We did a lot of googling to prepare for our trip to Iceland.  I spent countless hours on Amazon searching around for rain jackets, rain pants, water bottles, and backpacks.  Then we finally made the trek to REI to actually try things out which ultimately ended up in a $500+ bill.  Here are the items we picked up before we left that we consistently said, “Man, I’m glad we bought this!”

1. Rain Jackets

   • Chad bought this men’s jacket:
     

     REI Co-op Rainier Rain Jacket 

   • Jackie bought this women’s jacket:
     

     REI Co-op XeroDry GTX Jacket 

     The weather in Iceland is unpredictable.  It will be sunny for a little while, could then start raining, then be raining and super windy.  We were thankful we invested in great jackets that folded up small and served as a force field from the wind!

     

2. Wind/Rain Pants

   • We both bought the REI Co-Op Rainier Full Zip Pants. These blocked the wind tremendously.  Added an extra layer of warmth and we’re easy to pull on while we were in the middle of the hike because of the full zip feature.  They also rolled up easily to store in our backpacks for when we weren’t wearing them.
     

     REI Co-op Rainier Full-Zip Rain Pants

3. Hiking shoes

   • We bought our hiking shoes back in April when we went to Zion but hands down believe this was the best investment we made for our new adventurous life.  We bought the shoe type hiking footwear because we were worried about the weight and rubbing.  These Merrells had no break in period!  Great shoes right out the box!  These shoes are rugged, give great protection, and have awesome traction.  We are much more confident hikers now that we have them.
   • Chad’s Version:
     

     Merrell Moab 2 WP Low Hiking Shoes

   • Jackie’s Shoes:
     

     Merrell Moab 2 WP Low Hiking Shoes

     We very regularly buy matching stuff.  I can’t decide if it’s weird or adorable.

     

4. Backpack

   • We brought 2 backpacks that are considered day packs.  We wanted something light that could carry snacks/lunch, water, and our rain gear.  We also wanted it to have a chest and waist strap which we learned is VERY important!  These straps shift all the weight from your shoulders so hiking isn’t a chore.  We learned this the hard way by hiking around Zion with an Under Armour backpack that killed our shoulders.
   • From REI:
     

     Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack

     We loved that this pack had lots of divided space and a solid back part so things couldn’t poke through to annoy you while you hiked.

   • From Amazon:
     

     Venture Pal Lightweight Packable Durable Travel Hiking Backpack Daypack

     Not a bad little pack for $16, however it is very light and does not have the backing ike the Osprey so if you have hard items in your pack and it shifts weird it will poke you.  This was great for me to pack my rain gear in, water, and snacks though and cost a fraction of the Osprey bag.

5. RX Bars

   • These are our favorite type of protein bar.  They have very few ingredients, taste great, and are filling. We packed these for every hike and for the plane ride over.

RXBAR Whole Food Protein Bars

6. Hiking Legging for Jackie

 

• I’m including this because they are way better than hiking in work out leggings.  These have pockets, are thick so they won’t snag on branches or rocks, flexible, and super comfy!  I only bought 1 pair for the trip because they only had one pair in stock in my size at REI when we went but I am ordering more for our future adventures.

REI Co-op Screeline Hike Tights