Sleep system for family on backpacking trip to Iceland

It is good to stick a parent with younger kids to help verify their body temperature but I would be concerned about heat leaking out the top of the bag due to mismatched shoulder height.  Look at the EE double bag and how much effort is put in to seal around the neck area.  By the time my kids were 5 they really enjoyed being sealed up in there own bag (YMMV).  Also I’m not sure a 15 degF BA bag is any warmer than an EE 20 degF quilt.  I think you could boost the backside insulation quite a bit by using a thin closed foam pad over your Klymit.  It seems like you might be a bit under-insulated with just the Klymit

Summer in Iceland is somewhat vague as the difference between June and September is pretty dramatic.  My 2 cents.

Summer in Iceland is somewhat vague as the difference between June and September is pretty dramatic.

I was thinking something similar.  I’m no expert–only been there once–but the conditions I saw in late July/early August were less about insulation and more about keeping camp clothing/bedding dry and surviving the wind.  As for the one-big-bag:  everyone’s different, but I can’t imagine sharing a bag with my kids when they were 10-13.  Five, maybe.

Thank you for your answers.

Ben, your point is understood. I’ll rethink my approach. I was sure the bag will sag near the neck. I don’t expect it will wrap around like a solo bag. Plus there is a nice hood. A lot of insulation there. Putting some thin layer of CCF makes sense of course. I’ll dig into it. As for the kids, well, they (two younger ones) sometimes come to our bed at night, so I don’t think two girls will not mind sharing a bag with mom. Me and the 10 y.o. son will be sleeping in two different bags.

Jon, yes, I read a lot and one thing that is repeated like a mantra is “the weather changes constantly”. This really doesn’t say much, but if I consider worst conditions, I think a 15-20F bag should provide necessary warmth. The problem with kids is of course – it is better to overdo than to underdo.

Todd, What would you recommend for us to do? Is 15F rating (BA) bag is inappropriate? I really really wanting to cut weight since I will carry much of the anyone’s gear as well as some of the kids’ gear of course.

Holy crap, will we survive it?

By summer I meant mid-July until early August…

Todd, What would you recommend for us to do? Is 15F rating (BA) bag is inappropriate? I really really wanting to cut weight since I will carry much of the anyone’s gear as well as some of the kids’ gear of course.

I think a 15F rating is fine.  That’s what I used, but it never got below maybe 40 when I was there.  (I did the Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals trails and some drive-to campgrounds.)  But it rained a lot and the winds did their best to shred everything.  I guess my point is, don’t neglect good rain gear and sturdy shelter.  Leave the full-brim hat at home and take a baseball cap to wear under a rain hood.  Don’t have anything dangling on your packs, or it’ll beat you half to death in the wind.  Fimmvorduhals hit us with nearly 50-mph winds.

Iceland is gorgeous.

Todd thank you so much for this input!

I’m currently planning to hike the same route as yours and like 1 or 2 weeks of car camping in different areas. For this trip, we are taking all of the rain gear (pants + jackets), WP socks, mittens. fleeces, merino wool thermal base layer (I bought Ice Breaker for all of the kids too.). Beanies and merino wool buffs as well. warm socks.

50mph sounds scary. Have never been in such a wind with Duplex tent. Triplex should handle wind worse I believe.

Anyone saw a ZPacks tent pitched in Iceland?

Instead of renting a car, you may consider a camper.  It is a great way to get out of the rain.  I rented one from Go Campers Iceland and it had a real nice Diesel power heater to keep things warm through the night.  My 2 cents.

50mph sounds scary. Have never been in such a wind with Duplex tent. Triplex should handle wind worse I believe.

I wrote that a little out of context.  The high winds hit us while hiking, not while camped, fortunately.  The wardens at the various huts along the way will warn you about wind and wetness forecasts.  Twice we doubled a day’s planned hiking distance on their advice, once specifically to avoid the bad winds at a high camp.

I’d go again in a second.

1. I’d be leary of a plex tent on that trek—I’d want a tent that you can really lower flush with the ground. Yes, I’ve seen photos online of people doing it, maybe they got lucky. I was lucky, and started two days after one of the many days the trail was “closed.”  I didn’t see an trekking pole supported tents, all rather conventional. I did see a couple Hillebergs. If/When I go back to explore other areas I would be torn between a mid or a Hilleberg (when in scandinavia, do as the scandinavians?) I assume the huts might be too pricey x5, but I was happy with that choice for myself. If you’re thinking about that at all, put in your request to FI now.
2. I was in a hut, so the 20 EE doesn’t really matter. However, I think the quilt thing depends more on the type of sleeper than the age. (works for my daughter, son would be happier in something that zips all the way up.

Yeah, the welded parts on those Klymit pads. I found them to be not compatible with quilts. They say “oh your bag can fill it in” as though it’s bonus insulation, when in my experience it was lacking without.

It’s an amazing place. Have a wonderful time. Feel free to pm me with any more specific questions. You have the Cicirone book yet? Worth getting.

Another thought, considering you already own the Duplex. You could bring that and buy/bring another 3P tent that’s more wind-worthy. Then if things did get bad, in a pinch you could all dog-pile into the the other tent.

Do the Sierra Designs Backcountry beds appeal to your wife at all? I’m curious about those. Personally I’d love to get an EE Accomplice to share w/my 8-year old (but budget, and no immediate plans/time for winter camping).

You’ll be fine. The 10 & 13 year old can carry a reasonable amount. Some of the camping areas had enclosed picnic table areas for tent campers. And hot showers on some nights! That part was really nice. I did see a family or two out there.

I would focus more on blocking wind and managing rain, as opposed to insulation/temperature.

If lost, how do you find your way out of a forest in Iceland?  You stand up.  Seriously, there is basically no treeline to buffer you from the winds,  As others have said, you need a shelter that is stable in the wind.  Additionally, plan on getting wet.  BTW, I would be sure to bring a GPS, we got hit several whiteout conditions on our hike and there were multiple trails to choose form.  My 2 cents.

Looks like Joe from ZPacks did it just fine: 

http://www.zpacks.com/adventures/iceland-gear.shtml

Manfred and Hannah’s Duplex worked well in Iceland in some high winds while other tents used by other backpackers did not.  Due to BPL snafus, his trip report starts several posts into this thread:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/traversing-iceland-a-father-daughter-adventure/

I briefly had a Klymit pad with welded-thru seams all over it. It was utterly terrible; actually came out a day early it was so cold. Took it back to REI and exchanged for a Thermarest Neo Air XTherm, which is a really good pad.