camping is in tents

Lots of people gave us quizzical looks when we said we were going camping in Iceland. "You know it's cold and wet there, right?" was the common response. To be perfectly honest I was really nervous about the camping part of our trip—I thought we were going to freeze to death or blow away in the wind.

Neither of those things happened. It was actually really comfortable! The key is preparation—we had 20 degree sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and a great tent and we were super snug the whole week. Some of the benefits of camping in Iceland—the sites are always by something really cool [such as a crater, lighthouse, the ocean, or a waterfall], they aren't that crowded [and probably even less crowded in the off season], and they are ridiculously cheap [about seven bucks per person to camp]. We brought our own freeze-dried meals from REI just in case there weren't places to eat nearby [which did happen most nights] and that was kind of fun. Our car had fold-out tables on the front seats which worked perfectly for dinner time. 

There are also really great hospitality laws in Iceland regarding camping. If you decide to do wilderness camping and end up in someone's yard or farm, they can come tell you that they don't want you to stay there... but you can still stay the night. Seriously—friendly country. Oh, AND—there are no ants or mosquitos in the whole country, thanks to the late ice age! [I read that somewhere—I didn't just make it up.] Bugs are the worst thing about camping, I think, so that made things a million times more comfortable.

Anyway, I just needed to preach the camping gospel. We were supposed to go camping this weekend but we were a little burned out and decided to spend this Labor Day at home in a real bed instead. But if you're thinking of camping in Iceland, just ask us about it. Robbie thinks that I am a bit of a wuss but after a week of semi-regular showering and crazy camping hair, I think I've proved him wrong. Right? Please tell me I'm right.