Packing for a surf trip is mostly an exercise in bringing less than you think, with about four exceptions that actually matter.
This is the list we send guests, written for a week in El Salvador where the water is 27 degrees and nobody needs a wetsuit.
Start here: you do not need to bring a board
Boards are provided on retreats and lessons, and they are the right boards for where you are at, which matters more than owning one.
Beginners learn faster on a bigger, more buoyant board than most people would choose for themselves. If you bring the shortboard you aspire to ride, you will spend the week not catching waves on it.
Flying with a board is also expensive, stressful and a good way to discover your airline’s damage policy. If you genuinely want to travel with your own board at some point, do it once you know what you want to be riding.
Swimwear: bring more than you expect
This is the one thing people consistently underpack.
You are surfing twice a day. Nothing dries fully in tropical humidity overnight. Putting on a wet bikini at 6:30am in the dark is a small misery that repeats all week.
Bring four to five sets minimum.
On what kind: surf bikinis are cut differently for a reason. Regular swimwear moves when you are duck diving, paddling and being tumbled. Look for tie-backs or sport tops, and bottoms with a proper waistband or ties. A one-piece or a surf suit is worth having for the days you want to think about it even less.
Rash guards, and why they are not optional
A rash guard here is about two things, and warmth is neither.
Sun. You are on the water, near the equator, for hours. The reflection doubles your exposure. Long sleeves are the only sunscreen that does not wash off.
Board rash. Paddling repeatedly on a waxed board does exactly what it sounds like to the skin on your ribs and the inside of your arms. On day one you will not notice. On day three you will.
Bring two, long-sleeved, so one can dry.
Sunscreen: the single most important thing in your bag
Get a proper zinc-based, reef-safe, water-resistant sunscreen and bring more than you think. SPF 50.
Standard beach sunscreen is not designed to stay on a face that is being repeatedly submerged. The thick zinc sticks that surfers wear on their noses and cheeks look ridiculous and they work, which is the trade every surfer eventually makes.
Two practical notes: reef-safe matters, and the products available locally are limited and pricier than at home, so bring it with you.
Things people forget and then buy badly at the airport
- A wide-brimmed hat. Not a cap. Your ears and the back of your neck are already burnt.
- Sunglasses with a strap, and cheap ones. The sea takes sunglasses.
- Reef shoes or booties. Not required, most people surf barefoot, but the entry at a couple of the breaks is over cobblestone and some people are much happier with them.
- A dry bag. Even a small one. For phone, keys and passport when you are moving between beaches.
- Aftersun or aloe. Somebody in the group always needs it by day two.
- Ibuprofen. See day two of any surf trip.
- A microfibre towel. Dries fast, packs small, unlike the beach towel you were going to bring.
Clothes: genuinely less than you think
A surf week is the most casual holiday there is. You will be in swimwear, a rash guard, or shorts and a t‑shirt, essentially the entire time.
- Two or three t‑shirts or vests
- Shorts
- One light long-sleeved layer for the evening. It is warm but the breeze picks up
- One outfit you feel good in for dinner out
- Flip flops and one pair of trainers or walking shoes for the waterfall hike
- Something for yoga you can move in
Laundry is available and cheap, which makes overpacking even less rational.
Hair, and nobody talks about this
A week of salt water and sun does real damage, particularly to longer or colour-treated hair.
Bring a leave-in conditioner or a hair oil and use it before you go in, not just after. A wide-toothed comb beats a brush on wet salty hair. Plenty of people plait it before paddling out and it makes a noticeable difference to what you are dealing with afterwards.
Tech
- Your phone, in a waterproof case.
- A local SIM or eSIM. WhatsApp is how everything here is arranged.
- A power bank.
- Adapter: El Salvador uses US-style two-pin plugs, 120V. If you are coming from Europe or the UK, bring one.
- A GoPro if you own one, but do not buy one for the trip. Your sessions are filmed as part of the coaching and you keep the footage.
Money and documents
El Salvador uses the US dollar. Bring small bills, because cash is still the norm in the coastal villages and nobody wants to break a fifty.
Bring a card as a backup, a copy of your passport kept separately from the original, and your travel insurance details. Check that your policy actually covers surfing, because a surprising number exclude it as a hazardous activity.
What not to bring
- A wetsuit. The water is 27 degrees. You will never put it on.
- Heavy toiletries. Decant them.
- Anything valuable you would be upset to lose. Leave the good jewellery at home.
- Six pairs of shoes. You are going to wear flip flops.
The one thing worth spending money on
If you buy one thing specifically for this trip, make it good sunscreen and a proper long-sleeved rash guard.
Everything else on this list can be borrowed, bought locally or done without. Sun damage over six days on the water cannot be undone, and being burnt by day three is the most common reason someone sits out a session they were looking forward to.
Before you book
If you are still deciding on dates, have a read of the best time of year to come as a beginner, or see what a retreat week actually looks like.
Anything else, message Pixie on WhatsApp at +503 6074 9154.
