Hawaii Packing List Illustrated

Here’s my packing list for my bike tour to Maui and Moloka’i in Hawaii.

I didn’t make it to Haleakala Volcano (next time!) so I never used the cold weather gear. Camping in Hawaii is colder than I expected. Even at the beach, I was glad for my sleeping bag. The rain gear was key for the unexpected, strangely sunny rain showers.

The most frustrating extra weight comes from media. I wish I could get lighter but it just escapes me. I tried to save weight by using a Kindle instead of actual books. Not such a realistic plan for a book lover like me. I got a Hawaiian library card and ended up carrying more books than ever. There was also that bike computer I never used. Maybe I don’t need to know exactly how many miles I’ve ridden, although I think it would have been handy for climbing 10,000 feet up Haleakala.

There’s also the giant backpack I’ve got strapped to the back of my bike. My usual method is strapping a few separate bags on top of the rack, but getting everything packed for the airplane required one big bag. The handiest thing I figured out was that I could stuff my daybag in the sleeping bag compartment and it was easily accessible during the ride.