Non-obvious packing for Hawaii

[Anonymous]

If you have room in your bags and have physically active kids, recommend packing boxes of protein bars and other snacks for quick food. Hawaii is awesome for food but at the hotels it is expensive and takes time.

We get a free checked bag with our status and I’ve always packed a small bag with protein bars, turkey jerky, dried fruit, etc. It is much cheaper to bring it than buy it on-island, and my kids were always ravenous right after swimming. They usually went through the whole bag over the week and it meant they weren’t going to expensive restaurants really hungry.

We also bought a lot of Hawaiian food there, but it can take time and when you are there initially, you may not want to go shopping.

[Anonymous]

We remembered to bring reef safe sun lotion, but had to buy sunburn relief gel in Hawaii to apply after the lotion wore off and we didn’t re-apply quick enough! The sun is very strong.

A few years ago, we had to buy water shoes for some experience in Florida, and we’ve been a fan of them ever since. So much easier on the feet when you have water shoes on hot pool decks, rocky sandy beaches, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We remembered to bring reef safe sun lotion, but had to buy sunburn relief gel in Hawaii to apply after the lotion wore off and we didn’t re-apply quick enough! The sun is very strong.

A few years ago, we had to buy water shoes for some experience in Florida, and we’ve been a fan of them ever since. So much easier on the feet when you have water shoes on hot pool decks, rocky sandy beaches, etc.

This is why I have rash guards for any vacation where we are put on tje cater for long periods. I won’t wear it all day but it’s so much easier than reapplying sunscreen to back and shoulders. For whatever reason my legs never really burn but I do tend to wear the shorts bottoms if we are doing something like snorkeling so I don’t have to worry about butt cheek burn.

[Anonymous]

I spent a lot of time in the islands and have been back and forth (with kids) a few times in the last few years.

Beach kit:
2x swimsuits; for me, 1 l/s rashguard and a pair of shorts I can swim in. I'm fair-skinned and I like to snorkel, which puts you butt up in the air for a while. I want some coverage if I'm in the water for a while. Pro-tip; if you aren't used to wearing shorts in the water, don't forget to check the pockets!

Also for the beach:
A beach bag; I use a gigantic $1 bag from Marshalls. Turkish towels if you have them, one per person. They are lightweight and pack small. Phone case. Packable beach blanket. Mine folds down to the size of a soda can but easily fits 2 adults and a kid.

Also, see above, I bring a beach tent and a hat and a giant vat of sunscreen to the beach.

I bring my own dive gear (mask, snorkel, flippers) but you don't have to.

I bring a twisty elastic clothesline that goes above the hotel bathtub to dry swim gear.

For the flight: compression socks, a good blanket. I get freezing on flights and often bring a packable puffy. Sundress plus fleece leggings, if you have a dress that works -- then peel off the leggings at the airport. One thing to bear in mind is that it can be a long flight with no food.

[Anonymous]

These clip hangers -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRZXTYLB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

Great for wet bathing suits, hanging clothes when the hotel doesn't have enough hangers, etc. I bought them for Hawaii but now they're a travel staple for me.

[Anonymous]

Dramamine or an anti nausea bracelet. We went to Maui a few years ago and drove up to Mount Haleakala and also drove to Hana. The roads were so windy & bumpy and having some anti nausea on hand would have helped.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We will be taking our two teens to Hawaii, with connections on the west coast.

I’ve read we all want water shoes? Should bring snorkel gear or just rent there. Any other things I should bring that are not obvious?

What about the flight? Any favorite neck pillows or other gadgets? Any other things I should be thinking?

Thanks in advance.

If you plan to go anywhere at altitude (and there is altititude on Maui and Hawaii), bring jackets.

Some trails can get really muddy. So shoes with traction that are ok to get muddy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have room in your bags and have physically active kids, recommend packing boxes of protein bars and other snacks for quick food. Hawaii is awesome for food but at the hotels it is expensive and takes time.

We get a free checked bag with our status and I’ve always packed a small bag with protein bars, turkey jerky, dried fruit, etc. It is much cheaper to bring it than buy it on-island, and my kids were always ravenous right after swimming. They usually went through the whole bag over the week and it meant they weren’t going to expensive restaurants really hungry.

We also bought a lot of Hawaiian food there, but it can take time and when you are there initially, you may not want to go shopping.

We stopped at Costco on Maui (close to airport) to pick up breakfast/snacks.

[Anonymous]

If you go to Maui, stop at the amazing food trucks across from costco. With the caveat that I was surfing/swimming/hiking a lot (ymmv):

If you go to Haleakala, wear every single piece of clothes you have. It is windy and freezing and the temp drops as soon as the sun sets.

I needed reef shoes (not crocs). If you’re swimming or surfing, there’s a pretty high risk of cutting yourself and those cuts are slow to heal.
https://www.rei.com/product/198946/oneill-reactor-2-mm-reef-booties?sku=1989460014&store=169&CAWELAID=120217890014075111&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=124920997655&CATCI=pla-451643130142&cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C21700000001700551_1989460014%7C92700064899209940%7CNB%7C71700000074093073&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2vSq7Y7NhAMVWG5HAR34Cg77EAQYAyABEgJxcvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Hooded rashguard/swim shirts. Especially if you snorkel it will keep the back of your neck from burning.

https://www.amazon.com/Quiksilver-Standard-Tripper-Sleeve-Rashguard/dp/B0BMSSMWWD/ref=sr_1_23?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JWYs12tYw0nnVBiXYO93OMgLf_zIuBTGNisBSTcXHc17T1Lg8z__Y52DN3xi5gPxI3mOWEb6_slduRTKwzFVUPPM3_7t3O9L0WsK15Ukxrv-YgQ6DI2mMOxCmjru9U-JPzrjuQKzNRSp5g6N3UySTPfIh_OvkbxFumyUzs499OyQcAG1_0vdZF0-ilza8E0nYF-7frthnM8dxDalm6MFzEdedy-E2Woit480fSAGiqinlCzWIOR-9ajWtbBJBc4fSGg0jGgjRX4Vr2YZEXpEZ99nBiL9ViUHIFdwmQoQ6dM.nZQIMb25vatpCwa5INfIhqWQL5KuidK78aI0t9kZghw&dib_tag=se&keywords=rash+guard+with+hood&qid=1709091809&sr=8-23

Surf hat: these things are awesome and they do not fall off. I find physical coverage (e.g., clothing) easier than using and reapplying sunscreen.

https://www.amazon.com/Dakine-Indo-Surf-Hat-Size/dp/B07ZG6X5RW/ref=asc_df_B07ZG6X5RW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=433064253830&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6194082076648656434&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007812&hvtargid=pla-934606046314&psc=1&mcid=99e32dc9f02335999b34ed07820cd747&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=102308486562&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=433064253830&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6194082076648656434&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007812&hvtargid=pla-934606046314&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4I7lto_NhAMVzW1HAR2mWw0cEAQYAiABEgIHKvD_BwE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have room in your bags and have physically active kids, recommend packing boxes of protein bars and other snacks for quick food. Hawaii is awesome for food but at the hotels it is expensive and takes time.

We get a free checked bag with our status and I’ve always packed a small bag with protein bars, turkey jerky, dried fruit, etc. It is much cheaper to bring it than buy it on-island, and my kids were always ravenous right after swimming. They usually went through the whole bag over the week and it meant they weren’t going to expensive restaurants really hungry.

We also bought a lot of Hawaiian food there, but it can take time and when you are there initially, you may not want to go shopping.

We stopped at Costco on Maui (close to airport) to pick up breakfast/snacks.

I’ve done that, but it’s very slow.

[Anonymous]

If you like snorkeling I recommend snorkel leggings/swim tights. They are much better than sunscreen. Sunburns on the back of the legs are both very common and painful.

https://waterlust.com/collections/leggings
https://www.coolibar.com/women-s-swim-tights-upf-50-1.html
https://www.coolibar.com/kid-s-neck-to-ankle-swimsuit-upf-50.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all! Will add all these things to our list. We are staying on Kauai and Maui, both at Hyatts. I'm surprised so many are saying we don't need water shoes as that was something I saw mentioned in many blogs/reviews I read. We don't have Keens but the teens do have crocs. They don't like to wear them into the water though.

What would you use water shoes for?

For hikes, I wear sneakers. For going in the ocean, I go barefoot obviously. If you have them, by all means bring them, but no need to buy something you may not even use. My 2 cents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all! Will add all these things to our list. We are staying on Kauai and Maui, both at Hyatts. I'm surprised so many are saying we don't need water shoes as that was something I saw mentioned in many blogs/reviews I read. We don't have Keens but the teens do have crocs. They don't like to wear them into the water though.

What would you use water shoes for?

For hikes, I wear sneakers. For going in the ocean, I go barefoot obviously. If you have them, by all means bring them, but no need to buy something you may not even use. My 2 cents.

DP. It depends on what you plan to do on the water and where. For just swim and lie on a beach near hotel, flip flops for walking out the beach will do.

But active water sports, going to areas that aren’t near a resort or hotel, a pair of keens or neoprene shoes are needed to protect feet.
Eg SUP, kayaking. Someone mentioned reef shoes above. But you can get cheap neoprene shoes at a dollar store, not sure if they are in season locally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all! Will add all these things to our list. We are staying on Kauai and Maui, both at Hyatts. I'm surprised so many are saying we don't need water shoes as that was something I saw mentioned in many blogs/reviews I read. We don't have Keens but the teens do have crocs. They don't like to wear them into the water though.

I am one of the PPs who was there last summer. We rented from the Snorkel Store on Maui since it was right by our condo. Snorkel Store also has an in-depth snorkel report that they put out every morning. You can subscribe at their website or follow on the socials. I had looked at Snorkel Bob's (locations on all the islands) because you could rent at one location and return to completely different one on a different island. We decided to skip the snorkel gear on Oahu since we were only there for 2 nights before going to Maui and just used swim goggles for any quick fish viewing. I had my keens as did DD but we mostly wore flip flops. Next time I would actually wear the keens or water shoes for certain locations. I got us all a "Hawaiian" outfit from Old Navy before we went. DD and I had dresses and DH had a shirt. They had a ton of patterns and choices.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks all! Will add all these things to our list. We are staying on Kauai and Maui, both at Hyatts. I'm surprised so many are saying we don't need water shoes as that was something I saw mentioned in many blogs/reviews I read. We don't have Keens but the teens do have crocs. They don't like to wear them into the water though.

What would you use water shoes for?

For hikes, I wear sneakers. For going in the ocean, I go barefoot obviously. If you have them, by all means bring them, but no need to buy something you may not even use. My 2 cents.

OP here. Many reviews I read said that entering the ocean from the beach can be rocky or sharp. I read this many times so I’m confused why so many are saying this isn’t an issue. Are the beaches all soft sand when you walk into the water?