Iceland in Winter: What to Pack: Clothing

Cold and windy that day

Iceland in late December gets cold and windy.  Expect to experience below freezing temperatures and even colder wind chills.  Be prepared for it to snow and for the wind to blow the snow into your face.  The sidewalks and streets and tourist areas, especially around water, can be slick.  And, you can wait for the bus for your tour or to the airport for quite some time in the cold.

Unless you live in a city with a non-stop flight, expect at least a two hour delay in an airport and perhaps a good deal of walking between gates.  The airports are hot.  The planes themselves can be chilly unless the flight is packed.  And, no matter where in Iceland you go, the cold outside counters the hot inside.

The key to regulating your temperature throughout it all is layers and your ability to zip or unzip or remove and store easily.  This is what I brought with me that kept me warm and it all fit in a carry-on backpack and personal item.

Let’s start at the bottom.  Feet.  You will be walking on a lot of packed snow and ice.  My toes stayed toasty wearing good socks inside my boots.  I wore insulated, waterproof, ankle high hiking boots for the entire time.  Yes, I wore them through security and onto the plane.  I was able to untie them in line at security easily and tie them again on the benches after.  On my five hour flight across the Atlantic, I removed the boots, only slipping them on, tucking the laces inside, to use the bathroom.  I did buy these boots specially for this trip.  However, I live in western Pennsylvania and will be able to use these all winter.  They worked great with the crampons for walking on glaciers as well as with my Yak Trax that I used while walking on slippery surfaces.  No snow or water entered.  I trudged through deep snow and stepped in a puddle.  My feet stayed dry.

My feet also did not sweat in my insulated boots because I only wore merino wool socks.  I had thick hiking socks that I wore most of the time as well as a thin wool liner with a medium wool hiking sock.  All my socks were crew length.  Because of merino wool, I was able to wear a pair more than once.  They did not smell nor were they drenched when I took them off at night.

For around the hotel, I brought a quilted slip on shoe that also kept my feet warm when I ran outside looking for northern lights.  The backs were able to push down to wear like a slide or slipper.  They were great with socks or without.

On my legs, I wore two layers every day.  Against my skin, I wore a mid-weight 100% merino wool base layer.  The socks went over the base layer.  On top of that, I had a flannel lined, softshell pant.  The softshell means wind and water resistant.  Water rolled off the pants, and my legs stayed dry walking through deep snow.  These pants are much thinner than traditional snow pants that you would wear for skiing.  The stretch made them comfortable to wear.  Plus, they took much less room in my luggage.  The straight legs had an elastic in the hem with a toggle that would keep it tight against the boot.  Wearing these pants with crampons was no problem.  The guide said that pants with wide ankles could get caught in the spikes.  On travel day, I wore no base layer under my pants.

For my core, I always had on my base layer top and a fleece.  The base is mid-weight 100% merino wool.  I bought the top and bottom as a set.  For my weeklong trip, I had two sets that I rotated.  I wore the base layer shirt tucked into my outer pants.  The fleece is a full zip with a high neck and zippered pockets.  I also brought two fleeces that I rotated with the base layers.  During my initial travel day, I wore a lighter weight merino wool blend base with a three-quarter fleece.  The three-quarter fleece did not work well as I could not open it fully to regulate my temperature.  I got extremely hot in the airport and had to take it off.  The full zip regulates my temperature much better as I can unzip as far as I need.  I would do this on the tour bus as well as inside buildings such as shops and restaurants.

Reykjavik

Over it all, I had a three in one windproof and waterproof coat with a hood that came to my upper thigh.  The coat zipped up to my chin.  Its hood pulled tight around my face with an elastic string and toggles.  The wrists had Velcro closures that can be used to secure gloves or mittens.  After trying it on, I bought a size larger than I normally would to accommodate layers.  It has two zippered pockets and two Velcro pockets on the outer shell, two zippered pockets on the inner layer, and pit zips for venting.  I can wear this coat as my big winter coat, for any snow activities like sledding or skiing, or I can break it down for fall and spring wear.

I accessorized with a merino wool neck gaiter, merino wool beanie, liner gloves, and down mittens.  The neck gaiter I found to be much better than a scarf.  With its slim profile, it tucked in a pocket well.  The wool kept my neck warm, and I could pull it up over my nose easily.  While walking/hiking, I could adjust the neck gaiter for my comfort using my big mittens.  

The slim merino wool beanie fit close to my head.  Its fold up brim kept my ears and head warm.  When the winds blew, I could quickly pull my hood over the hat.  I brought a bulkier beanie that I discovered on the first day could not easily fit under the coat’s hood.  You never knew when you needed to pull that hood up to protect you from the wind.  Changing hats on the fly wasn’t an option and removing the hat to raise the hood wouldn’t protect you from the cold.

My liner gloves worked my phone well when I wanted to take pictures.  They also gave me slight protection from the wind and cold, but not much.  If I wore them alone too long, my fingers would feel the cold.  Under my mittens, they wicked away any moisture so that my hands didn’t sweat.  

The mittens had down insulation with a leather outside which kept my hands warm or warmed them quickly when I took too many pictures in the cold.  Although, I wear gloves on any given winter day, mittens keep my hands warmer than gloves.  I chose down because it is natural, compresses well for packing, and is one of, if not, the best insulators.  Yes, if down gets wet, it no longer insulates.  However, most down outerwear and accessories have at least a water-resistant outer layer, which works well in the snow.  The best feature of my mittens is the wrist straps.  I could slide off one mitten and it would hang on my wrist while I took pictures.  Super convenient.

Let’s not forget the unmentionables.  Do not wear cotton next to your skin.  It does not dry well which can make you cold.  This goes for any and all layers.  I wore microfiber and merino wool undies.  Microfiber is a lot less expensive if you go with brands like Fruit of a Loom over Exofficio.  As of this writing, both Exofficio and merino wool panties will run roughly $30 a pair.  You can get them on sale, which I recommend.  Merino wool panties are unbelievably comfy.  Ladies, wear your most comfortable bra that also gives you support.  You will be in this for over 12 hours a day.

I wore my synthetic base layers (Cuddle Duds) as jammies because of how slim they were for packing.  I found myself way too hot at night.  Next time, I might spend the money on silk.

Everything I brought can be used again.  In fact, I will be using most of it this winter.  I have already started wearing the socks all the time.  I love the merino wool socks and I buy them on sale in all thicknesses and styles for everyday.  The fleece and merino wool tops can be worn on their own.  The full zip fleece can be used as a jacket in spring or fall as well.  The merino wool bottoms can go under dress pants for added warmth.  I wear the quilted shoes around the house and to take the dog out.

Try things on.  Once you know your size, you can order online.  Don’t be afraid of clearance styles or colors.  I got plenty on clearance or from outlets.  Saved a lot of money buying clearance items.  Do not go for fashion over function.  Those people were profusely cold on my tour.  Don’t over bring.  If you choose quality, you can pack less.  I will be returning to Iceland.  Even if it’s during a different season, I will be bringing a lot of these items with me.

Brands that I wore and liked:

     Boots: Keen
     Shoes: The North Face
     Socks: Smartwool, Farm to Feet, Icebreaker
     Base layers (top and bottom): Merino Tech
     Pants: Mountain Hardwear
     Fleece: REI
     Coat: The North Face
     Accessories: Smartwool, The North Face, Obermeyer
     Unmentionables: Fruit of a Loom, Exofficio, REI