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Gear I Packed for the Sigoldugljufur Valley of Tears Waterfall Hike
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items Planning to hike Sigoldugljufur Canyon in Iceland's highlands and not sure what to bring? I showed up my first time with cotton socks and a phone in my back pocket. Learned every lesson the hard way so you can skip straight to the good stuff. This is...
Sections
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Waterproof Layers That Survived Icelandic Sideways Rain
Footwear That Handled River Crossings and Loose Scree
Navigation and Safety Gear for the Highlands
Camera Gear for the Canyon Viewpoint
Food and Hydration for a Full Day in the Highlands
Clothing for Wildly Unpredictable Highland Weather
Waterproof Layers That Survived Icelandic Sideways Rain
The weather in the highlands changes every fifteen minutes. I started one morning in sunshine and was soaked to my bones by lunch. These layers kept me functional when the sky decided to pick a fight.
Grab this if you've ever been caught in horizontal rain and your so-called waterproof jacket betrayed you. Stayed bone dry crossing exposed ridgelines where the wind was genuinely angry.
Arc'teryx Beta LT Jacket - Women's | REI Co-op
Pulled these on over my hiking pants when the sky opened up near the canyon rim. Took ten seconds and my legs stayed dry for the next three hours. Worth every penny for highland weather.
Men's Torrentshell 3L Rain Pants - Regular
Keep this as a backup layer if you're the type who runs hot in heavier shells. Weighs almost nothing, packs into its own pocket, and saved me on a day I thought I wouldn't need rain gear.
Men's Helium UL Jacket
Wore this under everything for four straight days. No smell, no chill, no regret. If you're someone who gets cold the second you stop moving, this base layer is the one.
Smartwool Classic Thermal Merino Crew Base Layer Top
These handled drizzle without needing a rain layer over them. Perfect for someone who hates the swishy feeling of full waterproof pants but still wants protection.
Men's Stretch Ozonic™ Rain Pant
Toss your phone and wallet in here before river crossings. I watched someone's passport float downstream at a ford. Don't be that person.
Ultra-Sil Dry Bag
Use this as a neck warmer, headband, or emergency hat depending on what the weather throws at you. Pulled it over my ears during a hailstorm near the trailhead and it blocked enough wind to keep me moving.
Merino Wool Neck Gaiters
Footwear That Handled River Crossings and Loose Scree
The trail to Sigoldugljufur involves fording streams and scrambling over volcanic rock. My first pair of boots gave me blisters by hour two. These are what I switched to and what I recommend to anyone heading out there.
Switched to these after my old boots destroyed my heels on day one. Ankle support was solid on the loose scree, and they dried faster than anything else I've owned after a river crossing.
Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GORE-TEX Hiking Boots - Men's
Pair these with any decent boot and your feet will thank you. I wore the same pair two days in a row and had zero hot spots. Lifetime warranty means you buy them once.
Men's 1466 Hiker Micro Crew Cushion Hiking Socks
Bring these specifically for river crossings if you don't want to soak your boots. I strapped them to my pack and swapped at every ford. Saved my feet and my sanity.
Hurricane XLT2 Sandal
Swapped the factory insoles in my Salomons for these and the arch support difference was immediate. If you've got flat feet and long days ahead, grab a pair before you fly out.
Superfeet All-Purpose Support High Arch (Green) Insoles
Treat your boots with this a week before your trip. I did it the night before and it still helped, but giving it time to cure makes a real difference when you're ankle-deep in glacial runoff.
Fabric & Leather Proof - Footwear
Stick this on hot spots before they become blisters. I learned this trick from a trail runner in Landmannalaugar and it's now the first thing I pack. Way better than moleskin.
Leukotape P Adhesive Strapping Tape
Try these if regular socks give you blisters between your toes. Felt weird for the first mile, then I forgot I was wearing them. No more toe-on-toe friction on long descents.
Trail Midweight Crew
Navigation and Safety Gear for the Highlands
Cell service disappears fast once you leave the ring road. The trail to the canyon isn't always marked, and conditions change quickly. I got turned around once in fog and was very glad I had these with me.
Get this before any remote Iceland hike. No cell service, no trail markers in fog, no rescue without a way to call. I triggered an SOS check-in for a fellow hiker who twisted an ankle miles from the road.
inReach® Mini 2
Download the offline topo maps for the highlands before you leave wifi. I marked the canyon viewpoint, every river crossing, and the F-road parking spot. Saved me from a wrong turn in zero visibility.
Gaia GPS Membership with Outside+
Bring this even in summer. The canyon is deep and shadowed, and if your hike runs long you'll want light for the walk back. Rechargeable so you're not fumbling with batteries in the wind.
Storm 500-R Headlamp
Carry this for the basics: blister care, wound cleaning, pain relief. A friend sliced her hand on sharp lava rock near the rim and we patched her up on the spot. Lightweight enough that you forget it's there.
Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight/Watertight .5
Toss this in your pack and hope you never use it. Weighs almost nothing but could save your life if weather pins you down. Highland temperatures drop fast even in July.
Emergency Bivvy XL w/ Rescue Whistle
Use this as backup when your phone dies or GPS glitches. Old school, but the fog rolled in so thick near the canyon that I couldn't see twenty feet ahead. A compass doesn't need batteries.
Suunto MC-2 G USGS Mirror Compass for Mountaineers
Plan your route on this before the trip. I printed a paper topo map from it as a backup and stuffed it in a ziplock. When my phone froze in the cold, that paper map got me back to the car.
Map the Backcountry with CalTopo
Camera Gear for the Canyon Viewpoint
You hike all that way and then the canyon opens up below you with dozens of waterfalls pouring down red and green cliffs. My phone photos were fine but I wished I'd brought better gear the first time. Second trip, I came prepared.
Brought this on my second trip specifically for the canyon viewpoint. The dynamic range handled the bright sky and shadowed canyon walls without blowing out the waterfalls. Light enough to carry all day.
Sony a7C II review: small camera, little compromise
Use this as your one-lens solution if you don't want to swap glass on a windy cliff edge. Wide enough for the full canyon panorama, long enough to isolate individual waterfalls.
FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Standard Zoom Lens
Carried my camera in this the entire hike. Quick access without taking off my pack, and the weatherproof fabric handled the rain. Fits the A7C with lens attached perfectly.
Everyday Sling
Slap this on before shooting the waterfalls. Cut the glare off the wet rock and made the colors in the canyon walls pop. The reds and greens looked exactly like what my eyes were seeing.
Circular Polarizer Filter
Set this up at the viewpoint for long exposures of the waterfalls. Lightweight carbon fiber meant I didn't hate carrying it on the four-hour hike in. Stable enough in moderate wind.
Benro Rhino Carbon Fiber Zero Series Tripod/Monopod
Clip your camera to your pack strap so it's right there when you need it. I missed a rainbow over the canyon on my first trip because my camera was buried in my bag. Never again.
Capture Camera Clip
Bring two of these. I shot 800 photos at the canyon and filled one card. The write speed matters when you're bracketing exposures in changing light and don't want to wait between shots.
SANDISK 128GB Extreme PRO SD Memory Card
Food and Hydration for a Full Day in the Highlands
There are no shops, no cafes, no water fountains out there. Just you, volcanic rock, and glacial streams. I bonked hard on my first attempt because I packed like I was going on a two-hour stroll. Don't repeat my mistake.
Fill this from any highland stream and drink immediately. The water in Iceland is incredibly clean but filtering gives peace of mind. I drank straight from a stream once and was fine, but why risk it.
Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System 1.0L USA
Stuff three of these in your jacket pockets. They don't freeze solid in the cold like regular bars do. Saved me during a long stretch between the parking area and the canyon rim.
CLIF Nut Butter Bar Peanut Butter 5ct
Bring at least one full liter from the car. The first section of trail has no streams and I was parched by the time I hit water. Wide mouth makes refilling from shallow streams easy.
32oz Wide Mouth Bottle
Dump a packet in your water bottle before you start hiking. The wind and exertion dehydrate you faster than you realize. I got a splitting headache my first trip and this fixed the problem on trip two.
Skratch Labs Lemon Lime Hydration Mix
Try one of these if sweet bars make you nauseous on long hikes. Real protein, real salt, and it tastes like actual food. Ate one sitting on the canyon rim and it hit perfectly.
EPIC Venison Sea Salt & Pepper Bars 12 count
Squeeze one of these onto a tortilla or eat it straight from the packet. Dense calories that don't take up space. I carried four and wished I'd brought six.
Justin's Gluten-Free Classic Almond Butter Squeeze
Use this for hot tea or coffee at the viewpoint. I filled it with black coffee at the guesthouse that morning and it was still warm four hours later at the canyon. Small luxury that made the whole hike better.
STANLEY Quick Flip GO Bottle, 24 oz, Black 2.0
Clothing for Wildly Unpredictable Highland Weather
I've been sunburned and hypothermic on the same hike in Iceland. The highlands don't care about your weather app. Layering is everything, and these specific pieces earned their spot in my pack through trial and painful error.
Throw this on the second you stop moving. Body heat disappears fast in highland wind, and this packs down small enough to stuff in a side pocket. I wore it under my rain shell when temps dropped to near freezing in July.
Patagonia Men's Nano Puff® Packable Insulated Jacket
Wear these under your hiking pants on cold mornings. They regulate temperature so well that I kept them on even when the sun came out. No itch, no stink after multiple days.
Men's Merino 200 Oasis Thermal Leggings wFly
Bring lightweight gloves even in summer. My hands went numb on a windy ridge and I couldn't operate my camera. These let you use a touchscreen without taking them off.
Outdoor Research Men's Vigor Midweight Gloves
Wear this for sun protection on clear days. The brim kept UV off my face and neck, and the chin strap meant the wind didn't steal it. I watched two other hikers chase their hats across a lava field.
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure UPF 50+ Hat
Pack two of these and alternate. They dry fast, resist odor, and layer under everything. I wore one for three consecutive hikes and my travel partner never complained, which says a lot.
Men's Merino Short Sleeve Tee
Swap this in as your midlayer when the Nano Puff is too warm but a base layer isn't enough. Breathes way better during uphill sections and blocks just enough wind to keep you comfortable.
Men's Xenair Alpine Light Insulated Jacket
Wear these under your hiking socks if you're blister-prone. Double-layer sock systems sound excessive until you've limped back to your car with raw heels. Prevention beats treatment every time.
Men's Light Hiker Micro Crew Lightweight Hiking Socks
Logistics and Planning Resources for the F-Road Approach
Getting to Sigoldugljufur is half the battle. You need a proper vehicle, the right timing, and actual knowledge of highland road conditions. I showed up in a rental sedan once and had to turn around. Here's what actually gets you there.
Check this every morning before driving into the highlands. F-roads close without warning and this site has real-time status. I planned a whole day around reaching the trailhead only to find the road closed. Would have saved three hours.
Road
Rent a proper 4x4 with high clearance. Not a Duster, not a RAV4. An actual highland-capable vehicle. The river crossings on the F-road to the trailhead will swallow anything smaller. I watched a sedan get stuck.
Blue Car Rental In Iceland
Download the Iceland map before you leave Reykjavik. Google Maps loses its mind on F-roads and tried to route me through a sheep field. This app had the actual track marked correctly.
MAPS.ME: Offline Maps, GPS Nav - App Store
Search for recent GPS tracks uploaded by other hikers. I downloaded one that showed the exact river crossing points and saved it to my Gaia app. Following someone else's verified route beats guessing.
Sigöldugljúfur Trail
Pull up the highland forecast the night before. This site gives wind speed, precipitation, and visibility for specific regions. A forecast that says ‘poor visibility’ in the highlands means stay at your guesthouse.
Station forecasts - whole country | Icelandic Meteorological office
Register your hiking plan here before you go. If something goes wrong and you don't check in, search and rescue knows where to look. Takes two minutes and could save your life. I register every single time.
Travel plans
Consider this if you don't want to drive F-roads yourself. The bus drops you close enough to hike in, and you skip the stress of river crossings in a rental. Not the fastest option but the peace of mind is real.
Trex Travel Experiences