Embarking on the ultimate surf trip is a thrilling adventure that will no doubt call for careful planning and consideration, especially for those who share a passion for getting shacked, and preserving the beauty of our planet.

Here, we’ve curated 'The Ultimate Surf Trip Packing List' with a keen focus on surfers and adventure travellers who want to embrace the exhilaration of waves, while maintaining a commitment to environmental sustainability.

Join us as we dive into essential surf trip items, whereby the end of our journey, you’ll never forget a surf trip necessity, or have to refer to another packing list ever again!

1. Your surfboard or surfboards - The most essential essential. A 2 board quiver is probably the sweet spot for shorter surf trips. An all rounder and a step up are usually the go-to’s for trips with swell on the forecast, ensuring you will always be prepared for what the ocean brings!
2. Reef friendly zinc and sunscreen - Protect your skin from the sun with ingredients that are naturally derived, and safe for our ocean friends.
3. Extra leg rope & tying rope - If you’re planning a surf trip somewhere remote, it’s always best to be prepared with extra equipment incase anything breaks.
4. Extra set of fins - For the same reason as above!
5. Fin key - A small an easily misplaced object, keep this baby safe as it is a crucial surf trip essential!
6. Wax - Top coat wax is essential, and if you want to be extra safe, bring a block of base coat too. If for any reason you have to reapply a wax job, you’ll be ready.
7. Wax comb - A helpful tool if you run out of wax, or want to make the last block last a bit longer. If you happen to misplace it, you can also rub wet sand on your wax to create a similar effect.
8. Ding repair kit - Some Solarez, a few sheets of sandpaper and some ding tape, are all handy tools to have incase you ding your board in the middle of nowhere and want a quick fix before jumping into the water again!
9. First aid kit - Hopefully you don’t get injured at all, but if you’re heading to someplace like Indo and looking to surf a bunch of reef breaks, some kind of disinfectant, bandaids, and antibiotic ointment are the most basic medical items that will be useful to bring with you, just incase the reef says hello. If you find yourself without these medical aids, rubbing lime onto your reef cuts will also do the trick for disinfection.
10. Reef booties - If you do end up going for a little stroll over dry reef, booties are a lifesaver in keeping your feet cut-free and safe from infections.
11. Surf hat - A super important component to your surf trip if your body and eyes are not used to the sun and you’re planning on surfing all day, especially during midday. Surf hats have personally saved me from many a dehydration, and sunburnt eyes.
12. UV protected sunnies - Speaking of sun exposure to your eyes, eye burn is a lot more common than you think, especially when you aren’t used to being exposed to strong UV rays for hours at a time. It is super important to take care of them so that you can surf as much as possible on your surf trip!
13. Eye drops - Lots of sun and salt can dry out our eyes, so keeping them shaded and moisturised is key to surf trip eye-care.
14. Wetsuit or spring suit - You never know when the water can decide to change temperature, or become infested with jellyfish. So do your research before you leave, and better to be safe than sorry, especially if you still have room in your travel bags.
15. Dry bag - If you’re planning on taking boats out to surf breaks, a dry bag is a useful item that can keep your belongings safe while you discover epic waves off the beaten path.

So bookmark this page, save it in your notes, or copy it down - for this is the ultimate surf trip packing list!

Written by Kayli Wouters

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