Your best St. John packing tip?

[kklay]

Duct tape, a couple of bungee cords, small cooler. For this past trip I used a 24 can Polar Bear cooler for my carry on. We always bring snacks, etc so I check a bag with that stuff. The cooler is very useful for beach days!

[iheartsj]

Thanks for the info on neat sheets. We call them parasheets. They have corner pockets that you put sand in to keep them from blowing away. Love my parasheet. Perfect for the beach.

[shoemak38]

Duct tape, a couple of bungee cords, small cooler. For this past trip I used a 24 can Polar Bear cooler for my carry on. We always bring snacks, etc so I check a bag with that stuff. The cooler is very useful for beach days!

my cooler had 40lbs of meat in it for carry on

[GidgetPicklebrain]

Rule #1: If it doesn't fit in the carry-on, you don't need it.

[PaminMaine]

Minde- How do you affix them to the trees? This sounds like a great idea for extended shade area! I was JUST at the LL Bean outlet yesterday.. grrr.

And what not to pack..... (admittedly we are over-packers)
http://womenwholiveonrocks.com/what-not ... -vacation/

This is awesome!

[cbrund1079]

If you are checking luggage put a swimsuit and change of clothes in each other's luggage in case airline looses your luggage. That way you have on change of clothes and a swimsuit. Also pack a bathing suit in carry on. I can live almost the whole week in my bathing suit …….

[mindehankins]

Pam - clothespins/bungie cords/twist ties/whatever we have with us. We're campers - we use what we have You can also fill the pockets with sand or rocks and drape them over the branches.

[shoemak38]

Pam - clothespins/bungie cords/twist ties/whatever we have with us. We're campers - we use what we have You can also fill the pockets with sand or rocks and drape them over the branches.

We bought one for our trip back in April per your advice, my wife loved it. You fill the pockets with sand and the wind is not blowing it away. And they're great for two to lay on. They, however, will not prevent mongooses from stealing the sandwiches out of your backpack

[toes in the sand]

Here is my list of what I bring most everywhere I will be outdoors for any length of time:
- Large Binder clips instead of chip clips. They work for everything.
- ziplocks
- small first aid kit with bandages for feet and hands, sprain wrap, neosporin & beesting relief. A woman on Denis beach was so thankful for the beesting relief and so surprised that I had it. Her husband was happy to see the swelling go down as he didn't have to carry her up the trail to the jeep.
- spare batteries
- Hat/sunprotection
- cheap corkscrew
- one flashlight per person and at least one waterproof one for the trail/beach
- sunscreen
- deet
- mosquito coil
- sunscreen
- small roll of toiletpaper for the trail, hand disenfectant, ziplock to seal up used tp for the walk out
- cheap poncho per person

[michigan girls]

Yet another vote for ziplocks - an essential packing item.
My parasheet is a must.
Bug spray wipes - easy for throwing in the small purse when we go into town at night for dinner and/or drinks
small bottle of baby powder for getting the sand off.
My clothes get packed in a packing cube and take up very little space, which is essential since we are carry on only and our carry-ons must also hold all our snorkel gear. My "small personal item" on the plane is my camera bag with all my gear, so no room to spare there either.

[toni]

For all who posted about ziplock bags....must be I'm missing something, I've never used them in our trips....fill me in on their secret use

And remind me how baby powder works again? you shake it on when you have sand sticking to you and it helps rub the sand off easier? I need to try that.

I'll just depend on Minde for everything

[PA Girl]

For all who posted about ziplock bags....must be I'm missing something, I've never used them in our trips....fill me in on their secret use

I am a "Ziploc person" and some of my uses for my beloved ziplocs -

to keep crunchy snacks/foods from getting soggy.
to store leftovers
for beach snacks - cut fruit, cheese, etc.
to make large blocks of ice for the cooler
to keep chargers/power cords corralled
for card and game storage (we take family games)
wet bathing suit storage
dry change of clothing storage (I take a dry set of clothing for after the beach)
trash bags for the beach (I recycle the bags and the crappy ones become trash bags)
to keep our Sam and Jack's sandwiches dry in the cooler
storage for hubby's phone and jeep keys in the beach bag (sand protection)
camera storage (sand protection)

[shoemak38]

sheet on a beach
P4290829 by SHOEMAK38, on Flickr

[jimg20]

We bring a manilla envelope filled with large black trash bags, smaller white trash bags and a variety of zip lock bags. We use them for a variety of tasks. When we leave, we leave them in the kitchen for the next guests to use as they see fit.

JIM

[Bigcheeze]

Not to be facetious, no matter how you plan or pack...the less you plan/pack in your mind and let go... will no doubt allow you the freedom to bring less clothes, things and ultimately stress. Might be imperfect, but hey, that's why we are all here.

That being said...

I like my own mask and snorkel
My current(only)wife
The 2 kids
Tums
A Bubba Mug

and that's all I need