Packing Advice

[Cdn Gal]

What should we pack? Other than bathing suits, shorts, shirts, a couple of nice outfits, what else did you pack? Did you bring water shoes? Do we need them? Planning to bring our own snorkel gear... Do we need hiking shoes? Or will just sneakers do? What about a soft sided cooler? Has anybody brought that before? Any suggestions for packing is greatly appreciated! :whoopie:

 

[DeniseM]

Hawaii is very, very casual, and you will have probably a washer/dryer. People wear flip flops and shorts every where - you really don't need fancy clothes. No matter how long we are going to stay, we only take carry-ons.

We wear jeans and tennis shoes on the plane, because they are bulky and we don't want to pack them. I wear older tennis shoes, and often throw them away before I leave, if they get stained with red dirt from hiking.

This is what I take:
3 shorts
3 tank tops
2 pairs cropped pants
3 tops
1 sun dress
2 bathing suits
cover up
flip flops
nice sandals
hoodie for cooler evenings, or boat trips, or higher elevations
sun hat

What you bring as far as hiking boots and water shoes depends on what you are going to do. For causal hiking, supportive tennis shoes should be fine. For advanced hiking I see people wearing boots.

On our beach at our home resort, there is lots of broken coral, and sometimes, little jelly fish, so I like water shoes for walking on the beach - but that's not true of every beach.

We pack our own snorkels and masks, and rent fins to save room.

Hawaii has Wal Mart, and other major discount stores, so if you find you need something - you can get it there. We buy our large liquids (shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, lotion, etc.) after we get there.

 

[Luanne]

I travel in a pair of "zip off" pants. That way I'm traveling in long pants, but I can zip off the bottom when I arrive and it also gives me an extra pair of shorts.

 

[jacknsara]

What should we pack? Other than bathing suits, shorts, shirts, a couple of nice outfits, what else did you pack? Did you bring water shoes? Do we need them? Planning to bring our own snorkel gear... Do we need hiking shoes? Or will just sneakers do? What about a soft sided cooler? Has anybody brought that before? Any suggestions for packing is greatly appreciated! :whoopie:

Aloha,
We also pack our own snorkel gear. There are many potential reasons for people to do that. So far, we have been going in winter. Swimming is my exercise and some years the ocean conditions are prohibitive. We pack neoprene vests for swimming in unheated resort pools (generally measure about 75 F +/- in Dec/Jan) as well as in the ocean. I also pack a neoprene shorty for snorkelling since I sometimes stay out a long time and swim quite far from shore.
Water shoes might be optional for Oahu and Kauai since many of their beaches are sandy. Water shoes are almost a must for the big island since many/most of its beaches don't have much sand. For that reason, fins that fit over a boot are much better for the BI than those that go over bare feet.
We carry a soft sided cooler. I partially refill water bottles and freeze them. Even if we are not packing a meal, I take the soft side cooler loaded with ice bottles. Multiple reasons. We have cold water all day. If we stop and buy fish, we can keep it on ice till we are back at the condo. Sara thought that was a waste until we got caught in traffic for a couple of hours while an accident got cleared.
I also fly in pants with zip off legs.
Jack

 

[ronandjoan]

Denise has the great list and she is the expert!

We always have a sift sided cooler with us always for snacks and drinks

 

[LisaRex]

DeniseM is such a flower child. In addition to what she brings, we always like to bring one or two pair of underwear.

While we haven't quite pared down to just a carryon, we certainly pack lighter now than we used to. Technology has helped quite a bit. For instance, the laptop has been replaced with an iPad, and our Nikon D50 has been replaced by a reputable point-and-shoot (Canon PowerShot) that fits into a small purse. Using post-production editing software included in most cameras, we can get great quality prints, even posters, by cropping our point-and-shoot photos v using the zoom.

I also second the recommendation for snorkel gear (if that's your thang), a soft-sided cooler, and a rashguard shirt to keep you warmer in the cool water.

I also bring a variety of plastic baggies, from one or two large kitchen garbage bags to quart sized baggies. They weigh next to nothing and can be used from everything to hauling home wet bathing suits to packing sammies for lunch.

I also bring a variety of spices in well-marked baggies ("Steak seasoning" or "garlic powder") because we like to grill out a lot and it's cost prohibitive to buy an entire bottle of, say, Montreal Steak Seasoning or Old Bay for one meal.

We now use a backpack as one of our carryons, so that we can use it as an actual backpack when we go hiking and day trips. It's an essential item to us.

And finally, we always bring our Aquapacs, which are waterproof storage bags with lanyards. We prefer the small size, which is big enough to fit our cellphones, keys, wallet and credit cards. We never leave our valuables unattended on the beach or in the car; instead we put it in an Aquapac and bring it with us when we get in the water.

http://usstore.aquapac.net/explore-product-range/waterproof-phone-cases.html