

Thank you! I really appreciate that you shared such an itemized list! I always learn something new and so glad you had a great trip!
I wanted to share a tip for "pre-real-trip" family visits, something happening more for me now, in my last case, a wedding! I used a packd envelope and my wedding weekend clothes did get back to my home address while I was in my trip. Caveat- domestic US only.
https://packdbags.com/
I always take 3 Covid tests (unboxed) because they take up 0 room. Especially if you are on a ship or not in a big city.
I think it was a good call to have the insect coverage- again, not much space but can make a huge difference if needed.
Thank you again and welcome home!

PandaBear--I head back again next month. I do usually check a bag for
coming home, as we always end up buying more stuff than will fit in
our bags for the weight to do carryon on the way back. I bring a
LeSportsac bag for coming home as it only weighs 1#, so that becomes
my carryon for coming home. I do also buy hot dogs to bring home, so I
bring a super thin cooler bag and then check those in my bag vs
carryon since it is colder in the luggage hold than in the cabin. That
works to keep them cold enough.

Thank you! I was thinking of bringing my smaller Coach bag. It’s 11 years old and packable. About the size of my older LeSportSac bag.

But then I figured (based on your post) maybe just ship through my Travelpro on the way and carry on my backpack and the packable tote. I won’t be able to fit everything, but I will have enough that if the absolute worst happens and my bag is gone forever, I’d be okay. I’ve never had a bag lost and only once did our family have a delayed bag and we had it delivered in under 24 hours. So I’m not super worried.

I’m usually not a big souvenir person at all. But I do want to bring back some gifts like salt and chocolate. I contract a little since I’ve been retired and one agency is paying me an absolutely obscene amount of money for only a 50 hour contract, so I’d like to bring back chocolate for them!!

PandaBear - Congrats on being able to fit everything into carryon! I make no claims on being a minimal packer, although I did do 3 weeks last year in a technically carry-on sized bag. With minimal transfers on this trip, it simply didn't bother me to bring a larger bag and that way I knew I had everything I needed. I'd likely bring the same bag again, just probably lighter. I do a smaller bag when we have a lot of moving from different hotels, trains, etc.

Great idea about sending a package home! Although again, with our generous allowance on Delta there was no reason to not just pick it up on the way back to Utah.

Happy travels all!