Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Gear I Packed for Puffin Watching on the Westman Islands
16
items Planning a summer trip to Vestmannaeyjar to see puffins up close? I spent two weeks researching what to bring, got half of it wrong the first time, and came back with a list that actually works. This is for anyone booking that ferry from Landeyjahöfn...
Sections
4
Optics That Actually Work on Windy Cliffs
Layers That Survived Westman Islands Weather
Camera Setup for Puffin Photography
Westman Islands Experiences Worth Booking
Optics That Actually Work on Windy Cliffs
Standing on Stórhöfði in 40 mph gusts trying to hold binoculars steady was humbling. These are the optics that let me get clear views of puffins without my arms giving out after ten minutes.
Bring these if you're the person squinting at birds going ‘is that a puffin or a rock?’ Clear glass, lightweight enough for cliff walks, and the eye relief worked perfectly with my glasses. Wish I'd had them on day one instead of borrowing my friend'...
MONARCH M5 8x42
Set this up at the colony overlook near Eldfell and suddenly you can count the sand eels in a puffin's beak. For anyone serious about birding, not just casual gawking. The angled eyepiece saved my neck during a three hour session.
Vortex Diamondback HD Spotting Scopes
Try hauling a full-size tripod up the muddy path to Stórhöfði and you'll understand why I switched. Collapses to basically nothing in your pack. Handled the wind better than I expected, though I did hang my bag off it for extra weight.
Travel Tripod
Keep these in your jacket pocket for surprise puffin sightings walking around town. My partner refused to carry the big binoculars everywhere, so these became their go-to. Spotted a pair landing on Heimaey's harbor wall from a restaurant patio with t...
Carson RD Series 8x26 Binoculars WP Compact
Layers That Survived Westman Islands Weather
The forecast said 12°C and partly cloudy. What I got was sideways rain, then sun, then fog, all in 90 minutes. These layers kept me functional instead of miserable on the cliffs.
Wore this every single day for six days straight. The rain on Vestmannaeyjar isn't gentle. It comes at you horizontally. This kept me dry without turning into a sauna during the uphill stretches to the puffin colonies.
Men's Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket
Toss your cotton thermals. I made that mistake day one and was clammy by noon. Switched to this merino layer and stayed warm even when damp. For anyone who runs cold, double up with a midlayer and you're golden.
Women's Classic Thermal Merino Base Layer Crew
Sat on wet volcanic rock for two hours watching puffins waddle around their burrows. Stood up completely dry. These handled mud, rain, and wind without looking like I was about to summit Everest. Pack them even if you think you won't need hiking pant...
Keb Trousers M
Use it as a neck gaiter when the wind picks up, pull it over your ears when you're glassing puffins on exposed headlands. Weighs nothing, takes zero space. I burned through three ‘real’ scarves on Iceland trips before someone handed me one of these.
Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear
Camera Setup for Puffin Photography
Puffins are surprisingly cooperative subjects, they just stand there looking ridiculous. But the light changes fast and the wind shakes everything. Here's what got me sharp shots instead of blurry orange blobs.
Grab this if you want puffin photos that don't look like they were taken through a dirty window. The autofocus tracked puffins in flight, which is honestly wild for a bird that flies like a panicked football. Low light performance saved me during ove...
Sony Alpha 7 IV Mirrorless Full-frame Interchangeable
Puffins let you get surprisingly close on Westman Islands, but this zoom range meant I could fill the frame without crawling toward cliff edges. Heavy? Yes. Worth it when you nail a shot of one mid-landing with a beak full of fish? Absolutely.
Sony FE 200-600mm Long-Term Review 2020
Switched from my old strap after it dug into my neck during a four hour cliff session. This one distributes weight across your shoulder and lets you swing the camera to your hip when you're scrambling over rocks. For anyone carrying a big telephoto, ...
Peak Design Slide Camera Strap
Bring two. I shot 4,200 photos in three days because puffins are absurdly photogenic and I couldn't stop. Ran out of storage on day two with my old 64GB card. Fast write speed matters when you're shooting bursts of puffins taking off.
SANDISK 256GB Extreme PRO SD Memory Card
Westman Islands Experiences Worth Booking
Not everything about puffin watching is gear. Some of the best parts were things I almost skipped because they sounded too touristy. Every one of these made the trip better than just standing on a cliff alone.
Get on this boat. They take you around the island cliffs where puffins nest by the thousands and you see them from the water, flying overhead, diving next to the boat. Our guide spotted species I would have completely missed. Book early because summe...
Ribsafari
Walk through an actual house buried by the 1973 eruption. Puts the whole island's story into perspective before you hike up Eldfell. For anyone who thinks museums are boring, this one changed my mind in about four minutes flat.
Eldheimar Volcano museum
Hike out here during late June or July and you'll see more puffins than you thought existed. The viewing platform keeps you from trampling burrows, which matters. Arrive early morning or late evening when the colonies are most active. Wind will try t...
Three Excellent Spots to go Puffin Watching
Sit down here after a long day on the cliffs and eat local fish that was swimming that morning. The chef uses Westman Islands ingredients in ways that feel personal, not pretentious. Reserve ahead because there are maybe 30 seats and every birder on ...
ENGLISH — SLIPPURINN