Yesss! You’re going on a surfing holiday and I could not be more jealous! You’ve found an awesome surf spot, booked your flight, and now there’s just one question… what to pack for your surfing holiday?

Here’s what you need to consider and some surf stuff I love…

What to pack for your surfing holiday

The first thing to consider when you’re deciding what to pack for your surfing holiday is where you’re going and how warm it will be.  What is the air temperature likely to be?  How sunny will it be?  What will the water temperature be?

You’ll also want to consider how much you personally feel the cold.  I turn a little blue after 30 minutes in an indoor swimming pool, so I need more neoprene than the average lady!  Are you normally warm or cold?

Swimwear

Regardless of the temperature you’ll need to be wearing swimmers.  You’ll want something good quality in the waves – and by that I mean NOT FLIMSY! At least not if you value your dignity…

Your options are:

Surf Bikini

You can buy bikinis specifically designed for watersports – which means they stay on when you wipe out! Typically they are racer back or cross back, but whatever you do don’t try to get away with a triangle bikini – it will not work.

Here’s some good options:

Swimsuit

You can’t go wrong with a one-piece swimsuit. They’re all joined up, so they won’t be moving around at all. Plus – you can wear them for swimming in your local pool at home. Try these:

Surfsuit

A cross between a swimsuit and a rash vest, these one-pieces are comfy and practical. And they look great too! Here’s some of my faves:

Surfwear

Once you’ve decided on the swimmers to pack for your surfing holiday, depending on where you’re going (and what is available to borrow) you’ll probably want a few more things for the water.

In warm water climates you might want to pack:

Rash vest

Rash vests protect you from the sun and also prevent your belly from rubbing on the board wax. Try these:

Boardies

I’m personally paranoid that my bikini bottoms will fall off when I wipe out…

Surf leggings

Surf leggings protect your legs from the sun and prevent your knees from rubbing on the board. Here are some good ones:

Wetsuit jacket

I recommend taking a surf jacket if you feel the cold easily. I wear mine for sunrise/sunset surfing in hot climates. Check out these ones:

Reef shoes

You might need these if you’re going to be surfing on a reef. You only really need them if you need to put your feet on the bottom to push up onto your board. Otherwise, just don’t put your feet down.

In cooler water you might need:

Wetsuit

Most places will let you borrow one for the duration of your trip, but if you’re planning to surf a lot or are an awkward size, it’s good to have your own. Try these:

Gloves, Boots & Hood

Only if it’s really freezing!  You can surf in Iceland…

Accessories

Sunglasses

Hat

Flip flops (or Thongs or Jandals, depending where you’re from!)

Other bits

Wax

I love Mr Zoggs. Make sure you get the right one for the water temperature where you’re going!

Beach bag

Dry Bag

I wrote a post a while back about why dry bags are ace – you can find it here!

Towel

When you’re travelling, you might not want to lug around a heavy beach towel. I love hammam towels, which double as a sarong when you need to cover up:

Zinc

If you’re heading somewhere really toasty – Bali, Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, etc. – you’ll need a lot of sun protection. Zinc blocks the sun and doesn’t come off in the water. They even come in skin tones, try these:

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