What to wear?

Are you on your way to Iceland but unsure what clothes to bring?

There are various things to keep in mind when it comes to dressing for Icelandic conditions. Some things are important all year around, no matter what season it is. We would put rain gear in this catagory as you might be surprised how often it rains in Iceland during the summer. On the other hand, some things are only important during certain seasons but not others. It is, for example, quite unlikely that it snows in the summer. So you are not likely to get a change to build a snowman if you come in June through August.

This being said, the weather in the mountains can be very different from the conditions in the city. It’s important for guests to realize that the weather in Iceland can be very unpredictable. Therefore we highly recommend that you bring warm, rainproof clothes with you on our tour. Even if the weather in Reykjavík is nice and the forecast looks good. Also because it’s always the same temperature inside the crater or about 3°C (37°F). That’s cold!

So what are the main things to consider when deciding what to wear on your volcano adventure? We’ll cover each of these in detail.

• Footwear
• Layers!
  • Outer layer
  • Middle layer
  • Inner layer

Footwear:

Good shoes – We recommend wearing hiking boots on the tour since the trail is rocky and can get wet and muddy on a rainy day. It’s ideal to wear woolen socks underneath the shoes for extra warmth. If you don’t have hiking boots then we recommend to at least were shoes with a decent grip. If your shoes are not waterproof then the woolen socks come in particularly handy. This is because wool preserves its isolation even when wet.

Layers:

When hiking it is often better to wear a few thin layers rather then one or two thick layers. That way it’s easier to find the balance between being too warm or too cold. You might start of quite cold but then you feel way too warm when you start moving. It might be complicated to find the right body temparture if you are only wearing a thick coat over a t-shirt. Keep in mind that you should be able to comfortably wear all of your clothing simultaneously if it’s very cold.

The outer layer:

• Waterproof outer layer. The Þríhnúkar area is one of the main water sources for the entire capital area. As expected, this means that it rains A LOT in the area.
• Wind resistant outer layer

The middle layer:

• The middle layer is super important for maintaining body heat by trapping air close to your body and providing insulation.
• Normally, a warm insulating layer will be made of wool, down, or fleece. Keep in mind that down isn’t warm if it gets wet.
• You might wear more than one midlayer at a time if it’s cold enough, unlike base and outer layers.

The inner layer:

• The inner or base layer is worn next to the skin.
• Avoid cotton as it doesn’t insulate when wet and takes longer to dry.
• Merino wool, polyester, silk and polypropylene are good options.
• It’s ideal that it dries quickly and is lightweight.