which tent and sleeping bag would you use for Iceland?

[LondonBikeCommuter]

Are you genuinely saying that you use a -10 rated bag for summer use?

Where are you getting that temperature from?

Just checked the other bag mentioned and its rated at -7 according to WM website.

[DaleFTW]

Are you genuinely saying that you use a -10 rated bag for summer use?

Where are you getting that temperature from?

Just checked the other bag mentioned and its rated at -7 according to WM website.

My apologies, was on my phone and misread Fs as Cs

Summer bag is -5 lower comfort.

[takeonafrica]

i like to travel with a bivvy bag these days - keeps the sleeping bag cleaner (and dry) and means you can easily sleep out under the stars if you want / can't be bothered putting up the tent... why not the lighter (non-waterproof) sleeping bag and then a bivvy too?

[iviehoff]

I'm rather surprised you have all those tents and no light/strong tent. You can have a perfectly adequate tent for Iceland that is less than 2kg, and that big enough for 2 people. But you haven't got one like that. If you are going to be carrying a tent on the back of a bike for just the one of you, may it's time to invest in a decent light tent. My Hilleberg Nallo 2 got a huge amount of use.

The sleeping bag is your call, because only you know what weight of sleeping bag is adequate for you in different temperatures. I think the condensation point is not a real issue. I've cycle-camped a lot in Iceland and the high Andes etc, and yes occasionally you do get some heavy condensation inside the tent adn dripping on you, but it has never affected the sleeping bag badly. A useful trick to learn is the space-blanket. Only weighs 60g, can be refolded back into its packet and repeatedly re-used: it adds a season to a sleeping back and protects it from dripping condensation, in the rare event that becomes a problem. It can also be used to lay out over the groundsheet for added ground protection if you don't need it on top of you. I'd rather have a sleeping bag on the light side than on the heavy side, because over-weight sleeping bags are a nuisance, I've become completely sodden in them by sweating, and if you have the zip open you get cold patches. But if the bag is on the light side, you can use the space blanket and put some clothes on if it gets cold, to provide variability over a wide range of conditions. Thus I have camped at -20C in a 3-season bag.

The thing about the weather in Iceland is that you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Yes, I've cycled most days in shorts in Iceland in summer, but I've also had some pretty cold and savage weather. I've had a light frost even in July, and that by the coast. A few days earlier (still July) it was 4C at lunchtime and raining at sea-level, and later I could see that there was a scattering of fresh snow on the hills above about 500m.

On another trip, this time mid to late August, we had some quite wild weather here and there - two storms, and heavy snow that fortunately fell where we'd just left, not on us. We camped at the Dreki Hut at Askja when there was a storm. You really had to hang onto your equipment - I saw someone's sleeping mat fly off high into the air never to be seen again. The pre-pitched tents used for tour groups were completely destroyed, though fortunately not occupied that day. My Hilleberg Nallo 2 survived and we slept in it, though only 2 other groups of campers managed to stay in their tents. At least we had a hut that day, we'd made a very remote crossing of the centre to get there. A couple of days later, at Myvatn, we had quite a heavy frost. The day after we left Myvatn, we heard that they had heavy snow there, and most of the campers there had to be taken indoors. The road to Askja was closed, and people at Askja and Herdubreidarlindir had to be rescued. I was rather worried for a cyclist we met cycling in to Askja as we were leaving - he would have been beyond Askja in the deep interior by then. We had to sit out a day in our tent for this second storm. But he was a very experienced wilderness cyclist, told us he had cycled on Lake Baikal in winter. There have been "surprisingly early" heavy snows in so many of the recent autumns in Iceland that it is ceasing to be surprising.

[iviehoff]

i like to travel with a bivvy bag these days - keeps the sleeping bag cleaner (and dry) and means you can easily sleep out under the stars if you want / can't be bothered putting up the tent... why not the lighter (non-waterproof) sleeping bag and then a bivvy too?

In Iceland you need a tent to be able to cook your food. It is frequently so windy that you can't run a stove in the open air, even with a wind shield: it isn't just a question of lighting the thing, the thing can also be blown over by the wind.

Also it can be difficult to take things out of your pannier outside a tent if they will blow away or immediately get soaking wet.

Have you ever hung around for a day waiting for a storm (wind and driving rain) to calm sufficiently to be able to ride your bike inside a bivvy bag?

Bivvy bags may be practical even in deep snow, but in cool temperate climates with frequent strong winds and heavy rain it's tricky.

[stephenjubb]

I'm rather surprised you have all those tents and no light/strong tent. You can have a perfectly adequate tent for Iceland that is less than 2kg, and that big enough for 2 people. But you haven't got one like that. If you are going to be carrying a tent on the back of a bike for just the one of you, may it's time to invest in a decent light tent. My Hilleberg Nallo 2 got a huge amount of use.

The sleeping bag is your call, because only you know what weight of sleeping bag is adequate for you in different temperatures. I think the condensation point is not a real issue. I've cycle-camped a lot in Iceland and the high Andes etc, and yes occasionally you do get some heavy condensation inside the tent adn dripping on you, but it has never affected the sleeping bag badly. A useful trick to learn is the space-blanket. Only weighs 60g, can be refolded back into its packet and repeatedly re-used: it adds a season to a sleeping back and protects it from dripping condensation, in the rare event that becomes a problem. It can also be used to lay out over the groundsheet for added ground protection if you don't need it on top of you. I'd rather have a sleeping bag on the light side than on the heavy side, because over-weight sleeping bags are a nuisance, I've become completely sodden in them by sweating, and if you have the zip open you get cold patches. But if the bag is on the light side, you can use the space blanket and put some clothes on if it gets cold, to provide variability over a wide range of conditions. Thus I have camped at -20C in a 3-season bag.

The thing about the weather in Iceland is that you hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Yes, I've cycled most days in shorts in Iceland in summer, but I've also had some pretty cold and savage weather. I've had a light frost even in July, and that by the coast. A few days earlier (still July) it was 4C at lunchtime and raining at sea-level, and later I could see that there was a scattering of fresh snow on the hills above about 500m.

On another trip, this time mid to late August, we had some quite wild weather here and there - two storms, and heavy snow that fortunately fell where we'd just left, not on us. We camped at the Dreki Hut at Askja when there was a storm. You really had to hang onto your equipment - I saw someone's sleeping mat fly off high into the air never to be seen again. The pre-pitched tents used for tour groups were completely destroyed, though fortunately not occupied that day. My Hilleberg Nallo 2 survived and we slept in it, though only 2 other groups of campers managed to stay in their tents. At least we had a hut that day, we'd made a very remote crossing of the centre to get there. A couple of days later, at Myvatn, we had quite a heavy frost. The day after we left Myvatn, we heard that they had heavy snow there, and most of the campers there had to be taken indoors. The road to Askja was closed, and people at Askja and Herdubreidarlindir had to be rescued. I was rather worried for a cyclist we met cycling in to Askja as we were leaving - he would have been beyond Askja in the deep interior by then. We had to sit out a day in our tent for this second storm. But he was a very experienced wilderness cyclist, told us he had cycled on Lake Baikal in winter. There have been "surprisingly early" heavy snows in so many of the recent autumns in Iceland that it is ceasing to be surprising.

Thanks for the info and detailed analysis, very helpful. I enjoyed the detailed analysis and you gave good information on what the weather may be like and a good tip on the sleeping bag. I'd never thought of that thanks. Your post was welcome and helped.

The lightweight strong 2 people tent, me not having one, may be surprising to others.

I reject them though, as I like a tent where I can live in it, cook in it with a multi fuel stove running on white spirit, and keep my bike inside for weather protection and security - daft I know but I love the bike (safer, more secure - not an issue in Iceland).

If there were a 2 person tent that met all my needs would buy it. However in my choice of tent each has had months of research and I have looked at over a hundred different tents!

I like to stretch my legs out across the tent and be able to cook from that position.

I respect others who do the more lightweight approach but not for me. I need a larger porch for my storage, cooking and ventilation. I've never found a 2 man tent that meets all the criteria.

All my tents listed do and allow the bicycles in. Can live in them for months and each meets different criteria

I know lots of people say do not cook in your tent especially with a multi fuel cooker, but I've had so much experience with them I have it down to a fine art. One does need discipline though, so if it does not prime, then I force myself to wait five minutes before retrying.

It avoids rushing/haste in lighting a potential dangerous stove and forces oneself to stay calm. not rush etc situations where mistakes occur. I also if I've had a couple of beers never cook on a multi fuel (unless using gas) - too likely to make mistakes. All tents are adequately ventilated. I like multi fuel, cheap fuel and it is so easy to find white spirits in the UK and in winter gas cartridges can be hard to find.

To get as near as possible to my requirements for a tent, I never mind going 1 to 1.5 kilos heavier.

The tents I listed are the lightest I could find that meet my criteria depending on the tour. If going to south of England in summer and just staying at campsites it would be the Laser Space 2 at 3.3 kilo. For Scotland in hilly terrain the Terra Nova Competition combined with tarp (when used on own) or with Golite Shangri La 5 at campsites at 2.7 kilos.

In winter it's the Hilleberg, The Phad was a test for winter use, I found I like winter camping so got the hilleberg knowing would not waste money (unlike buying it in the first place, not liking winter camping and then stuck with a loss on an hilleberg).

The Coleman Phad will be used for long stints when I am working away in summer/autumn and can camp rather than hotel/b and b (depressing each evening). If it gets degraded by sunlight, cheaper to replace than the more expensive tents.

It's rather a pity no manufacturer has come up with a modular tent that one can adapt to a particular situation, maybe not possible or commercially viable. would be the holy grail though.

I know Vango have been revolutionary in that you can now buy car family tents that just blow them selves up from a connected pump, no poles! Expensive but look great. But what works for car camping does not always translate to cycle touring/ backpacking where compromises have to be made......... Shame!

Thanks to all for the input. I love debating kit!!

[Vorpal]

There's a handy website that shows weather ranges and variation, with some explanation.... http://weatherspark.com/averages/27559/ ... st-Iceland

Iceland has long hours of daylight in the summer, and that tends to keep down the range of temperatures. It is unlikely to be below freezing. However, on and near glaciers it will be colder, and possibly well below freezing, even if the temperature just off the glacier is at summer warm.

I guess that leaves a number of alternatives...
-don't plan to camp near any glaciers
-take a sleeping bag rated to the coldest normal summer temperature and wear a couple of layers of clothes to bed if camping someplace colder
-take a -5 or colder rated sleeping bag, just in case.

I'd probably take the middle choice. Although I tend to carry more stuff than I usually need, I'm inclined to plan for normal weather conditions, plus and extra layers of clothes, if needed. I generally figure that if I'm far wrong, I can always buy something else and mail the old one home to myself.

Another useful trick is a sleeping bag liner which can also add a few degrees to a sleeping bag, and help keep it clean, as well.

[iviehoff]

There's a handy website that shows weather ranges and variation, with some explanation.... http://weatherspark.com/averages/27559/ ... st-Iceland

In Iceland people mostly live in places with specially favoured micro-climates like Akureyri, and these are the places for which such data is available. The wind data is especially misleading, it is in a steep-sided fjord located N to S, so it is perhaps unsurprising the wind there is mostly N & S.

Even without visiting anywhere unusually remote, the cyclist will have to deal with a wider range of weather than that suggests.

[andrew_s]

Of your tent options, I'd take the Hilleberg, despite the extra weight. Iceland is notoriously windy, and you want a tent that you can put up in the wind without it getting destroyed. If your tent does break, and tents are most vulnerable when half-pitched, then a replacement tent could take several days to get hold of. Would you be happy stashing your bike, taking the bus to Reykjavik or wherever to get a tent, hotel/hostel overnight, then bus back the next day?
If it was me, I'd use a lighter Hilleberg - either my Akto, or possibly get an Allak (I too prefer side-on doors).

Sleeping bag-wise, use the lighter option. A water resistant outer is nice, but not enough to warrant getting all sweaty in an over-warm bag. Condensation inside the Nallo is unlikely, so the main risk would be a kicked pan or drips off a waterproof jacket, both of which should be easily avoidable in a tent the size of a Nallo 4 GT.
I'd use my PHD Minim 300 with a silk liner. It's OK down to zero, and unzips to use as a quilt with my feet as a radiator if it's on the warm side.

I've never seen the need to get my bike under cover at night. It gets rained on during the day (more forcefully), so it can get rained on at night too. A plastic bag over the saddle is all I bother with.

[rualexander]

........It's rather a pity no manufacturer has come up with a modular tent that one can adapt to a particular situation, maybe not possible or commercially viable. would be the holy grail though.....

The Hilleberg Stalon was a modular tent in its most recent version, where you could have the basic tent, or add extensions on either end (which were roomy enough for bike storage), connect two tents together, remove the vestibules completely in good weather, etc.
Unfortunately they stopped making it a couple of years ago.
I have a 1997 version Stalon which does not have removable vestibules, but is still a great tent.

[Vorpal]

There's a handy website that shows weather ranges and variation, with some explanation.... http://weatherspark.com/averages/27559/ ... st-Iceland

In Iceland people mostly live in places with specially favoured micro-climates like Akureyri, and these are the places for which such data is available. The wind data is especially misleading, it is in a steep-sided fjord located N to S, so it is perhaps unsurprising the wind there is mostly N & S.

Even without visiting anywhere unusually remote, the cyclist will have to deal with a wider range of weather than that suggests.

That's fair enough. Although I think I qualified by saying that it will be colder on or near glaciers. One hardly needs to go anyplace remote to find glaciers in Iceland.

[stephenjubb]

Sleeping bag-wise, use the lighter option. A water resistant outer is nice, but not enough to warrant getting all sweaty in an over-warm bag. Condensation inside the Nallo is unlikely, so the main risk would be a kicked pan or drips off a waterproof jacket, both of which should be easily avoidable in a tent the size of a Nallo 4 GT.
I'd use my PHD Minim 300 with a silk liner. It's OK down to zero, and unzips to use as a quilt with my feet as a radiator if it's on the warm side.

Good point, the larger is harder to pack and bulkier. Thanks.

[Cunobelin]

I would use my Blacks Icelandic from circa 1970.

I can lend you a Vango (Force 10 ? Merrilite)) from the same period!

A bit like a lightweight version of the Force 10, but smaller and sloping.

It was the first present that my parents bought for the two of us.

I got it out last year and it felt cramped........ then I remembered that we BOTH used to sleep in it and with our kit!!!!!!

[rualexander]

Something to add warmth to your sleepsystem without much extra weight or bulk http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/categ ... XA107.html

[pjclinch]

It's rather a pity no manufacturer has come up with a modular tent that one can adapt to a particular situation, maybe not possible or commercially viable. would be the holy grail though.

Hilleberg used to do the Stallon and Muddus modular tent systems (Stallon was a transverse tunnel, Muddus a transverse ridge) and they'd quite possibly have been ideal for you, but I suspect the "not commercially viable" may be a factor since they stopped making them!

Pete.