How to Organise Luggage for an Iceland Self-Drive Trip

At pick-up, measure the boot before starting the navigation

When you collect the car in Keflavík, put every bag in the boot and take a photograph looking in from the rear. Do not leave visible hard cases, camera bags or passport pouches in the car; even for a ten-minute waterfall stop, take the accommodation bag with you. Whether the luggage can be fully concealed matters more than the “five-seater” wording on a rental page. If four wheeled cases have to be stacked up to the rear window, you will repeat the packing job every time you open the boot at the next stop.

With two nights in Reykjavík, you can keep the full luggage in your room and take only one city day bag on day two; switch to three daily bags once you head along the South Coast. This is where the number of nights in Iceland accommodation affects order in the car: with one night, reset the car; with two nights, one reorganisation is enough.

ICENAVI · LUGGAGE ROUTE MAPAt each change of base, carry only the bag you need

KeflavíkCollect car / photograph / split three bagsReykjavíkTwo nights means one less carryVíkWet gear / activity equipmentAkureyriTwo nights / northern detour

Pick-up point Photograph, split bags and conceal the boot.Multi-night base Keep full luggage in the room and only the day bag in the car.Activity point Put wet gear and meeting essentials on top the night before.

A four-minute car reset for every day

1. Before reaching the accommodation: At the last safe parking space, take out documents, medication, camera, charger and the first clothing layer for tomorrow morning.
2. Once in the room: Hang wet shoes, rain trousers and swimwear separately; do not push damp gear back into a sealed case, or the car will carry the moisture the next day.
3. Before bed: Check tomorrow’s first stop and meeting time. Put only the required gear in the day bag, with breakfast supplies in the car-door pocket.
4. Before leaving: Check under the bed, in the bathroom, at charging sockets and in the boot. Only then return the three bags to the car in order.

At Vík and along the South Coast, rainwear, shoes and swimwear are often used on the same day; keeping the wet-gear bag somewhere airy is more effective than bringing another pair of shoes. If you have an ice-cave or glacier activity the next day, see where to stay after an ice-cave tour and deal with the meeting point, recovery time and drying luggage in the same evening. Avoid a long hotel move on an activity day: gear that is not dry will have to be packed into the boot again.

Three arrangements that look convenient but add a hidden cost

If your route includes the Westman Islands or another island, first confirm whether the vehicle can board and whether the accommodation has a secure place to store luggage; there is no need to take the whole car load ashore. To compare island ferry routes and nights away, see Iceland’s island ferry routes and include luggage carries when choosing a sailing.

Use a “carry log” to decide whether to change car or accommodation

Moving luggage once a day feels very different from moving it three times by the second day. Pick-up days, ferry days and ice-cave meeting days are usually the busiest, so choose luggage to serve those days first. With a city base for three nights, two people can leave most luggage in the room; on an Iceland Ring Road trip that changes town daily, keep breakfast, dry clothes and chargers together in one easy-to-reach area. If a room costs HK$500–800 more (about NT$2,050–3,280) but saves two rounds of parking, opening the car and repacking, the difference is often paying for sleep and a punctual start.

This carry log gives vehicle and accommodation choices a comparable basis while keeping the trip manageable. After an ice-cave outing, a long drive or a ferry, the most useful evening jobs are usually hanging wet clothes, charging devices and sleeping; one dry corner in the room helps tomorrow’s activity more directly than a scenic balcony.