This was one of the main questions we had before we departed. Our trip to Reykjavik was for 4 days, 3 nights, including travel to and from the UK.
We had heard and read so many things about how cold, wet, and windy it is. Being from England, we thought “how bad can it be?”. We’re so glad we took the extra precautions…
During our stay we experienced rain, sleet, snow, and 70mph gusts.
1. Thermals
The winner of this point based on the value for money, comfort and warmth was Primark based on their ‘Thermo Layer’ brand. They sell men and women’s thermal tops and bottoms between £6 – £11 each, and we couldn’t complain. We originally looked on Amazon, but the reviews were mixed for items of a similar price.
2. Waterproofs
This is a must. We saw so many people walking around town in jeans and they looked…damp. Jeans take so long to dry when they’re wet, and it’s cold. We picked up a pair of waterproof bottoms from GoOutdoors for around £25 each, which went over our layers and they were perfectly comfortable. Lots of the locals have waterproof bottoms on it seems, too.
The same goes with a coat, pick up a waterproof and wind proof coat. It might seem like an over exaggerated solution, but it was nice to be protected from the elements when wondering around the town…and not being wet afterwards. We both opted for Regatta coats with a fleece lining which were on offer from TK Maxx for £49 (RRP £149).
We’re not suggesting you need to go out and buy expensive Regatta coats for a second, but certainly shop around, you never know your luck.
3. Layers
We’ve mentioned thermals and we’ve mentioned waterproofs. What else do you need? Layers!
This needs to be judged by the weather forecast. For our time in Iceland, it was around 5 degrees Celsius over the 4 days. So one day it might have been thermal layer and then waterproofs, or another day a middle layer of a thin pair of tracksuit bottoms did the trick!
As for the top half, we had three layers plus a coat. Thermal, T-shirt, jumper or fleece. Most of things we had already, but we picked up an extra couple of fleeces from GoOutdoors again to be on the safe side.
You may be thinking…but it’s considered warm in England when its 5 degrees. However, the weather can change so quickly from one extreme to the other, layer up!
4. Shoes
You need good, solid, waterproof walking boots. We saw people wondering around in plain and simple trainers, and wondered just how wet their feet must have been considering most of the puddles (due to melting snow and ice) were at least 4-5 inches deep. Think…Vicar of Dibley splashing in puddles and then falling in one!
We had already bought walking boots from GoOutdoors:
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/16266844/peter-storm-mens-arnside-ii-vent-walking-shoe-16266844
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15986943/peter-storm-women-s-millbeck-waterproof-walking-boot-15986943
5. Accessories
Now we need to talk about hats, scarves, gloves, socks, etc.
Hats – we purchased these off Amazon, thermal options for £10-£15 like this one
Gloves – we find it irritating when you have to take a glove off each time you want to take a picture or video. Introducing, smart gloves. They’re not perfect, but it means that 90% of the time you can use your thumb and index finger for your phone, and stay warm at the same time.
Scarves – our coats had a thermal lining in them, which when zipped up insulated around our necks. However, we also bought two neck warmers from Decathlon for £3 each, which also covered our faces when the wind was intense.
Socks – we layered our socks, regular day-to-day pair with a pair of thicker socks (TK Maxx, £9 for 3 pairs) for the walking boots. It was comfortable walking around all day and our feet were toasty warm!
If anything, we overpacked a little, but we had a 23KG luggage allowance and we wanted to make sure we had everything covered. So, hopefully this will all help a little!
