Hawaii Packing List: What to Wear in Hawaii

I absolutely adore Hawaii. The islands are beautiful, the people are incredible and don’t get me started on all the amazing views.

But let’s be practical – before you head off to Hawaii, your first step is to make a Hawaii packing list and decide what to wear in Hawaii. Shopping is fairly expensive on the islands, so it’s best to bring what you need with you, rather than running last-minute to buy something once you arrive.

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Hawaii Packing List: Swimsuits

The very first thing on your Hawaii packing list should be swimsuits – plural. I personally take a mix of one-pieces and bikinis (so you don’t get crazy tan lines), and I try to bring at least one swimsuit for every day that I will be in Hawaii.

If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind: most of your time in Hawaii will likely be spent at the pool or beach, and you will probably be getting wet and sandy. I am all for packing light, but swimsuits aren’t bulky to pack and bringing extras is way better than wearing an already sandy swimsuit from the day before.

If you are looking for cute swimsuits without breaking the bank, here are a few of my favorite places to shop. For reference, I usually spend under $50 per swimsuit.

Where to Find Swimsuits to Wear in Hawaii:

ASOS: great mix and match pieces and fast shipping. This is a great option if your vacation is in 3 days and you realize you need suits ASAP. The suits below are from ASOS.

Urban Outfitters: slightly pricier, but quality swimsuits that are comfortable and made to last. The suits below are from Urban Outfitters.

Boohoo: want dirt cheap suits that still look good? You seriously cannot beat Boohoo’s prices – the suit below I got for about $8. You also get a picture of my tropical drink with it so it fits better 🙂

If you are into online shopping, I would recommend ordering a few more than what you think you will need and sending the ones you don’t like back – I have found that swimsuits are hit and miss with sizing, and I usually end up keeping about half of what I originally order.

Hawaii Packing List: Dresses

Hawaii is overall super casual, so I would aim for more beach-appropriate dresses rather than night-out wear. I usually bring 3-4 dresses that can be used for the beach or to wear during the day, and it helps to bring darker colors so water marks don’t show if you put them on after a trip to the beach.

Where to Find Dresses to Wear in Hawaii:

Princess Polly: great dresses and decent prices, especially when you shop the sale section. The following pictures are of a dress that I got from Princess Polly.

PacSun: reminds me of high school, but you can’t beat their beach dresses. Great for coverups and casual dresses.

Nasty Gal: SUCH GREAT SALES. I have worn Nasty Gal dresses on almost all of our vacations, and before a recent trip to Thailand (similar weather to Hawaii) I got 5 ADORABLE dresses for about $100. Good quality and amazing sale prices.

Rent the Runway: If you’re looking for nicer dresses to wear (think more formal and $$$), Rent the Runway is an incredible option. You can rent per dress or per month, and I chose to do per month before one of our Hawaii trips and bring 4 beautiful dresses with me. The cost per month is $150 (or it was when I did this), but I felt it was well worth it for the quality of the clothing (they’re often designer), which I would not have purchased otherwise. The items below are from Rent the Runway.

If you’re wondering why you would want designer dresses in Hawaii, that’s a good question. For me, I wanted to take some amazing photos in Honolulu as well as celebrating my husband’s birthday with a really nice dinner. These dresses were great options for all of those things.

Hawaii Packing List: Shirts & Shorts

The number of shirts that you should pack totally depends on the type of travel you’re planning to do in Hawaii. When we travel, we love to hike in the morning and go to the beach in the afternoon (for more on this, check out my post on the ultimate list of Oahu hikes). If you’re hiking, I definitely recommend wearing shirts and shorts, rather than a dress or skirt.

Hawaii is also generally hot and humid, so I would recommend bringing tank tops rather than shirts with sleeves.

Where to Find Shirts/Shorts to Wear in Hawaii:

Mango: has great sales on tank tops, and they carry a lot of basic crop tops that are cute and practical. The shirts below are from Mango.

Pacsun: great for cheap shorts and tanks. Their tanks are not as high quality as some of the other stores on this list, but they’re great for the beach.

Hawaii Packing List: Shoes

I usually bring along one pair of tennis shoes, one pair of flip flops/beach sandals and two pairs of regular sandals that are comfortable to walk in. Below, I have listed where I usually find cute shoes.

Steve Madden: great for wearable sandals that aren’t super uncomfortable. The shoes below are from Steve Madden.

Nike: my all-time favorite sneakers. Great for hikes and days when you’ll be walking a lot.

Adidas: great for fashion sneakers.

NOTE: For both Nike and Adidas I linked to Nordstrom, which sells both. I prefer to buy them from Nordstrom because of the company’s incredible return policy, which makes ordering online really easy.

Aloha Sandals: great for cute sandals, although they are slightly more expensive. The sandals below are from Aloha. Note: ironically, Aloha Sandals are made in Spain, not Hawaii.