Iceland R&D Expedition | Our Creative Director’s Favorite Gear

This collection of gear was used for 2 weeks of adventuring in Iceland, camping in the elements every night (except the first and last nights of trip at a hostel in Reykjavik), driving 1,400+ miles of the entire Ring Road as well as the Westfjords in a Land Rover Defender 110 with a 3 person Carryology team consisting of Laurence Fry, Brian Takats, and myself (Taylor Welden).

Our primary goal? Hunting the northern lights, a life bucket list item for each of us. Plus, we planned to hide some custom commemorative patches in hard to find places, which led to the birth of our Carryology Global Expedition Project.

Due to the extreme terrain and brutal weather in Iceland in October/November, every single one of these items on the gear list below was painstakingly researched and carefully selected over 4 months. The selection focus was on; survival, durability, comfort, and more. Many of these items were sent from the brands for testing/review, some items I already owned, some items I purchased with my own money, some items were acquired via trades, and some items were even gifts from members in the Carryology community.

Big thank you to all of our brand partners and every one of the community members involved!

Some additional Carryology Icelandic R&D Expedition coverage:

Carryology iPhone Iceland Field Test Review
Carryology #shotoniphone Iceland Photo Gallery

And now… onto the list!

The Complete Carryology Icelandic R&D Expedition Gear List:

SHELTER:

Big Agnes Shield 2 Tent 
Big Agnes Shield 2 Footprint
Big Agnes Gear Loft (Wall)
Big Agnes Diamond Park 0-Degree Sleeping Bag
Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core Deluxe Pad (25”x78”)
Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core Deluxe Pillow
Big Agnes Mica Basin Camp Chair

APPAREL:

Arc’teryx Beta SV Jacket (XL)
Arc’teryx Gamma LT Hoody (XL)
Arc’teryx Agrium Hoody (XL)
Arc’teryx Proton LT Hoody (XL)
Arc’teryx Rho LT Zip Neck (XL)
Arc’teryx A2B T-Shirt (XL) (2 units)
Arc’teryx Beta AR Pant (XL)
Arc’teryx Gamma AR Pant (XL)
Arc’teryx LEAF Alpha Pant Gen 2 (L)
Arc’teryx Rho LT Bottom (XL)
Arc’teryx Incendo Short 9 (XL)
ExOfficio Give-N-Go 2.0 Boxer Brief (L) (10 units)
Smartwool Merino Wool Socks (XL) (5 pairs)
Darn Tough Merino Wool Socks (XL) (5 pairs)

ACCESSORIES:

Arc’teryx Acrux LT GTX Boot (Size 12)
Arc’teryx Fission SV Glove
Arc’teryx Gothic Glove
Arc’teryx Hedron Toque
Arc’teryx Rho LTW Beanie
Arc’teryx Rho LTW Neck Gaiter
Arc’teryx Conveyor Belt (L)
Randolph Engineering Aviator Sunglasses
Randolph Engineering Travel Sunglasses Case 
Omega Seamaster Professional Titanium 2231.50
ArtStyle NATO Zulu Nylon Watch Strap 
Morakniv Companion Stainless Steel Fixed Blade
Leatherman Charge TTi Multi-tool
Kahtoola MICROspikes Footwear Traction
Glerups The Shoe Rubber Sole (Size 46)
Pacsafe X Carryology Silver Ion Face Mask
Elephant Brand Bandana
Sea to Summit Tek Towel (L)
Sea to Summit Laundry Wash (3.0oz)

BAGS / POUCHES / CARRY:

Big Agnes Big Joe Duffel (110L)
Arc’teryx Alpha FL 30 Backpack
Arc’teryx Granville 10 Courier Bag
Arc’teryx Index 5+5 Organizer
Arc’teryx Index 10+10 Organizer
Veilance Monad Re-System Pouch
Arc’teryx ReBird Pouch
Arc’teryx Pack Rain Cover (M)
Granite Gear Air Bag Stuff Sack (5L)
Sea to Summit Event Compression Dry Sack (20L)
Sea to Summit Mesh Sack (15L)
Nite Ize RunOff 3-1-1 Pouch (Toiletries Kit)
Nite Ize RunOff Medium Travel Pouch (First Aid Kit)
Nite Ize RunOff Medium Travel Pouch (Camera Kit)
Nite Ize RunOff Medium Travel Pouch (Electronics Kit)
Nite Ize RunOff Medium Travel Pouch (EBC Kit)
Nite Ize RunOff Medium Packing Cube
Bellroy Apex Passport Cover

FOOD / HYDRATION:

MSR WindBurner Personal Stove System
Snow Peak Trek Titanium Bowl (3 units)
Snow Peak Ti-Double 450 Mug (3 units)
Snow Peak Titanium Spork (3 units)
Snow Peak Titanium Aurora Bottle 
CamelBak Stoaway 3L Insulated Reservoir
Good To-Go Entree Meals (12 pouches)
Waka Coffee Instant Coffee (5 packets)
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets (2 tubes)

ELECTRONICS / TECH:

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1TB
Apple iPhone Silicone Case with MagSafe
Apple iPad mini 256GB (6th generation)
Apple Smart Folio for iPad mini
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple AirTag
SureFire G2X Pro Flashlight
Princeton Tec Remix Pro Headlamp
MPOWERD Luci Outdoor 2.0 Solar Lantern
Baofeng BF-888S Two Way Radio (2 units)
THYRM CellVault-5M
THYRM CellVault

CAMERA:

Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless Camera Body
Canon RF 28-70mm F2.0 L USM Lens
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L USM Lens
Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
Peak Design Leash Camera Strap
Matador Camera Base Layer
Matador Lens Base Layer

A heads up: Bellroy and Carryology share the same founders. You can read about our origin story here.

And hey, we’re reader-supported too, so if you find something that sparks your interest and click through and purchase via our affiliate links, sometimes we’ll get a little kickback from the brands or retailers. It helps us to make more content and build this channel. Although, we’ll just point out, some brands don’t have affiliate options, and that’s cool with us too. If the carry is awesome, we recommend it!