+ A Packing List for your Surf Trip

Part deux!

A double newsletter! This one is pretty niche but escapism is my sport and my pastime. If you’re not going surfing soon or ever, you can skip or forward to a friend who is. These newsletters after all take me hours if not days to compile, so I hope they’re helpful to at least a few!! As requested by many and for a very long time, here’s a packing list for your first surf trip, or at least some pointers for deciding what to bring.

First of all, being able to surf in a tiny string bikini seems to only come with Costa Rican citizenship and I would avoid it at all cost. Forget about tan lines, pack the most sun-protective suit or rashguard you can for the morning, and at least a high waisted, stay-in-place bottom for your sunset surf. I learned the hard way that Surf Wax + Sand = Sandpaper, so I highly recommend you protect your stomach until you feel very comfortable in the waves.

Sunset on my favorite beach, Hermosa. I basically only wore this Dries Van Noten bathing suit for a month. It was my investment piece (on sale but still) but I managed to get its cost per wear to < $10.

Breaking my own rules about logos etc - I’m obsessed with this! A chic Halter wrap bathing suit, my Dries Van Noten bathing suit (on sale!), Surfsuit and in black for the purists here.

You will live in your bathing suits, so as a result it’s usually the one valuable I invest in before leaving. Bright colors will make it way easier for your friends to spot you at sunset, in the unlikely event they manage to film you catch your wave of the day. To this day I have never gotten the shot, and my parents think I don’t really surf.

Pack up anything light and highly washable that can live around your bathing suit and (ideally) doesn’t wrinkle too much - for me it was this striped shirt and my beloved towel dress which I wore as full outfits on repeat. Plastic shoes that may not get back home with you. Anything nice will get destroyed by dust, sand, suncream or surf wax. A surf hat looks dorky but who cares, I know I will be grateful for it when I turn 50.

Christopher Esber Swimsuit and a robe designed by Tash who is opening a store in Santa Teresa.

A lightweight shirt that doesn’t wrinkle, Earrings, The Loewe Sunglasses (the MyTheresa sale is a trove for good sunnies on sale), Plastic Shoes, Canvas Shorts, Don’t surf with this but wow so pretty and 40% off!

Block printed pareos, my fav has fish on them. Wrap necklace, Christopher Esber bathing suit, Gimaguas on TRR is cheap and super washable, K. Jacques sandals, La Veste towel dress

Coverup, Balenciaga sunglasses, Crochet Skirt, Green Surf Suit, Doen Jane Blouse (I couldn’t find a better picture but if you roll up the sleeves it’s veryyyy Jane Birkin), Jaquemus oversized sun hat

Vintage seashell barrette, One-shoulder bathing suit, more crochet!, Surf Hat, A high waisted two piece that will likely hold, Surf Poncho I’m definitely getting for my next trip.

Sunscreen

Regular SPF will not cut it. You’ll need something reef friendly, and super thick that serves as an actual physical barrier between your skin and the sun - all pro tips from my friend Alyssa who joined me on my last trip and upgraded my whole travel case - she has the best skin. This Zinc Stick is the best one I’ve tried so far. Not the most glamorous packaging, but it hasn’t made me break out the way thicker creams often will. To remove, I usually use Bioderma with a cotton pad followed by the new Rhode Pineapple Refresh Cleanser, which apparently has magical powers. Use hydrochloric acid (like Magic Molecule or Tower 28) as a toner and over bites, wax rashes and cuts.

The key to not coming home with completely busted skin is to protect, double remove, calm and hydrate. Hydrochloric acid is your best friend!

Zinc Stick, Bioderma Micellar Water, Cotton Pads, Rhode Pineapple Refresh Cleanser, Magic Molecule The Solution, Tower 28 SOS Spray

Hair Stuff

Before I head out I’ll typically soak my hair in cold non-salty water then lather it in coconut oil. Saltwater will absolutely destroy your hair, but this will significantly help in protecting it. Do not travel with coconut oil, it is truly not worth it.

Shoes

Do not pack heels!! You will not wear them, ever, as the roads are not flat anywhere. Think Jelly shoes, Birkenstocks, nothing too precious as you’ll wear them to the point they likely won’t make it home with you. I have been wearing these since I was 3, they are still my favorite.

Plastic Shoes: these or these. or these (Havaianas giving The Row)! Any shoes you do not care to leave unattended on the beach and walk through the forest and gravels with. Not new K.Jacques sandals - they’re resistant and always very well priced on TRR.

As always, can’t wait to hear from you!