The Travel BuddhaI need to figure out what to pack for Iceland… Our trip is officially less than 90 days away. We’ll be visiting in the beginning of June and I’m starting to think about what to pack for Iceland. I stopped in at Sierra Trading and found a few decent deals. With the exception of a bag of duck jerky for my pup, I purchased all of the items with the intent to pack them for Iceland. Today’s haul cost about $40 USD, which I think is reasonable. Let’s take a look at what I bought and why I made these particular purchases.
Taking Food to Iceland
I bought four of the Backpacker’s Pantry (gluten free) Granola with Bananas & Milk freeze dried meals. These particular meals were perfect for a few reasons. First, these have enough caloric content (620 calories) and the decent amount of protein (16G). I wanted something with some calories since we will be doing a bit of hiking and will need the extra energy, but I also wanted something that would sustain us a bit.
Next, I wanted something that did not require heating. There were some self-heating meals, but they were all less than 300 calories and took up to 10 minutes to heat. Nope. I don’t want even the seemingly minor hassle of having to wait to for my food to be heated. I did think about bringing my pocket camp stove, but then I’d have to purchase camp fuel in Iceland (or hope someone left some near the airport departures as they do sometimes). We’re only doing day hikes, so even though a warm meal sounds appealing, I’ll deal with it.
Finally, at $5.49 USD each, they’re a good price, especially when compared to the price of food in Iceland. Also, as a bonus, they were gluten free (my wife has gluten issues). Speaking of food issues, I guess there is a downside to choosing these particular meals. I will need to take a lactose pill prior to eating or puffins may start to fall from the Icelandic sky.
We also scored some Mountain House Lasagnas (#commissionsearned). They always hit the spot after a long day of hiking in cool weather – one of our favorites.
Some Other Stuff I’ll Pack for Iceland
I picked up two camping multi-purpose eating utensils for a $2 USD each. These lightweight, reusable spoon-fork-knife utensils that will work great for the trip. They’re perfect for car-picnics or to use when hiking, and they’re more environmentally-friendly than the throwaway single use utensils.
Hopefully, we won’t need any of the Grabber hand/feet/body warmers, but they at $2.50 USD for each multipack, I figured they would be good to have around. I’ll likely bring only one of the multipacks for my wife to use if needed. It’s pretty well known that Iceland can throw all kinds of weather at you in a very short period of time, so even being June, you never know.
The last item I picked up near the checkout registers. The travel blanket is for the plane ride to & from Iceland, but it can also be used as a small throw blanket in the apartment we rented for our stay. I bought this one based on how small it is; it’s about the size of a soda/beer can. It’s quite small and thin, so I’m not even sure if it was worth the $8 USD I paid for it. I have another fleece travel blanket (about the same dimensions) that is thicker and warmer, but it is about twice the bulk as this one. As it is with many travel items, it comes down to balancing weight, size, and purpose.
More Iceland Trip Packing to Come…
I’ll update with more detail in the coming weeks as I figure out what to pack for Iceland. We are flying with Icelandair and our tickets include one checked bag (up to 50 lbs), one carry-on bag (up to 20 lbs), and a personal item. My wife and I each plan to max out that allowance with clothes, hiking gear, food, and booze.
More to come…