Unsure what to pack for a trip to Maui? We’re sharing a detailed Maui packing list, with everything you need to bring for a variety of activities. Plus a printable version you can download!
With a wide variety of activities, altitudes, and ecosystems, there’s quite a bit you need to bring to Maui beyond just your swimsuit. And while Maui is a very developed island, with just about any store you could need, things tend to be a bit pricer here. So to save yourself money and the hassle of shopping when you could be relaxing, it’s important to come prepared!
And in this Maui packing list we’re covering all of the essentials, plus activity specific items, to ensure your suitcase is filled with everything you need to explore Maui.
The Ultimate Maui packing list
In this Maui packing list we’re sharing all of the most important items to bring on your trip, ranging from what to wear, important items to bring, technology to have, and more.
All of the items in this Maui packing list are broken down by category. And we’re also sharing a downloadable version of this Maui packing list at the end of this guide, which you can save to your phone or print!
Clothing Items
Overall, Maui is a sunny and warm destination, with a very casual dress code. For most days on the island, you won’t need much more than a swimsuit and a coverup. However, certain activities on the island, like sunrise at Haleakalā National Park, require quite a few more layers. And getting rained on at least once is a real possibility!
Below are some important clothing items we suggest bringing along, so you’re prepared for all sorts of weather and activities while on the island.
Shirts
For most things to do on Maui you just need casual shirts. But since it can be pretty muggy, we’d suggest breathable clothing as much as possible. Adam loves his Vuori Strato Tech T shirts and Kathryn loves Vuori and Lululemon tank tops. Both brands are light, don’t smell too bad after one wear, and do well with sweat. These shirts are what we wore everyday for the beach, hiking, and under our other layers.
If you plan to eat at nicer restaurants, make sure to bring some nicer attire as well. For the men, we’d suggest a collared shirt and for the ladies, a sundress is typically as nice as you would need to dress. But you can often get by with a nicer top and jeans!
Sun protection
The sun is very intense on Maui, so having lots of sun protection is key! We both wore a sun hoodie (Adam’s, Kathryn’s), sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat pretty much every day. Adam wears KALIYADI sunglasses and Kathryn wears Ray-Bans.
Puffy jacket
If you’re visiting Haleakalā National Park at sunrise, having a puffy jacket is a MUST! It is very cold at 10,023 feet, especially before the sun is up. We both wear an L.L. Bean Ultralight 850 Down jacket (Adam’s, Kathryn’s) and love it!
Rain jacket
Another important layer to pack is a rain jacket (Adam’s, Kathryn’s). This will especially be helpful if road tripping the Road to Hana or spending time on Maui’s Windward side (North and East Maui), where it’s a lot rainier.
Pants
Not only will you want a pair of casual pants, jeans, or shorts for dinner, but if you’re planning to hike on Maui, you will want workout shorts or pants as well. Adam wears KUHL hiking pants and Huckberry shorts (which double as swim trunks!) and Kathryn wears Patagonia shorts. We also love our Vuori joggers (Adam’s and Kathryn’s) for flights!
Pajamas & underwear
This one is pretty self explanatory! Make sure to bring something comfortable to wear at night and plenty of underwear if you don’t plan to do laundry. Since you may be in a swimsuit often, you may not need as much as normal.
Swimsuit
There’s a 99.9% chance you’ll be swimming or getting in the water on Maui. So make sure to bring a swimsuit!
Buff, gloves, and beanie
Visiting Haleakalā at sunrise? A buff, gloves, and beanie are a MUST on your Maui packing list! We cannot stress this enough–it gets COLD and windy up there. And having these will help a ton with keeping you warmer. We’d also suggest some handwarmers too!
Footwear
Hiking shoes
If you plan to do one of Maui’s amazing hikes, make sure to pack good hiking shoes, as the trails can often be muddy, sandy, or slick. We love our Altra Lone Peak trail runners (Adam’s, Kathryn’s) because they are lightweight and dry fast if they get wet.
Casual shoes
For restaurants and exploring town, you may want some casual shoes to wear.
Sandals
You’ll also want some sandals or flip flops to wear at the beach!
Socks
Besides regular, everyday socks, make sure to bring some good hiking socks. Not all socks are created equal, though! Wool socks are the best for hiking as they breathe well, don’t smell as bad, and do well with moisture and sweat.
Toiletries
Daily toiletry items
Make sure to pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution, deodorant, feminine hygiene products, and any other daily toiletry items you need. While you can find pharmacies and grocery stores that will sell items you may have left at home, they may be more expensive.
Medicine
Besides any daily medication, make sure to have Advil and any other medicines you think may be helpful for you. We also suggest bringing antibiotic cream and anti-itch cream! This will be especially helpful if you get any cuts or bug bites.
Reef safe sunscreen
To help do your part to protect the coral reefs, make sure to only wear reef safe sunscreen while on Maui. Most sunscreens will note that they are reef safe, but if you’re unsure, look at this guide to see what ingredients to avoid. We personally used Thinksport sunscreen. Just keep in mind that these types of sunscreens will give you a bit of a white sheen.
Bug Spray
While most of Maui will be mosquito free, we regret not bringing bug spray on our most recent Road to Hana road trip. We got eaten alive at the Ke’anae Arboretum! So make sure to either pick up some spray when you get to the island or buy some before your trip.
Hiking & Outdoor Gear
If you plan on doing any hikes on Maui, there are a handful of extra items you will want to bring. Guided hikes will provide most of what you need for any overnight hikes, but make sure to check in advance, as gear may vary by company.
The 10 essentials
We always carry the 10 essentials on any hike and we highly suggest you do the same!
One of the 10 essentials we want to especially highlight is a first aid kit, with bandaids and antibiotic cream. Depending on where you’re exploring, you could be miles away from medical help, so make sure you have ways to take care of minor bites, cuts, scrapes, etc.
Backpack or dry bag
For day hikes, we recommend carrying a day pack. We both carry an REI Co-op Trail 40 L Pack, which can store a lot of items! This backpack comes with a pack cover for rain, but if you don’t have one, make sure you find one that fits your bag.
Besides a regular backpack, one nice to have item for the beach and snorkel tours is a dry bag. This was super helpful on our Blue Water Rafting snorkel and sea cave tour!
Hiking poles
Hiking poles are extremely helpful for some of Maui’s harder hikes, like the Waihe’e Ridge Trail and hiking inside Haleakalā crater. These trails are both very steep and full of loose dirt (or mud!), so having poles helps a lot with feeling secure on the terrain and making the descent slightly easier on the knees.
Snorkel & beach gear
If you want to snorkel while on Maui and don’t plan to go on a tour, you can bring your own snorkel mask and fins. But to save space, you could rent this once on the island! You can rent from a variety of spots around town, including The Snorkel Store. They also rent chairs and other beach items, which is super helpful!
Water storage
With the heat and sun, you will want to stay very hydrated on Maui. For hikes we like to bring a 3L Camelbak, which makes it super easy to drink while on the move! But for the beach, we recommend packing a reusable water bottle to reduce plastic.
Electrolytes
Another important item for your Maui packing list are electrolytes. This will help you replace the electrolytes you lose when sweating, especially sodium. LMNT is our absolute favorite! If you use this link, you get a free sample pack (8 packets!) with any order.
Headlamps (with batteries)
For Haleakalā sunrise you will want a headlamp, as it’s pretty dark and there are stairs and dropoffs. Make sure to bring a headlamp that has a red light, so you don’t mess up anyone’s night photography.
Don’t forget to pack extra batteries or charge your headlamp in advance!
Snacks
One of our top tips for visiting Maui is to pack snacks to save money. You can bring most food items from the mainland, just avoid bringing any fruits or veggies. If you need snack ideas, you can see a list of our favorite hiking snacks here!
Technology
Camera
The scenery in Maui is incredible and you’ll want to capture it! For most, a phone camera will be enough, but if you want to truly capture the island’s mix of terrain, you may want to bring an actual camera.
You can see all of our camera gear here, but for cameras, we have both a Sony FX3 (mostly for filming) and Sony a7 III (for photos). If you bring a camera, don’t forget extra camera batteries.
Camera strap or clip
In our opinion, the best way to carry a camera is clipped to our chest using the Peak Design Capture Camera Clip. It gives us easy access to the camera and keeps our hands free when we aren’t filming/taking photos.
Not carrying a backpack to attach a camera clip to? We also love our camera strap from Peak Design!
Tripod
We’ve used this tripod for a few years now and like how light and compact it is. It made it easy to get photos together across Maui!
GoPro
If you plan to do water activities, having a GoPro (or another waterproof action camera) may be helpful.
Portable charger
If you plan to use your phone and camera during the day, consider bringing a portable battery charger. This has saved us many times when our phones have gotten low on battery during hikes or long days out and about.
Don’t forget to pack all of your charger cords as well!
GuideAlong app
We’d suggest downloading the GuideAlong Maui Bundle audio tour to listen to as you drive around Maui. Not only is this a must-have item for a Road to Hana road trip, but it also will give you lots of information, tips, and history for other areas of the island. And one of the best parts is that you don’t need cell service, it will autoplay based on your GPS position.
Offline Maps
With limited cell service in some areas, we also recommend downloading offline Google Maps and offline AllTrails maps. To download offline AllTrails maps you will need an AllTrails Plus or Peak subscription, which is well worth the cost.
Want to get 30% off an AllTrails Plus membership? Use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!
We use AllTrails Plus on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.
Miscellaneous Items
Fanny Pack
A fanny pack is great to wear when going out to eat or wandering around town. You can keep your items on your chest or at your waist and have easy access to important things, like your phone, credit card, etc.
Packing cubes
We use Tripped compressible packing cubes and it helps us fit lots of clothes into a smaller space, plus keep it organized.
America the Beautiful Pass
Haleakalā National Park does have an entrance fee to visit, which is $30 (per vehicle) for up to 3 days in the park. But if you have the America the Beautiful pass, make sure to bring it to not have to pay the entrance fee!
AirTag
Whether you’re checking a bag or just want extra safety for your bag, we highly recommend getting an AirTag (iPhone users only). This small little device can be placed in any bag and then tracked on your iPhone. While we didn’t lose any bags in Maui, we did lose a bag on a previous trip and the AirTag helped us track it down!
Books or entertainment
For both the flight to and from Maui, plus hanging out at the beach, you’ll want some entertainment. We suggest downloading books, Netflix movies, and podcasts!
Our Kindle is a must-have travel item for us and you can follow us on Fable (Adam and Kathryn) to check out what we’ve been reading. If you’re new to Fable and create your own Fable account with this link, you can get $5 off an eBook! (All Fable users have this special invite link, so make sure to invite your friends too!)
Headphones
And speaking of entertainment, you may need a way to listen to it! Airlines often provide headphones on long haul flights, but we prefer to use our own. And you’ll definitely want your own for the beach. We love our AirPods for watching or listening to things on our phone.
Download our Maui packing list
