#capsulewardrobe travel: Hawaii

A nice side effect of keeping a curated closet is never over-packing for vacations - a problem which plagues most travelers at one point or another.  Especially with the airlines charging a fee for overweight baggage (or any checked baggage at all in some cases), packing light is not only efficient but cost-effective as well.  Of course, choosing a travel capsule wardrobe is still highly dependent not only on where you're going and how long you're going for, but also on what you intend to do while you're there and who you're going with.  

A good example is my trip last month to the Big Island of Hawaii with family - this meant choosing a more modest warm weather wardrobe out of respect for more conservative family members. What I packed also had to work well with the swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and hiking I planned on doing, and planning for heavy rain and cooler temperatures was also necessary as the Big Island is the wettest of the Hawaiian chain and cools off at night.

Beyond the "who/what/where/when" of traveling, here are some helpful tips to consider when packing:

• Plan your vacation activities ahead of time.  You don't have to fill every minute of every day, but if you have some activities chosen beforehand you'll have a rough idea of what kind of clothing you'll need to wear for them.  
• Check the weather forecast for your destination and pack accordingly.  Even if you're going to a warm weather destination you can still experience adverse weather.  
• Choose separates that you can mix-and-match to create multiple outfits.   
• Choose versatile pieces that are multi-use: e.g. a shawl that doubles as a blanket on the plane and a warm wrap at night, a jersey dress that doubles as a cover-up over swimsuits, comfortable leggings that can be used for hiking or as a rash guard.  
• Choose low-maintenance pieces that don't require ironing, dry-cleaning, etc.  Usually if I pack something that looks a little wrinkly when I arrive, hanging it up in the bathroom while I shower is enough to smooth it out.  

Rainy day hike at Akaka Falls 

So what did I pack?

• Sole Mio jersey maxi dress from Bamboo Ballroom (made in America)
• Ten Thousand Villages shawl/wrap (fair trade)
• 2 swimsuits: Bikini Empire monokini (made in Canada), Vitamin A bikini (made in America)
• 3 t-shirts: Plenty, LeahTees (printed in Canada), Alberta Apparel (made in Canada)
• 2 tank tops: Pressed from Luna Blue Boutique (printed in Canada), Lacausa (made in America)
• 2 3/4-sleeve tops: Cecile Benac (made in Canada), Eve Gravel (made in Canada)
• 2 pairs of leggings: Hot Dame (made in Canada), Nominou (made in Canada)
• 1 pair of boyfriend jeans: Yoga Jeans (made in Canada)
• 1 pair of wide-leg culottes: altered wide-leg jeans
• 1 pair of shorts: Salvedge Boutique (secondhand) 
• 3 pairs of shoes: The North Face trail runners, Kimbs canvas slip-ons (fair trade), Arnold Churgin espadrille wedges 
• Patagonia waterproof shell (fair trade) 

20 items in total with at least 15 different outfit combinations.  Although I did rent a rash guard top for surfing while we were there, I don't think owning one in a landlocked province is particularly necessary!