PCS to Hawaii: What We Packed In Our Totes (and What We Forgot)

There is SO MUCH effort and planning that goes into a PCS to Hawaii. From the actual traveling to packing and shipping cars and household goods to the mound of paperwork, living in this chaos is not for the faint of heart.

(Check out this post: You Got Orders to Hawaii…Now What? for advice on what you should do before packing even begins.)

Basic activities like cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, etc., are 100 times more difficult when you don’t have your stuff.

This is what we kept with us to ‘camp out’ in our empty houses after the movers took it from Texas until it arrived in Hawaii. (We didn’t see our household goods for 52 days!)

**Pro Tip: When deciding what to keep with you, remember that it either has to be thrown/given away or packed in a suitcase/tote and brought on the plane.**

How Many Totes are You Allowed to Take?

This depends on the airline. [You don’t get to decide which airline to use, because the Army books the flights for you.]

During our PCS to Hawaii, we flew on American Airlines. Thankfully, they have a generous policy regarding military families traveling on orders. We were allowed 5 bags EACH and up to 100 pounds PER BAG!

We used 27-gallon stackable totes. Each tote is considered a bag. So, technically, we could have travelled with 20 totes!

I can’t imagine having to lug all of that through the airport or having to load and unload all of it. However, I’ve seen families post pictures online of them traveling with that many totes and suitcases. So, it’s possible.

Here’s what we packed in our totes for our PCS to Hawaii and what we forgot:

Extreme Duty 27 Gal. Tough Storage Bin in Black 4 pack with LidsHDX Tough Polypropylene Plastic 27 Gal. Storage Tote in Black (5-Pack)

 

What We Packed for Our PCS to Hawaii

All of our clothes and shoes were packed in suitcases. We had 1 suitcase per person, plus an extra suitcase for toiletries and random things that wouldn’t fit in our individual suitcases.

Our electronics and important documents were with us in our backpack carry-ons. Not only could they hold a lot of stuff, but having backpacks freed up our hands to push carts and wheel suitcases through the airport.

Then we had 4 totes filled with:

Stuff for Sleeping:

• 1 air mattress (one of our air mattresses popped in Texas & we waited to buy a replacement in Hawaii)
• 2 sets of sheets
• 4 blankets
• 6 pillows

What we forgot: extra blankets.

Initially, I only kept out 1 blanket for each air mattress. But I forgot how cold air mattresses get underneath you. So, we ended up buying 2 new blankets to put under the fitted sheets to make our air mattresses a little warmer.

Stuff for Cooking:

• 5.5-quart pot & lid (the one we use for soups/pasta)
• 2.5-quart sauce pan & lid (the one we use for rice/sides)
• large frying pan
• colander
• 2 big cooking spoons
• spatula
• George Foreman grill
• 2 baking sheets
• 2 knives
• plastic cups, plates, bowls, and silverware
• a few spices
• salt & pepper
• 2 kitchen towels
• 2 dish rags
• dish soap
• zip-loc bags

What we forgot: measuring cup, cutting board, and can opener.

We had to go out and buy the things we forgot. Thankfully, the cost wasn’t a big deal, but it’s extremely frustrating to be in the middle of cooking something and discover that you can’t open a can or measure what you need.

Stuff for Bathing

• 4 beach towels (1 towel each)
• 3 hair wrap towels
• bath cloths
• toiletries
• shower curtain liners
• blow dryer/hair straightener

What we forgot: extra towels and a bath mat.

I thought I was being so frugal and saving space by only keeping 4 beach towels. At home, we used them as bath towels, and at the hotel in Hawaii, we used them when we went to the beach.

It wasn’t a bad idea, but one towel per person is NOT enough. I would plan for 2 towels per person next time.

We also made a mess stepping out of the shower since the rug was gone. That got really annoying, and we ended up buying a cheap bathroom rug.

Stuff for Living

• 4 camp chairs (the kind that fold up into bags)
• phone/tablet chargers
• kids’ tablets
• laptop & charger
• portable dvd players & dvds
• laundry bags
• trash bags

What we forgot: card games, projector, coloring books, and colored pencils.

My kids were 11 and 12 and past the age of toys during our PCS to Hawaii. However, I wish we would’ve kept out some card games and our projector. That way, we could have played games or watched movies together as a family.

So, even if you have older kids, plan on bringing some kind of entertainment. My kids also told me that they wished they had kept some of their coloring books and colored pencils.

Random Stuff the Movers Wouldn’t Take

There are always a bunch of items that the movers accept. (Each moving company is different, so call your movers ahead of time to see what their no-packing list is.)

For us, there was a LOT of stuff left in our garage: paint, wood stains, motor oil, epoxy, fertilizer, etc. Most of which we gave away to family and friends.

Even if we were willing to lug all of this stuff through the airport, I’m not sure the airline would allow it. To me, it wasn’t worth worrying with, especially knowing my dad would gratefully accept and use a lot of it.

However, there were a few things the movers wouldn’t pack that we wanted to keep. So, we put it in the totes and brought it with us:

• batteries
• candles
• syrup
• sugar for cotton candy machine

All in all, our PCS to Hawaii went smoothly. I credit much of that to the planning we did ahead of time and shipping our vehicle and household goods early.

All of the stress and hassle is worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We truly are living in paradise and marking items off our Hawaii Bucket List!

I hope this post helps prepare your family for this exciting new chapter!