What to Pack for Ireland in the Spring and Summer- If going to Ireland in the spring you may be making a packing list and are curious of what to pack. We did a lot of hiking in Ireland while we were there at at the end of March and beginning of April, my list will be geared towards what to pack for short and long hikes in Ireland. Ireland can range in temperature, its always hard to judge what to bring. I never want to over pack but I want to be prepared as well. This is my complete list for what to pack for Ireland in the spring months, March, April and May. This list can easily work for packing for Ireland in the summer months or June, July and August as well!

Suitcase/Travel Backpack

Travel Backpack:

I always travel with my Ebags Mother Lode. It has multiple compartments, an extender and can be used like a backpack, or tuck the straps in to make it a weekend bag. I have always gotten away with using this as a carry on as well. This is perfect for a week or two in Ireland. They are also great if moving around quickly, easy to pack, throw on your shoulder and head out the door.

Option 2 Backpack:

My husband has a Ebags Mother Lode but recently switched to Osprey Packs as he likes the straps and weight distribution better. This style has many fun compartments to put shoes, toiletries, which he saved the main compartment for his clothes in packing cubes.

Duffel Bag:

I always pack a Packable Duffel Bag with me on long trips. I typically use them as an extra bag to carry on my way home to store souvenirs and other fragile items that won’t fit in my checked bag. We bought some glassware and travel whiskey at some of the distillery’s and breweries (such and Teeling and Guinness). We used this as our carry to protect out fragile items.

Packing Cubes:

I don’t know how many times I have seen the question on travel group boards “are packing cubes really worth it?”. The question is always flooded with answers of YESS!!! You don’t need to splurge on fancy or expensive ones. I own this Amazon brand and they have worked wonders. Keeps you organized and helps when unpacking and repacking through a multiple destination trip. Heck I don’t even go on a weekend trip without them now! Lifesaver!

***one other packing tip is that always bring a few zip-lock bags and garbage bags. Also nice to have something if you happen to have wet/muddy clothes or shoes, which with the rain in Ireland we definitely had some muddy shoes.

Clothes

It seems as if Ireland’s temperature was changing within minutes. At one point we would be on a hike with and jacket, hat and gloves and one moment we were stripping our layers to a t shirt or long sleeve shirt. Because of this I suggest bringing lots of light layers. Don’t worry about bringing a big heavy coat in the summer or spring, a good rain coat and some layers will do the trick. Bring lots of layers, and if its windy or rainy by the ocean areas you can always throw on a rain jacket.

Here are some of my favorites for clothing in Ireland:

Jeans:

I good paid that is flexible it great for short and hikes and day trips in the towns and cities.

Sweaters:

A light sweater is great for evenings around town. We went into Killarney and Doolin for dinners while visiting. It was great to throw on for dinner and a pub visit at night. Ireland seemed to me a pretty casual country. This Oversized Sweater looks comfy for travel (I like the gray and pink one!) and and cute for wearing around towns. I also love having a cozy cardigan to use for warmth and easy to travel with.

Hiking Pants:

I do love my hiking pants that I found on sale at REI. They are light weight and quick drying. They were fantastic for those rainy days, the next day they were always practically dry! These are great pairs and have great reviews as well, here and here.

Leggings:

I never travel without at least one pair of black sports leggings. My favorites are the high-waisted ones from Fabletics. They can be used for hiking and easily worn during a day in town. I prefer the high waist leggings for hiking and other physical activities. These here are a great pair, and these are as well and are a little bit cheaper.

Rain Jacket:

A solid rain jacket is a must in Ireland, odds are it will rain! The weather constantly changes and you never know what it will bring you. I love this one for just strolls around the city, it is light weight and pack-able (women’s packable jacket and men’s packable jacket). But, for a hiking trip I like one that is a little more protective in wind and rain storms, and much warmer for those early mornings or chilly days (women’s thicker raincoat and men’s thicker raincoat).

Hiking Shorts:

I never wore shorts in Ireland in the early spring, but I can see myself packing a few if going in the peak summer months. This is another item I never thought specific hiking shorts was necessary, but do make a difference. They don’t ride up and are much more waterproof and breathable. They also are very elastic around the hips to make movement easier. This Columbia pair is great to have and comes in many colors.

Long Sleeve Zip Ups:

I wore these constantly while in Ireland, they were the prefect layer under my rain coat. And a great layer when want to shed you rain jacket while getting warm along a hike. These are another great thin layer, you can find good deals on them at REI. I also like these here.

Tanks:

As I have said many times before layering is key. I always had a moisture-wicking sports tanks under my long sleeve shirts. Almost every hike we went on I used these as an additional layer. Here are two options that have great reviews and are cheap, cute and will go with anything, here and here.

Towel:

I never travel without my Turkish Towels now! most Bed and Breakfast had towels but I also love using it for a picnic, to wrap up when its cold at night, or even use at a scarf! Hostels occasionally don’t have towels, or you have to rent them, so this is an item handy to have it travelling via hostels. They are quick drying and thin so they are easy to pack!

Scarf:

This is another items I don’t travel without. I love the light weight ones as they can serve for many purposes. Not only will it help you keep warm in the windy parts of Ireland, it also helps on airplanes, covering up at churches and more! Here are some cute ones, here, here and here.

Gloves:

I wore gloves almost every morning and evening while in Ireland, along the Cliff’s of Mohr is got a little chilly with the wind. A little pricey but these North Face gloves are by far my favorite. Lightweight enough to be able to move freely and grasp on to things but also warm enough to stop the wind from freezing your hands.

***To help minimize over packing clothes we always try to make sure we book a AirBnB or hotel with laundry at least once a week. This way we only really need to pack one week of clothes. We also always make tide pods so we don’t have to buy a big thing of detergent to lug around.

Shoes/Hiking Socks

As I said before we did mostly hiking in Ireland, but would often grab dinner in town right after our hikes. I brought two pairs of shoes to trek in, this was because if it rained and my shoes became soaked I could let those dry out for the next day and wear my back ups. I did this often, I also believe it helps my feet not be as sore when I change up my shoe.

Hiking Shoes:

These Ahnu’s are my all time favorite hiking shoe. They look cute and I have no problem wearing them into lunch, shopping around town or even a dinner after a hike. I have worn them all over the world and would buy another pair easily! My sister wears Ahnu’s and loves hers as well!

Gym Shoes:

I also brought a pair of trail running shoes, these had great traction and worked perfectly to wear on our shorter hikes and quick stops in Iceland. Gym shoes are perfectly fine for quick stops on paved and well maintained trails. But as I said always bring two in case it rains!

Socks:

I never was one to think I needed hiking socks, I purchased some on a whim at REI and Amazon when I went to Zion National Park and I have never looked back. Buy have some in multiple thickness and height to wear in different temperatures. I like these taller ones for the colder hikes and these short cut ones for when I am wearing shorts and its warmer.

For In Town/Cities:

For the few times we went into the small towns and cities in Ireland I wore my lace up Vans. I fit right in with the locals in Dublin. They were great for the tourist-y places, comfortable as well! I also think these slip ons would be sufficient, and cute too!

***If just sticking to hikes hiking shoes will be just fine unless you plan on going out to eat at a nicer restaurant.

Hiking Gear

Day pack:

I use two different packs depending on the trip. For hot summer trips I usually use this one, as it is lighter and smaller. But it places like Norway , Ireland and Iceland where I might be wearing more layer to put on and off then I use this North Face one as it has more room yet still it not overly huge.

Water Bottles/Bladder:

For hiking trips I always bring two types of water containers. For long hikes I use hydration bladders such (here is a great deal on a pack of two of them!). I don’t worry about bringing a pack for it, just the bladder. It packs very flat and I just throw it in my regular daypack. Which many these days have compartments for water bladders anyways, we didn’t bring ours to Ireland as none of our hikes were very extensive.

The second type of water bottle I bring are these two, here and here. They are both collapsible and perfect for any type of travel, short hikes, city wandering, long car or train rides and airports as well. They are always with me.

Hat/Beanie:

I brought a winter beanie, a standard thin one and a super soft fur lined one! (here and here). I wore these a lot while in Ireland, and kept my hair in place from all the wind.

I took a hat with me for almost every hike we went on. These are a lifesaver for still wet hair or the fact that it is so windy there it helps keep your hair out of your face. I like these wide brim ones for extra sun protection but a stand ball cap like this one would work perfectly fine as well.

Backpack Raincover:

This is another thing I never travel without now. It doesn’t take up hardly any room, I pack it in a zip-lock sandwich bag, and has saved our backpacks from getting soaked many times! I own this one but this brand is a little cheaper and has great reviews. We used these when there were chances of rain, which is almost everyday while in Ireland.

Snacks:

Always have some snacks on me for hikes. granola, jerky, fudge

Tech Gadgets

These are obviously not necessary but some have come in handy during our travels.

USB car charger:

Some rental cars or campervans come without or have an extra fee to rent a car charger. We always pack dual charging one like this one one to use, cheap and small so it doesn’t take up much packing space.

Battery Packs:

My goodness I love these things. They have come in handy when on long hikes, using GPS to navigate cities and never having to fight for an airport outlet. This one is super cheap and worked better than our more expensive one.

Adapters:

Coming from the States or outside of Europe don’t forget adapters! We bought a multi pack pack like this set, but if planning to travel to many countries this device seems pretty nifty.

Cameras:

A standard smart phone can capture this beautiful country just fine. But if you love photography as I do you can check our my camera packing list.

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