We took care of the Caribbean packing list for the ladies and now it’s time to let the guys know what to bring to the tropics. Some things to consider are, what time of the year you will be coming and more or less what you will be doing. Here’s our caribbean packing list for guys!

Clothing (by season):

All Seasons:

• Multiple boardshorts – Most of your day will probably be spent on the beach, river, lake or near a body of water. It’s good to have a couple so when you go back to wherever you are staying you can change into a pair of dry ones.
• Shorts – For going out at night, you can also wear your boardshorts and nobody will say anything, just a preference thing (depends on the area, in some cities there are dress codes).
• Sandals – It’s hot
• Light Shirts – Midday is usually t-shirt weather all year.

Summer:

• Sleeveless t-shirts – It’s hot

Winter:

• Long pants or sweatpants – Surprisingly the winters can get pretty cold. You can be lucky and have a sunny, hot Winter, but most likely there will be a couple of nights and mornings that you wish you had a couple of extra layers.
• Rain Jacket – Winters are known to bring a lot of rain in some Caribbean countries. The Dominican Republic being one of those.
  
• Light sweater – It gets cold.

Rain Season (Spring and Fall):

• Rain Jacket – It rains a lot, hence the name of the season =)
• Shoes – If you are going to rent a motorcycle I would definitely recommend shoes. Kick starting a moto with wet sandals never ends well.

Clothing (By Personality):

Sport Junkie:

• Many boardshorts – You will likely be in and out of the water all day so it’s good to have dry ones.
• Closed shoes – For trekking through the jungles and mountain climbing, bicycle riding, cliff jumping etc..
• Long Pants – If your trekking through a jungle with shorts you’re asking to get your legs caught on every thorn possible.

Party Goer:

• General rule – Dress to your style just keep in mind that most of the Caribbean classifies as the third world  and if people see you flashing what you have you are more likely to be targeted. Keep the bling at home!

Beach Bum:

• Board Shorts – You’ll be on the beach all day everyday so bring multiple.
• Sandals – or not since your feet will be in the sand all day anyways.

That One Guy Who Wears a Speedo:

• Speedos – A couple different colors just to spice things up.
• Confidence – You can’t pull off a speedo without it, even sometimes with it you can’t but doesn’t hurt to have it =)

Side note about clothing:

Do not “dress to impress”. That is pretty much saying “Hey look at how much money I have” in a place where you don’t want to be saying that. Leave the fancy stuff at home. The exception is if you are planning to go out in a city as dress codes are enforced, and you usually travel to and from your destination is safe transportation (car or taxi.)

Electronics:

• Camera – You are going to want to document your travels and the beauty that the Caribbean has to offer. If you have a water proof camera then even better!
• iPhone or smart phone – These are good to catch WiFi in local restaurants and your hotel. If you have a good camera on your phone then you kill two birds with one stone.
• Converter – Outlets are the North American standard.

All that other good stuff:

• Sunscreen – If you are not used to being in the sun I HIGHLY recommend sunscreen. In places like the Dominican Republic the sun is a lot stronger than people think. Apply as needed and make sure you get some sunscreen that doesn’t give you cancer. Check out our article on a homemade sunscreen recipe,
• Sunglasses – The sun is BRIGHT, protect your eyes.
• Bug Spray – The mosquito count is high and to buy bug spray in most Caribbean places will cost you 2-3 times the price.
• Condoms – If you’re looking for some love on your trip note that they sell condoms everywhere, but sometimes they just run out. Also, the quality is not that great.
• Water Bottle – It’s hotter than you think! Help save the planet and go with something like the Klean Kanteen. I bought one over a year ago and love it. Remember that plastic water bottles allow all the chemicals of the plastic to seep into your water.
• A Towel – Because most likely there is a beach or pool close by.
• Me – Because why would you travel to the Caribbean without me! =P

Remember in the end that regardless of what you bring, leave, go to or do,  have a good time!

Did I miss anything from the list that you think is a must have?
Did I list something that you wouldn’t have thought about?

Image Credits:
Multiple Personalities
The Four Seasons