Packing List for Hawaii

Last Updated on May 15, 2024 by Nikole

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If you are one of those people who constantly forget that one thing on every trip, you are in the right place!

You don’t want to forget some important things on your trip to Hawaii. Spending money on things that you have forgotten sucks when you want to spend all of that money on your travels.

Here is a packing list for Hawaii. The list is based on what I brought on my past vacations to Hawaii and what I forgot to bring.

P.S. this isn’t a list of everything that you could bring, but a list of commonly forgotten items.

What I fORGOT to put on My packing List for Hawaii

Snorkel Gear

The Hawaiians kept laughing at me for my runny makeup (don’t know why I even wore any).

Snorkel gear is a MUST for your packing list for Hawaii. There are countless areas to snorkel in Hawaii. The only decision you need to make is whether you want to pack this or purchase it in Hawaii.

We’ve never invested in good-quality snorkel gear, so we didn’t pack this in our carry-on. Walmart carries “okay” quality gear that we purchased when we arrived in Hawaii.

After being on several snorkeling trips (Hawaii, Florida, Lake Jocassee, and St.Vincent), the one thing that gets annoying is how the masks and snorkels fall off the face.

WSTOO, GreatEver, or Zipoute are all great brands that won’t fall off. You can spend more time exploring the ocean than you do readjusting your mask and snorkel. The view is so much better in these, considering your whole face is covered.

You also need to consider some snorkel fins. I can’t even tell you how much I hate wearing these. They are so hard to put on and get off, you need to adjust and readjust, and the blisters! However, they are necessary while snorkeling, or you won’t go very far. I wish I knew about WildHorn Outfitters’ brand of fins. They look just like water shoes, but with fins on the end. GreatEver and CAPAS offer cheaper options.

Check out these Top Places to Snorkel in O’ahu Hawaii.

Water Shoes

Just think of all the sea urchins, coral, and items that many tourists drop in the water. It’s a good idea to purchase some water shoes if you don’t want to get cut.

My husband and I made the mistake of surfing without shoes, and the coral cut our feet up.

We went with some cheap shoes from Amazon, ANLUKE. They feel like padded socks, so you still get a natural feeling as you are swimming. They are also super compact, so there’s no problem packing them into a carry-on.

Download Netflix Movies

Not downloading Netflix movies was my BIGGEST regret, and I didn’t know you could do this. I was almost certain the plane we went on offered tv behind each seat… and it didn’t! The flight was long and unbearable due to my lack of planning ahead abilities

Waterproof Phone Case

The “rain forest” we hiked when my phone almost drowned in the rain.

Like I mentioned in the above paragraph, you will be around a lot of water when it comes to Hawaii. It’s a good idea to purchase a waterproof phone case just to be safe. I went walking through a jungle when it was downpouring, and I regretted not having a waterproof phone case. The baggie from a previous snack worked pretty well, but I couldn’t take good quality pictures without compromising water damage to my phone.

Light Rain Jacket or Poncho

This is almost exactly what I looked like without my rain jacket. NOT cute.

When you are out hiking, you should bring a light rain jacket or poncho in your day pack. Hawaii has unpredictable weather that can bring in some random downpours.

I made the mistake of not carrying one. The whole trip I was freezing because I was soaked to the bone!

I finally bought one recently because I got tired of this happening all the time (because once isn’t enough for me to learn from my mistakes). Columbia carries great rain jackets for men and women. Or you can purchase some emergency ponchos (they don’t work as great as rain jackets).

Quick Dry Towel

Quick Dry Towels are super useful! They are compact and easy to dry with. You can take them in the car wherever you go, so you don’t have to worry about getting the car seats wet.

Power Bank

The **KALANAIANAOLE** Highway, one of the places I wish I had more pictures of, but my phone was almost dead.

A power bank would have been useful, especially on long hiking trips where we took pictures. I couldn’t take as many pictures because I was worried about my phone battery dying. Or if you need to call for help when you are halfway into the wilderness, you will have a power bank to save the day.

Hiking Shoes

A few trails I wish I could’ve taken if it weren’t for my shoes.

I forgot hiking shoes, and because of this, we didn’t go on some of the more strenuous trails. Many of the trails in O’ahu are muddy, rocky, and easy to slip on. Hiking shoes or boots for men and women are essential.

Items We remembered to put on our Hawaii Packing List

Go Pro

I did bring my Go Pro with me to Hawaii because I knew there would be some amazing underwater photo opportunities. Most of what you will be doing in Hawaii involves some form of getting wet.

We experienced tons of rain, snorkeling, surfing, and swimming. You can also use attachments for your Go Pro, making it harder to drop or float away. Make sure any attachment you purchase goes with your version of the Go-Pro camera.

Sunglasses or Hat

The sun in Hawaii can be brutal! Pack those glasses so you can see everything without squinting or straining your eyes.

Earbuds

Earbuds are kind of obvious when you travel on an airplane. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the noise-canceling ones and I could still hear the baby screaming a few rows ahead of me. I can now say that I survived about 8 hours of that. Next time I travel I will be purchasing a pair of Beats headphones. Earbuds will hurt your ears after a while of wearing them, whereas headphones fit comfortably.

Check out some of the most amazing hiking trails in Hawaii.

Swim Suit

Thankfully I remembered to bring this, as it is an obvious item to pack for Hawaii. However, I do wish I brought a different one that was more “sport” appropriate. Don’t want all that flying out!

It was an absolute pain to adjust and readjust my top so no one would see more than they needed. I would recommend packing leisure and sporty swimsuits, that way you have something for every occasion.

Excedrin

You may be thinking why specifically Excedrin? This is a life SAVER when you are flying with head colds ( I found this out the hard way).

I flew with a head cold to St. Vincent in the Caribbean, and it felt like pins and needles were going all the way through my head… the entire flight! I tried Ibuprophen (my go-to for any pain), but it just didn’t work. On my way back from St. Vincent, a local gave me some Excedrin and the headaches went completely away.

Also, my husband got sick in Hawaii and he started experiencing the same pain, luckily for him I had some Excedrin in my bag.

Planning a trip to Hawaii and don’t know where to start? Check out these 13 Adventurous Things to do in Hawaii.