Hi Jack, did you say a night in Landmannalaugar and then leave for the lake Álftavatn in the morning? I hear it’s a long hike, some people do it in two days. Not sure if the bus arrives early enough to leave and make it in time
Hi we got to the lake on day 1. It is a big walk for the first day, we started at about midday but if you’re doing it in summer and the weather is good you will have plenty of sunlight
Hi Jack thanks for sharing your incredible journey ! Amazing landscapes! I’m setting off tomorrow to do both hikes , starting in Landmannlauger. I’m prepared with a lot of layers and waterproof gear . Wow, you covered a lot of distance that first day to the lake . If the weathers not bad I’ll camp at Hraftinnusker , then to Emstrur , and to Porsmork. I’ll be very mindful of the weather on the last part . I’m so excited and nervous
Sounds great Joseph, very jealous. That first day was perfect weather and I was feeling pretty fresh 😅 Hope you have a great time and the weather holds out - let me know how you get on when you get back!
@@jackbrookes just got back, what an amazing experience! The weather was perfect ! The first day was a long trek to Alftavatn, especially the last half . Hraftinnusker was way too windy to set up my tent. But I made it lol. Didn’t get dark until almost 10 pm . Everyone on the trail was friendly and helpful. Also did a 3 hour whale watching tour from Reykjavik. That was super fun! Hopefully I can come back to Iceland 🇮🇸 one day. Super grateful 🙏🏻
@@josephjacobs6616 amazing Joseph!! Glad to hear you had a good weather window and a great overall experience. It’s such a special place to hike through. Onto the next one!
Loved the video. Very informative and loved the scenic shots, great job! I'm going to Laugavegur now in august as my first ever solo hiking trip, i'm so exited :) Just wishing for some okey weather.
Thanks for sharing the video - really interesting. I'm thinking of doing the trail myself and was wondering on a couple of things. 1) did you leave some travel clothes in a locker for when you finished the hike? I'd rather not carry travel clothes on top of hiking gear so was wondering if you used a locker at the airport or similar? 2) where did you stay after the end of the walk before flying home? I was thinking of lining up another hotel or airbnb for that but not sure what people do. Also related to this - did you add any contingency to this part since the weather might mean you cannot reach the accomodation for a day or two late.
Thanks for the questions! 1) yes I left a small bag of clothes at the hotel in Reykjavik where I planned to stay post hike 2) At a hotel in Reykjavik - there isn't much at the end of the trail (other than the campsite) so most get the highland buses back into the city :)
Good video, just curious how you gauged the severity of the weather when you decided to turn back, was there something specific about the situation? Low visibility or were you feeling cold? Would you have attempted it again the next day if you had more time or was the trail itself after the main popular trail poorly marked?
Hey thanks for the comment! Yeah there was minimal visibility, sleet was coming in and high wind! I would of hung around a day to do it but my schedule was pretty tight. From what I understand the trail has decent waymarking
Thanks for the video, very informative. Which sleeping bag and mat did you use? I'm looking for the best lightweight to warmth ratio and can't decide at the moment which is best.
You’re welcome - thanks for commenting! I use a cumulus 250 quilt and a themarest ultralight sleeping pad. For 3-season use I think it’s great, maybe on the slightly cooler side but I sleep quite hot so it works well for me
Hi Ignacio, I’ve seen people using trekking pole tents yes, but we didn’t have much bad weather. I would for sure if you’ve got a clear forecast, rough weather maybe not 😅
With bad weather I recommend to you to use tunnel tents, and set them feet facing wind. I've been using Jack Wolfskin Gossamers for 14 years, sometimes on high mountains and altitude passes. They're really strong, water repelent and affordable (for the moment...). Although only 3-season tents, they're a very good compromise.
Hi thank you very much for all this info. Could you possibly post a link to the map you show. I am really struggling to with mapping. Heading out there next week. Thank you very much
Hi Allison, you’re welcome - and I’ll paste the link below. Copy and paste into your browser 👍 Laugavegur Trail: Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk on AllTrails www.alltrails.com/trail/iceland/southern/laugavegur-trail?p=-1
Hey, great vid! Thanks so much, very reassuring for those of us looking to do this trek soon! I am trying to plan what to wear and I see you are wearing shorts but I've seen people also recommending loads of layers, even snow trousers for skiing... What sort of temperature range did you experience out there? I gather weather changes constantly but it'd be good to get an idea from you... I've only been to Iceland in winter and we had -10 to 8 degrees with the typical crazy winds....
Hi Alejandra, thanks for the message! Weather can absolutely be unpredictable out there - when I was there it varied from about 3 degrees in the early morning to about 23 during the day. If you are doing it in summer I think snow trousers would be too much - I would suggest some waterproof hiking trousers with some thermals and the same for your upper body as well 👌
Thanks for uploading this, very helpful for planning! Going there on June 28. Do they serve cooked meals on all stops along the way? What about Phone coverage? I have an Iridium phone I could bring but do I need it?
You’re very welcome! Hope you have a fantastic time on the trail. I’m not sure about cooked meals at the camping sites - I don’t believe so. You can load up on snacks etc but never saw anything more than that unfortunately. In regards to phone service - I had about 50% coverage whilst on the trail. As long as you have a beacon to contact emergency services than you’re fine without it :)
I find this video so helpful. Do you know if in the huts is possible to charge mobile phones? If the answer was no, how did you make it for having your electronic items (camera and cellphone) charged, you used a portable battery? because if the trail lasts about 3/4 days, probably it’s advisable to carry more than one right?
Hi Mariam, I’m not sure about the huts having electricity as I didn’t stay in them but I assume they would. I had just the one portable battery pack which I used to charge all my electronics which kept them going for the 3 days :) I used an Anker brand one, I’ve found it to be really reliable!
Hey Jack, great video! Going there on July 5. I am trying to figure a good way to manage river crossings. What was your system - did you just went across them wearing your trail runners? Also, would you suggest rain pants or waterproof gloves as part of the gear?
Thanks for the comment Akshay! I took my trail runners off and used a stick/my tripod to help. Most people seemed to do the same though it can be quite sore on your feet, others had those water/reef shoes which would help for sure. And in terms of rain pants/water proof gloves it’s completely up to you/how you like to hike. I would generally say bring them if you already own them - but if you don’t, they aren’t 100% needed. I’ve not owned any before so can’t comment how reliable they are for keeping you dry in a downpour
@@jackbrookes Thanks for the response. I think i will keep my trail runners on while crossing and bring a pair of waterproof socks to wear until they dry out. Noted your point about rain pants and glove. I wear terrabone joggers too which dry super quick but my concern is staying wet in them for prolonged rain and getting cold. I read your trip report about Hornstrandir on your blog where you mentioned you experienced extreme winds and rain the entire day. How was that without rain pants or gloves, was it miserable but tolerable? I am more worried about Hornstrandir than Laugavegur honestly, which I will be doing after Laugavegur.
@@akshaymadar674 yeah very good point Akshay. Thankfully I only had the strong rain and wind for the day and it stopped in the afternoon when I reached camp (thankfully). It was probably the most miserable and concerned I’ve been when hiking as I had to do 2 x passes with it. Somewhere remote like hornstrendir I would say waterproofing your pack is essential, then having some solid thermals and waterproof kit as well. I’m not sure it would entirely stop torrential rain but it would definitely help
Hey Jack, absolutely awesome video. Thanks for your work. Excellent quality. What camera do you use? I just start learning with the Sony A7S3 and I have to understand working with picture profiles and postproduction properly. Hello from a likeminded dude from Switzerland!
Hi Schwendi, thanks for the comment! I have a Sony A6400 and a sigma 16mm lens and use sLog3. I’m looking to upgrade to an a7III or IV soon though! I’ll be sure to keep an eye on your channel!
@@jackbrookes Hey Jack, ah very interesting, thanks for answering. I currently shoot in SLOG2 and just found out, how to expose for good results with SLOG2. But I still feel unsure about the color correction and grading. Yours looks excellent. Do you work with rec.709 LUTs or do you do it manually? I just bought the Color Correction Handbook, but it's quite a lot to read and learn :).
No worries Schwendi. Great question and thanks for the kind words - I use final cut pro built in colour correction. For light correction I generally make an S curve - brighten the highlights and darken the shadows, and will sometimes use light wheels as well. For colour, I will just bring up the saturation levels until I find something I like, and add/remove specific colours with the colour drop tool. Nothing too fancy 😂 it takes time to get used to. There’s plenty of great tutorials out there as well on TH-cam which is how I learnt
@@jackbrookes Thank you for sharing your workflow. This is exactly my workflow as well in Magix Video Pro X. I very rarely use 3way color correction. Normaly I just tweek the grading curve and saturation. Maybe I expect too much complexity 😃
@@TheLensSchwendi yeah exactly the same. Perhaps as you get more experience you will begin to feel more confident with the more complex side of things...currently i'm still getting used to the basics 😂
Hi Jack, did you say a night in Landmannalaugar and then leave for the lake Álftavatn in the morning?
I hear it’s a long hike, some people do it in two days. Not sure if the bus arrives early enough to leave and make it in time
Hi we got to the lake on day 1. It is a big walk for the first day, we started at about midday but if you’re doing it in summer and the weather is good you will have plenty of sunlight
Hi Jack thanks for sharing your incredible journey ! Amazing landscapes! I’m setting off tomorrow to do both hikes , starting in Landmannlauger. I’m prepared with a lot of layers and waterproof gear . Wow, you covered a lot of distance that first day to the lake . If the weathers not bad I’ll camp at Hraftinnusker , then to Emstrur , and to Porsmork. I’ll be very mindful of the weather on the last part . I’m so excited and nervous
Sounds great Joseph, very jealous. That first day was perfect weather and I was feeling pretty fresh 😅 Hope you have a great time and the weather holds out - let me know how you get on when you get back!
@@jackbrookes just got back, what an amazing experience! The weather was perfect ! The first day was a long trek to Alftavatn, especially the last half . Hraftinnusker was way too windy to set up my tent. But I made it lol. Didn’t get dark until almost 10 pm . Everyone on the trail was friendly and helpful. Also did a 3 hour whale watching tour from Reykjavik. That was super fun! Hopefully I can come back to Iceland 🇮🇸 one day. Super grateful 🙏🏻
@@josephjacobs6616 amazing Joseph!! Glad to hear you had a good weather window and a great overall experience. It’s such a special place to hike through. Onto the next one!
Nice video, quite accurate and good description.
Thanks 🙏
Loved the video. Very informative and loved the scenic shots, great job! I'm going to Laugavegur now in august as my first ever solo hiking trip, i'm so exited :) Just wishing for some okey weather.
Amazing Theo - one of the most unique hikes I’ve been on. Enjoy your time there and take it all in - such a special place.
Best,
Jack
Currently starting to plan for this hike for summer 2022! This video was very helpful, thank you!
Amazing hike Vincent, you will love it. Nothing quite like it. All the best with it and you’re welcome!
It's cool bro, I'm a photographer from China and have been to Iceland many times.
That’s cool! Do you have any links to your work? Would love to check it out
Just watched your video of the trail. Looks amazing! Thanks for the 'how to' video. ~ Bill
No worries Bill, thanks for watching both!
Cheers - Jack
Thanks for sharing the video - really interesting. I'm thinking of doing the trail myself and was wondering on a couple of things. 1) did you leave some travel clothes in a locker for when you finished the hike? I'd rather not carry travel clothes on top of hiking gear so was wondering if you used a locker at the airport or similar? 2) where did you stay after the end of the walk before flying home? I was thinking of lining up another hotel or airbnb for that but not sure what people do. Also related to this - did you add any contingency to this part since the weather might mean you cannot reach the accomodation for a day or two late.
Thanks for the questions!
1) yes I left a small bag of clothes at the hotel in Reykjavik where I planned to stay post hike
2) At a hotel in Reykjavik - there isn't much at the end of the trail (other than the campsite) so most get the highland buses back into the city :)
@@jackbrookes thanks for responding - much appreciated. I'll look into that then.
Good video, just curious how you gauged the severity of the weather when you decided to turn back, was there something specific about the situation? Low visibility or were you feeling cold? Would you have attempted it again the next day if you had more time or was the trail itself after the main popular trail poorly marked?
Hey thanks for the comment! Yeah there was minimal visibility, sleet was coming in and high wind! I would of hung around a day to do it but my schedule was pretty tight. From what I understand the trail has decent waymarking
Thanks for the video, very informative. Which sleeping bag and mat did you use? I'm looking for the best lightweight to warmth ratio and can't decide at the moment which is best.
You’re welcome - thanks for commenting! I use a cumulus 250 quilt and a themarest ultralight sleeping pad. For 3-season use I think it’s great, maybe on the slightly cooler side but I sleep quite hot so it works well for me
Hello, I was wondering if you think trekking pole tents are suitable for this trail/route!? I imagine the weather can be brutal...
Hi Ignacio, I’ve seen people using trekking pole tents yes, but we didn’t have much bad weather. I would for sure if you’ve got a clear forecast, rough weather maybe not 😅
@@jackbrookes Thank you; I'll see what tents I've got available by the time I get to hike this trail (will likely be late july next year)
With bad weather I recommend to you to use tunnel tents, and set them feet facing wind. I've been using Jack Wolfskin Gossamers for 14 years, sometimes on high mountains and altitude passes. They're really strong, water repelent and affordable (for the moment...). Although only 3-season tents, they're a very good compromise.
Hi thank you very much for all this info. Could you possibly post a link to the map you show. I am really struggling to with mapping. Heading out there next week. Thank you very much
Hi Allison, you’re welcome - and I’ll paste the link below. Copy and paste into your browser 👍
Laugavegur Trail: Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk on AllTrails
www.alltrails.com/trail/iceland/southern/laugavegur-trail?p=-1
Hey, great vid! Thanks so much, very reassuring for those of us looking to do this trek soon! I am trying to plan what to wear and I see you are wearing shorts but I've seen people also recommending loads of layers, even snow trousers for skiing... What sort of temperature range did you experience out there? I gather weather changes constantly but it'd be good to get an idea from you... I've only been to Iceland in winter and we had -10 to 8 degrees with the typical crazy winds....
Hi Alejandra, thanks for the message! Weather can absolutely be unpredictable out there - when I was there it varied from about 3 degrees in the early morning to about 23 during the day. If you are doing it in summer I think snow trousers would be too much - I would suggest some waterproof hiking trousers with some thermals and the same for your upper body as well 👌
Thanks for uploading this, very helpful for planning! Going there on June 28. Do they serve cooked meals on all stops along the way? What about Phone coverage? I have an Iridium phone I could bring but do I need it?
You’re very welcome! Hope you have a fantastic time on the trail. I’m not sure about cooked meals at the camping sites - I don’t believe so. You can load up on snacks etc but never saw anything more than that unfortunately. In regards to phone service - I had about 50% coverage whilst on the trail. As long as you have a beacon to contact emergency services than you’re fine without it :)
I find this video so helpful. Do you know if in the huts is possible to charge mobile phones? If the answer was no, how did you make it for having your electronic items (camera and cellphone) charged, you used a portable battery? because if the trail lasts about 3/4 days, probably it’s advisable to carry more than one right?
Hi Mariam, I’m not sure about the huts having electricity as I didn’t stay in them but I assume they would. I had just the one portable battery pack which I used to charge all my electronics which kept them going for the 3 days :) I used an Anker brand one, I’ve found it to be really reliable!
Hey Jack, great video! Going there on July 5. I am trying to figure a good way to manage river crossings. What was your system - did you just went across them wearing your trail runners? Also, would you suggest rain pants or waterproof gloves as part of the gear?
Thanks for the comment Akshay! I took my trail runners off and used a stick/my tripod to help. Most people seemed to do the same though it can be quite sore on your feet, others had those water/reef shoes which would help for sure.
And in terms of rain pants/water proof gloves it’s completely up to you/how you like to hike. I would generally say bring them if you already own them - but if you don’t, they aren’t 100% needed. I’ve not owned any before so can’t comment how reliable they are for keeping you dry in a downpour
@@jackbrookes Thanks for the response. I think i will keep my trail runners on while crossing and bring a pair of waterproof socks to wear until they dry out.
Noted your point about rain pants and glove. I wear terrabone joggers too which dry super quick but my concern is staying wet in them for prolonged rain and getting cold. I read your trip report about Hornstrandir on your blog where you mentioned you experienced extreme winds and rain the entire day. How was that without rain pants or gloves, was it miserable but tolerable? I am more worried about Hornstrandir than Laugavegur honestly, which I will be doing after Laugavegur.
@@akshaymadar674 yeah very good point Akshay. Thankfully I only had the strong rain and wind for the day and it stopped in the afternoon when I reached camp (thankfully). It was probably the most miserable and concerned I’ve been when hiking as I had to do 2 x passes with it. Somewhere remote like hornstrendir I would say waterproofing your pack is essential, then having some solid thermals and waterproof kit as well. I’m not sure it would entirely stop torrential rain but it would definitely help
Hey Jack, absolutely awesome video. Thanks for your work. Excellent quality. What camera do you use? I just start learning with the Sony A7S3 and I have to understand working with picture profiles and postproduction properly. Hello from a likeminded dude from Switzerland!
Hi Schwendi, thanks for the comment! I have a Sony A6400 and a sigma 16mm lens and use sLog3. I’m looking to upgrade to an a7III or IV soon though! I’ll be sure to keep an eye on your channel!
@@jackbrookes Hey Jack, ah very interesting, thanks for answering. I currently shoot in SLOG2 and just found out, how to expose for good results with SLOG2. But I still feel unsure about the color correction and grading. Yours looks excellent. Do you work with rec.709 LUTs or do you do it manually? I just bought the Color Correction Handbook, but it's quite a lot to read and learn :).
No worries Schwendi. Great question and thanks for the kind words - I use final cut pro built in colour correction. For light correction I generally make an S curve - brighten the highlights and darken the shadows, and will sometimes use light wheels as well. For colour, I will just bring up the saturation levels until I find something I like, and add/remove specific colours with the colour drop tool. Nothing too fancy 😂 it takes time to get used to. There’s plenty of great tutorials out there as well on TH-cam which is how I learnt
@@jackbrookes Thank you for sharing your workflow. This is exactly my workflow as well in Magix Video Pro X. I very rarely use 3way color correction. Normaly I just tweek the grading curve and saturation. Maybe I expect too much complexity 😃
@@TheLensSchwendi yeah exactly the same. Perhaps as you get more experience you will begin to feel more confident with the more complex side of things...currently i'm still getting used to the basics 😂
one question ... what if i get tired on the way and i want to camp for any reason ... can't i just camp till the next morning ?! ...
Hi Youssef, there are multiple campsites along the way where you can stop to camp, so no need to worry 👌
How much do I have to suppose the lowest air-temperature in the trail in July?
I think the lowest got down to about 4 degrees in the evenings, but likely colder on the passes
@@jackbrookes Thank you!😃
Hi Jack. Your accent says your from Australia. How come you are on so many european trails? Do you live in Europe? BR Jens
Hi Jens, cheers for the comment. I’ve lived and worked in the UK for the past 3 years but I’m from close to Brisbane originally though
Cheers, Jack
Could you just fill up your water bottles in the river or did you use a water Filter system
Hi Marie, yes you can fill up without a filter :) the only water container I had was my filter so just used it
Thank you
Super..🙂
Glad you liked!