LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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OUR PACKING LIST FOR THE LAUGAVEGUR TRAIL.

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The Laugavegur Trail is often described as one of the world’s most beautiful multi-day hikes—and after walking it ourselves in mid-June, we can’t disagree. But it’s also no joke. Especially if you’re camping, carrying all your kit, and, in our case, had just walked the Hellismannaleið trail back to back.

I honestly think packing for these types of long distance trails is so important. Packing well is the difference between having an incredible adventure and a miserable time. And, when walking in Iceland, packing the right clothing and supplies is also vital for safety.

In this guide, we’re sharing exactly what we packed for the Laugavegur trail—broken down by camping gear, clothing, food, and those extra comfort items that made a difference. We’ve also included tips from our own experience walking at the very start of the season (mid-June), when snow still clung to the higher paths and temperatures at night dropped down to zero degrees.

Key Packing Questions Answered

• Do I need a 4-season tent for the Laugavegur Trail? → If you’re camping, yes. You’ll also need a tent that can stand up well to the wind. Our recommendations are below.
• Do I need a sleeping bag? → Whether you are camping or sleeping in huts, you will need a sleeping bag. There is no bedding in the huts. In my experience, the huts are quite warm, but if you feel the cold you’ll want a decent bag. You may also want to consider an inflatable pillow. Campers – pick a 4-season sleeping bag, or you will regret it.
• Can I charge my phone on the trail? → No. There are no plugs or charging points, even in the huts.
• Do I need to carry all my food? → Yes, whether in huts or camping, you will need to carry all of your food. Unless you have the pleasure of joining a tour. Each rangers hut sells a few emergency items (snickers bars, trail meals and beer), but expect to pay through the roof for it.
• Is water available? → Water is always available at huts/ sites. You don’t need to treat it. And, you shouldn’t need to get water from rivers or streams. We carried 2 litres each which was sufficient for the day.
• Can you camp anywhere on the Laugavegur Trail? → No, only at designated campsites.
• Do I need water shoes? → Yes, ideally. You will be doing river crossings and without water shoes, you risk injury.
• Do you need to carry cash → No. You can pay on card at all the campsites/ huts.
• Do you need trekking poles on the Laugavegeur → No. You don’t need them. We walk without them. That said, they probably make things easier and I’d say 90% of walkers had them.
• Do you need hiking boots for the Laugavegur→ Yes. 100%, you need sturdy footwear with a good grip. Hiking boots are ideal.

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Camping-Specific Packing Essentials

If you’re staying in huts, you’ll skip some of these items. But for campers, being prepared is crucial.

Tent & Sleeping:

• Vango F10 Xenon UL2 Tent – we picked this lightweight trail tent (1.6kg trail weight) specifically for travelling in Iceland. Wind resistant, four season and ideal for two people.
• 4-season sleeping bag – Essential for the cold nights (it dropped down to zero degrees C some nights).
• Sleeping pad – Go for lightweight, but with some insulation. We use inflatable sleeping pads, like this one.
• Tent pegs for hard ground – We used the tent pegs that came with our tent, but if we were doing this walk again we would pack tent pegs for hard ground – like this.
• Something warm to sleep in – We wore base layers and a wool hat to bed. To be honest, some nights I would wear all my clothing.

Cooking Gear:

• Lightweight stove & gas canister (we bought gas at a petrol station in Iceland – if you take the Highland Bus, they normally stop at a service station where you can buy it on route to the Landmannalaugar)
• Small pots for boiling water, camping plate (we didn’t actually use this on the route), mugs, sporks.
• Protein shaker (for shaking up breakfast) and an extra container for trek meals.

Optional extra: washing up cloth (we didn’t bother.)

Top Tips:

• Choose food that needs just hot water – saves time and effort.
• Remember, if you’re camping you can’t use the cooking gear or kitchens in the huts.
• Cleanup water can be freezing – keep it simple, you don’t want to be lingering at the sinks.

You can find out more about camping on the Laugavegur here with our handy guide.

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Backpacks: What We Carried

• Emma: Osprey Tempest 30L
• John: Phoenix 55L

If you’re staying in huts the whole time, then a 30L backpack is probably enough.

Being totally honest, 30L was not enough for me, my bag felt overpacked. But, being a little bit stingy, we didn’t want to pay for two pieces of luggage on the airplane, so we decided that John would carry a larger bag and we could then just check in one piece. Lucky me.

For camping, 40–50L is the sweet spot. Anything bigger and you’ll overpack; anything smaller and it’s too tight with your sleep system and all your food/ supplies.

Always go for a backpack with good hip support and choose something to fit your frame.

Tip: Don’t forget a waterproof bag cover to fit your backpack. To be extra safe, we put all of our belongings into black sack/ bin bags, inside our backpack and then added a waterproof bag cover. We’ve learned from years of experience that it’s best not to risk anything getting wet.

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Footwear for the Laugavegur Trail

You need something waterproof, grippy, and broken-in. The terrain changes fast – with steep ascents, descents, snow and loose ground.

• Waterproof hiking boots – High ankle support is a must. We both wear Nortiv 8 Armadillo.
• Water shoes – Essential for icy river crossings. I picked up a cheap pair online (so worth it.)

Some people pack camp shoes or sandals, we didn’t. Honestly, I don’t think you need them, especially if you have water shoes with you as you can slip these on for trips to the toilet etc.

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Food We Packed for the Laugavegur Trail

Food was something we agonised about for quite a while before the trip. When you’re carrying every calorie on your back, weight and ease are key but we also didn’t want to spend the entire time hungry.

You can find our detailed guide to food on route and what worked for us – here.

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Layering for Icelandic Weather

People always say that in Iceland you can expect four seasons in a day. It sounds like a cliché, but is very much true. I cannot stress enough how cold it can get on the mountains. Underestimate the wind chill at your peril!

Layers are absolutely key. As well as items that dry quickly. Especially if camping, you’ll find it quite hard to dry out anything if the weather isn’t good.

This is probably stating the obvious – but don’t pack anything cotton. If this gets wet, it takes ages to dry and you absolutely do not want wet clothing close to your skin. Apparently hikers frequently get hyperthermia, even in summer.

What we wore:

Bottoms:

• 1 x pair of Adanola leggings (Emma) and hiking trousers (John)
• 1 x Acai fleece-lined thermal altitude leggings (Emma slept in these and hiked one day in them).
• Waterproof trousers (the type you pull over your clothing).
• Shorts – we both had shorts with us for hiking, we wore them every day on the hellismannaleid hike, but it wasn’t warm enough on the Laugavegur (weather dependent).

Two pairs of trousers or one? → I packed two pairs of trousers, John one. I think there’s benefit in always having a dry layer of clothing that you can change into in the evening. But this is personal choice.

Tops:

• Merino wool base layer (essential)
• Fleece layer
• Lightweight insulated jacket (mid-layer)
• Waterproof jacket

Accessories:

• Woollen hat
• Waterproof gloves (absolute life saver.)
• Sunglasses
• Clean socks for sleeping (luxury item!)
• 2 pairs of wool socks for hiking (wool dries quicker)

Evening layers:

• Wool jumpers – not strictly necessary, but as we had been on a road trip in Iceland before hiking, we had them with us. It was nice to have a clean warm layer for the evening, but this added weight to our packs.
• We both took a t shirt-shirt layer to wear in the evening, something clean that we didn’t hike in.

Underwear:

• Enough to last 5–6 days with sink washes
• Sports bra, plus a clean bra for the evening (optional).
• Swimsuit or bikini – great for hot springs in Landmannalaugur, I also used my bikini to wear in the campsite bathrooms so that I could wash in the sink. I probably looked like a lunatic, but at least I was clean!

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Toiletries + Hygiene

There are showers at most of the huts, but they are quite pricey (1000kr). Honestly, I think most people skip the showers unless they are with a tour group. A few essentials that we packed.

• Wet wipes – lifesaver
• Antibac gel- handwashing on the trail
• Toothbrush, toothpaste
• Small soap bar
• Sunscreen (you don’t need much)
• Moisturiser – essential in the weather conditioners for me
• Deodorant
• Shampoo/ Conditioner – I packed this because we were in Iceland for three weeks in total, but was not able to wash my hair until the end of the Laugavegur. If this bothers you – pack dry shampoo.
• Menstrual products / personal care
• Trek towel

Tip: When you get to Thórsmörk, choose your campsite wisely. If you are craving a hot shower and some R&R (I was desperate to wash my hair), then pick the Volcano Huts. More info here.

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First Aid + Health

There are no shops on the trail. You need a few emergency supplies.

Pack a small but complete first aid kit with:

• Plasters
• Antiseptic
• Compeed/blister plasters
• Ibuprofen or paracetamol
• Rehydration salts
• Any personal medication

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Electronics + Extras

Charging:
There’s nowhere to charge your phone on the trail. Plan accordingly.

• Supersized industrial power bank
• Charging cables
• Headphones
• Eye mask (for 24/7 daylight)
• Ear plugs (especially if you’re in huts)

Entertainment:

It might sound sily, but there’s a fair bit of down time in the evening. Depending on your appetite for socialising and whether you’re camping (campers tended to be stuck in tents in the evening due to weather), you may want to consider:

• Kindle (if you can spare the grams)
• Small notebook
• Playing cards
• Download audiobooks or music offline before you go

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Don’t Forget

• Swimsuit – For Landmannalaugar’s hot springs
• Water shoes for river crossings
• Trail info – All Trails App (offline version)
• Trekking poles – Snow crossings were way easier with them
• Waterproof dry bags or bin bags – Keep everything dry
• Ziplock bags for rubbish – not all of the huts have rubbish disposal

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Final Tips for Packing for the Laugavegur Trail

• Pack light, but don’t compromise on warmth.
• If camping, simplify your meals – boil water only is the way to go.
• Keep one full outfit dry for sleeping.
• Think about comfort – even one luxury item can lift your spirits after a long day.

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Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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Laugavegur Guide Book

Looking for a little more information? You can find our ebook in our shop. It includes 60+ pages of useful information about planning and preparing for the trail. As well as daily stages and route guides. The book also sets out how you can extend the Laugavegur to create a 9 day trek in Iceland’s Highlands.

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