3 min read

Gear List for Iceland

Drone shot of green field and bay

There is two lists of gear below, the first is a list of clothing, jackets, toiletry and general items we brought with us. The second list is the list we recommend for travel photography/vlogging.Yyou don't need to have all of this gear but this is what we found that worked well for us.

Man walking away from waterfall

Clothing and Gear

This is a general list of gear that "should" keep you warm and dry in the summer months, but we still recommend checking the weather a few days before you are going. Bring extra layers (see bolded Items below)!

  • GORE-TEX Shell Jacket !! (look at these brands: Arc'teryx, Black Diamond, Outdoor Research, North Face)
  • Down Jacket (aka puffy-coat, look at the same brands as above)
  • Wool sweater or fleece jacket
  • 4-6 pairs of underwear
  • 3-4 short short sleeve shirts
  • 2-3 Long sleeve shirts (or flannels)
  • 1-2 pairs of hiking pants (Fajallraven or Arc'reryx are my recommended brands)
  • 2 pairs of jeans/leggings (+ Belt if you use them)
  • 4 Pairs of socks
  • 1 pair of hiking books (Salomon are my favorites)
  • 1 pair of comfy shoes/tennis shoes
  • Shampoo & Conditioner
  • Body wash
  • Wash-machine detergent (travel size or pick up a small bottle in Reykjavik)
  • Tooth brush & toothpaste
  • other toiletries (makeup, hairbrush, etc.)
  • Advil (or other medicines you carry/need)
  • Melatonin gummies (really helped sleeping on the plane or getting on the right sleep scheduled)
  • Phone + GoogleFi sim (worked great for us, but you can also get an Icelandic sim for a good price)
  • Phone Chargers
  • GPS (if you have one, but google maps works pretty well, sometimes off by a little)
  • Euro plug adapters (unless you have euro plugs for your chargers)
  • 12V car USB charger (or 12v inverter would have been useful on the long car rides for charging misc items)
  • Travel towel (helps you dry off with the rain)
  • Winter hat/wool cap
  • gloves (somthing thats good down to 35F or 2-3C)
  • daypack backpack for hikes
  • Water-bottle (all the tap water is good and bottle water can be expensive)
  • hand sanatizer
Car on the tundra

Camera Gear

This is my recommended gear however, this is just what I brought with me and what I found most useful.

  • Sony Mirror-less camera (i.e a7S III, a7 III,a7R IV, a1) (just 1 is needed)
  • 16-35mm GM f2.8 (or any wide angle you have)
  • 70-200 GM f2.8 (But really a longer one might be better like a 100-400mm/150-600mm if you want to capture birds)
  • Camera Rain Cover (a shower cap can work in a pinch)
  • B+W Clear Lens Filters (should stay on your lens, most brands are fine)
  • Polar Pro Variable ND Filter (2-5 stop should do for most days as its cloudy but 6-9 stop might be nice when its sunny)
  • B+W CPL filter (helps knock down the glare of the rain)
  • Peak Design's Every Day Backpack (any water resistant photography specific backpack will work, water resistant is the key here)
  • Peak Design's Tripod (but if you already have a tripod you like, use that)
  • Any Camera Specific chargers (+ Car charger if you have it)

Video Specific:

This gear is mostly video/vlogging specific. I tried to keep this as minimal as possible and as light as possible

  • Sony ZV-1 (With Ulanzi WL-1 Wide Angle/Macro Lens)
  • Sony micro tripod (or something to help hold the camera)
  • Deity V-Mic D4 Duo
  • Rode Shotgun Microphone
  • Rode\Tentacle Sync Lavalier mic* (I didn't bring this, but should have with the wind)
  • Tentacle Sync Track E* (to go along with the Lavalier)
  • Small light panel (check out Lume Cube Panel Go or Aperture MC)
  • DJI Air 2S + Extra Battery ( I may also recommend a car charger for this as it may be useful on a long car trips)