I decided to challenge myself this year with a ride around Iceland. Route 1 is 850 miles long and I'm taking a 3 week vacation to ride it all. So, given my addiction to all things gear related my first step was to consider the changes I'd have to make to my usual summer touring gear. Well Iceland is wet and windy, so I have beefed up rain gear and I'm taking an insulated jacket as it can get down to freezing some nights even in summer.

For those interested here is the revised gear list

Tent, Tarptent Contrail (strapped under saddle, weight 1.5lbs)

NELSON LONGFLAP SADDLEBAG (weight 14.0lbs)

Hudson River Sleeping Quilt with wings
Thermarest Neo Air, Sleeping Pad
mini Trangia Stove
Antigravity gear solo cook set
8 oz Denatured Alcohol
Ti Spork
Pot holder
BIC Lighter
50' Cord
Exofficio Convertible Long Pants
Marmot Minimalist rain pants
SmartWool Long Underwear
Andiamo padded cycling Underwear
SmartWool Mid-weight Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Smartwool Socks
Gloves
Rain Booties
Insulated Primaloft Jacket
SmartWool Balaclava
DEET
Multitool
Leatherman, Juice
2 x Kevlar Spokes
2 x inner tubes
Pump
Patch Kit
Tire boots
2x Powerlink
Brake cable
Gear cable
Misc Nuts and Bolts
4x AA batteries
Plastic Bags
Duct tape
First Aid kit
Sewing kit
Petzl headlamp

ORTLIEB HANDLEBAR BAG (weight 5lbs)
Marmot Mica Rain Jacket
Razors
Sunscreen
Butt Buttr
Lip balm
Microfiber Towel
Shampoo
Toothpaste and Brush
Dental Floss
Comb
Bike Cable Lock
Wallet
Guide book
pen
iPhone and cable
Hypermac-mini battery, and cable
Plug adapter
small FM radio and ear buds

CLOTHERS WORN, NOT INCLUDED IN WEIGHT
Padded Underpants
Smartwool Long Sleeve zip T-Shirt
Cycling Knickers
Socks
Cycling Shoes
Cycling cap
Bandana

For emergency food I carry couscous and stock cubes in my cook set and honey, quick oats and teabags in a canister in my third bottle cage. Food I buy daily is carried in the Ortlieb, or if it is bulky the flap on the saddlebag can be extended to carry loaves of bread or cans of beer.

have a great trip nun, how do you manage to pack all that gear into the smallest of bags.

Just when I think I'm getting a good start on a lightweight kit, I read something like this and realize how far I have to go.

That setup looks great. With no panniers you won't be as susceptible to cross- and headwinds. Your tent however will get pushed to its limits. Most campsites have a layer of sod, but underneath the sod it's all rock. Tarptent's stakes may break. I'd recommend some thin ti stakes that can weasel their way through the tough rock without breaking.

Thanks for the heads up. I'll only be camping a couple of nights and using hostels, sleeping bag accommodation and a couple of hotels the rest of the time.

I'm surprised you will be able to purchase food every day, but you've scoped out the route.
I would worry about the availability of alcohol for the stove and would carry a litre but I understand the alcohol burners are very efficient.
I didn't see rain pants to wear with the rainjacket. These garments would also be effective in cold wind.
You are a lightweight packer while I am a heavyweight. I take a freestanding tent that will withstand a gale.

Sounds like a pretty exotic trip. You will really be on the road less travelled.
Enjoy

Given Iceland is surrounded by the Northern North Atlantic Ocean,
I'd say Don't skimp on the rain gear, You may be wearing it Daily for 3 weeks .
Like I did on the western Irish Coast.
+1 on picking a strong Tent, One you can Put up in a Gale, (ie 30+ knot winds)

Hoop tents , that are not freestanding which can be but together flat on the ground

Way better than one that you have to try to put the fly on separately and Last.

There are a couple of days where shops will be "infrequent", but there are gas stations that have small shops. I've researched the route and plan to do 50 to 60 miles a day between hostels, hotels and camp grounds.

I have full rain gear that is seam taped; Mica Jacket, Minimalist Rain pants, booties. My tent is single walled and Tarptents are often criticized for not being good in the wind. However, that's mostly because people don't pitch them right, although I am a bit concerned about pegging it down in the shallow Icelandic soil.

In Norway I often had to camp on stoney ground. I used large boulders and parachord to hold down my Hilleberg Akto.
North Atlantic storms can be fierce any time of year but are more common after mid sept. There are times I thought the Akto would blow away but it held up OK. Good luck with your tarp tent.

Alcohol for the stove is called "Raudsprit" in Iceland, it can be bought from many gas stations. I'm spending a day in Reykjavik to buy supplies and there are some camping stores and a big home improvement superstore near the harbour where I can buy fuel for the Trangia. 8 oz will last me a week if I cook 2 meals a day, so as I'll be using the kitchens in the hostels and staying in hotels for 4 nights, 8oz should last the entire trip.

Yes it should be interesting. I'm using a thicker tent pole than the standard as I obviously can't use a treking pole and have attached some extra guy ropes. It's done well in a couple of storms in New England and this test also give me some hope that it will be sufficient

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V3gKohpfCY

You'll most likely be fine with your tarp tent. My hiking buddy used his TT Moment in some CRAZY winds when we were backpacking in the sierras once, and it held up just fine. Picking a place for the tent is important though, find a natural wind-break before setting up

You shouldn't really have any trouble with your tent around here, as long as it's waterproof... Buying food along the way is easy, along the Ring Road (Highway 1). There are towns every 100 km or so - or closer - and service stations scattered all around the place.
Just make sure your waterproofs are up to it, otherwise you will get wet, cold and miserable.

If there is anything you need to know, just drop me a line.

Magnus Thor
Iceland

Thanks Magnus,
One thing I've realize is "th" as in "Thor" is written with a letter that looks a bit like a "p".

Here is my planned route, do you see any problems?

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,22.807617&z=6

and here's the bike. I put some 700x35c Schwalbe Duremes on it as it will mostly be tarmac, but they'll be a bit of off road too. The cannister in the third bottle cage carries instant oatmeal, honey and 16 tea bags. I've found a brand that are quite strong and as I like my tea quite weak I find I can get 4 cups out of a single bag....so that's 64 cups. I should be ok. I also have couscous and stock cubes packed inside my cookset and a couple of packets of noodle soup in a saddlebag side pocket. The Ortlieb up front is half empty so I can easily carry food I buy along the way.

Except there aren't wind breaks in Iceland

After watching your Tarptent test video, Nun, it looks like you've rigged your tent well to withstand a good storm. Can't wait to read a report after your trip!

Nun, that is a very impressive and well-planned setup. You're very inspiring to some of us heavier weight packers. Thanks for posting the informative videos and the packing list/weight info. If I didn't have three tents already I would definitely consider one of the tarptents.

Anyway, enjoy your adventure and be safe out there.

Nun, I was talking with a bicyclist from Iceland who was in the shop recently picking up some road tires and I asked him about cycling the ring road. He mentioned something about people knowing the times when the truck travel is heaviest around the road?

There may be some local conventions as to when the truck travel is heaviest. You might want to ask around about this once you get there.

Have a great time, i've got some UL camping to be done outside of Paris this year if all goes according to plan.

Thanks, I've arranged things so I'll be riding out of Reykjavik on a Sunday morning to avoid traffic, although traffic doesn't scare me having ridden for my years in London and Boston. Once away form the SW there aren't many cars on the Ring Road, but there is a daily bus which is my emergency plan if things go terribly wrong.

Also I can't take credit for the Tarptent Contrail video, I just found it on youtube.

No fenders?

Magnus, Do you have any suggestions for places I must visit on the Ring Road. I don't have much time for side trips. So far I have Godafoss, the Crater in Lake Myvtn and the Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon.

The trucks on the road should be your least problem. At least I have found them to be amongst the most courteous drivers on the highway. Having said that, they tend to leave the city here in the afternoon and drive through the evening and night so there won't be heavy truck traffic when you are riding. What you have to watch out for is cars pulling camper trailers, those never seem to realize how wide those campers are.
Once you get around 100 km out of the city in any direction, the traffic dies down to almost nothing so you should have no problems.
The wind is everpresent and always seems to be in your face, strange as that may seem since there is no such thing as a straight road in Iceland...
Is there no room for fenders ?

Magnús Þór (don't know if the icelandic characters show up correctly.)
Ísland

I'm probably a bit too meticulous, but planning a trip is all part of the fun. The wind is what worries me most, but I have some nice low gears and I'm filling my iPhone with lots of listening material as I think I'll have some long days in the saddle. One good thing is I'll have plenty of daylight.

The characters show up just right and I now know not to pronounce your last name "por". I like to ride early in the morning, I start around 6:30 so I can my riding done by early afternoon which looks like it will avoid the truck traffic.

I wanted to put fenders on the bike, but it's very tight with the 35mm Duremes on there. If I went down to 32mm there might be space, but I want a big tire for the off road section. Anyway my saddlebag acts a bit like a fender and I have good rain gear, but I'll see if some SKS raceblades XL will fit

https://urbanvelo.org/sks-raceblade-clip-on-fenders/

Fenders?

Well I can't fit full fenders on to the Rambouillet with the 700x35 tires that I want for the off road sections. So the compromise is to use some SKS Raceblade XL fenders.

Looks great! Let us know how the gear setup works out for you when you get back, and good luck!