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A friend and I will be cycling around Iceland throughout August this year and are currently planning our route/what kit to take – anyone have any recommendations of routes/places to visit/general tips? We're thinking of doing a combination of paved roads and gravel F roads.
I'm also wondered about which tent to take, torn between an MSR Elixir and MSR Hubba Hubba NX2, any thoughts much appreciated.
Cheers!
the most windproof one...
We went to Iceland last July & it was spectacular. It also never rose above 7°c, was windy AF and rained constantly.
Think cycle touring in Scotland in winter.
The cyclists we saw were all piss wet through wth no chance to dry clothes and did not look to be having fun. Also, the lunch out we treated ourselves to was £45 for two bowls of soup and two filter coffees.
We had a 4x4 with heated seats, camped out and were miserable.
If I were to go again I'd only do it in a full size motorhome.
However to answer your actual question, the Trailstar tarp stood up well.
Whichever tent you take make sure the lines have big enough loops to wrap around stones and boulders - many places you'll struggle to get a tent peg in the ground! We had a Vango Spirit 200 which stood up to the weather OK. Of the two you mention I'd take the heavier one.
As scruff says, Scotland in winter on steroids. Good waterproofs and kit that will take a battering. Have a look at trip reports and routes on bikepacking.com for a feel on how much things can differ.
By "around" do you mean Route 1 or just generally riding around? One route that I'd like to do is from Landmannalaugar along the Laugavegur route to Thorsmork. We went to Landmannalaugar but the weather was foul so didn't set off.
Don't ride on the bridleways. Seriously, they are for horses only and the surfaces are like all weather racing circuits here and hard enough to walk on when you cross one let alone ride on them. I know that the authorities really don't like motor vehicles straying from the existing roads and tracks but don't know if that also applies to bikes - might be worth checking.
We did a few days' riding - everything from double track you could drive a car along to singletrack where a mistake would mean a 50m fall in to a glacial torrent (we walked those bits!). F roads can be great, and hard work, and get you in to some seriously spectacular places.
And be prepared for your credit card to take a battering!