Iceland Camping Checklist
Iceland is a rare place that draws crowds for indulgences like geothermal spas and luxury hotels while also appealing to the nomads and drifters that ply the trails.
Somewhere between the two is a more intimate way to explore this gem, without sacrificing amenities like hot showers or a kitchen.
If you have ever wanted to take a camping tour of Iceland, you want to be prepared.
After all, you are probably flying and limited on space. But you also don’t want to be unprepared in the event of weather, which happens quite frequently in Iceland.
So if you are asking what to pack for camping in Iceland, you have come to the right place. We took our nephew on a 10 day tour around ring road and sampled some of the best campgrounds in Iceland.
In fact, you can read about them in our guide to Iceland’s best campsites.
We managed to pack everything we needed for 3 people camping for a week and a half with only our carry-on backpacks and 1 checked bag for all of us.
How did we do it?
By following this handy Iceland Camping Checklist
COMING SOON!
How to Pack All of This In Your Luggage
You can fit all of this in by planning carefully. To do this, we’ll start with our backpacks.
Think of packing what you would normally bring on a backpacking trip: Your tent, sleeping bag, change of clothes, camp stove, etc. We base that on our Wild Camping Checklist that goes into detail on our free PDF. Which you can download for free here.
Remember that you are carrying your backpack on the plane. That means no sharp objects; knives, forks, multitools all have to fit into the checked bag.
Also, no fuel can be brought on the plane at all. But don’t worry, you can get that once you get to Reykjavik. We wrote about it in our Best Campsites in Iceland post here. Go ahead and read that now. We’ll wait….
Back already? Ok, we’ll keep going.
The best part of packing your backpack this way is you will be ready to camp as soon as you land.
That means you’re not messing around with repacking to fit everything into the rental car. Just toss it in the trunk (boot for our international readers) and get on the road!
Renting A Car In Iceland
One of the best ways of getting around Iceland is by renting your own vehicle. We have rented an SUV for 4 people. It was roomy enough for all of us and all of our stuff for cold weather hiking.
We rented a Renault for 3 people and all of our camping equipment. With a surprisingly spacious trunk, we were quite comfortable.
And this fall we are returning for our third trip. This time it will just be the two of us ina campervan. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!
In the meantime, you can check out car rentals in Iceland right here. See which one is available for your next trip!
Rest Stop
Due to time constraints, we will continue this article at a later time. Stay tuned as we update this in the coming weeks.
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In the meantime, make a cup of coffee (here are 13 ways to make coffee for camping) and look over our other articles on camping around the world.
Here is the first article in a series on bucket list camping destinations. We interviewed some of the best new outdoor travel writers for their review of their favorite camping spots.
And if you are into camping in the United States and want to up your cooking game, consider adding a camping fridge to your arsenal. They aren’t as large and expensive as you think. But they are the worry-free way to keeping your food cool.
We wrote the ultimate guide to camping fridges earlier this year.
And if it’s hiking you’re into, well we have that covered too. We started a series exploring the best hiking in the world, starting with the Best Hiking In Asia.
And, ultimately Iceland is one of the best road trips in the world. And we know because we explored the whole list of the best in our series on road trips.
Start with The Best Road Trips in North America and see if you don’t agree.
But most importantly, consider travel insurance anytime you plan a vacation. We have partnered with Travel Insurance Masters to help you find the best travel insurance policy.
