Please don't laugh at me!!! This is a very crazy question!!! Has anyone ever brought beach(sand) chairs with them on vacation? My husband and I are going to The Big Island and Kauai in just 4 weeks celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary. We will be trying new beaches everyday and I know you cannot rent chairs at all beaches. I am NOT very comfortable lying on a towel at the beach.

Ok...If you must you can laugh at me but I am serious about this.

hable46

The best beach chairs, IMO, are the low-to-the-ground ones, in aluminum with solid webbing. They run less than $20 at any grocer or pharmacy that carries beach stuff. I would just buy them in Hawaii instead of schlepping them along.

Rent your chairs, it's only about $10 week and you don't have the check-in hassles. On Kauai, Snorkel Bob's, Pedal and Paddle , and Nukamoi Surf conpany among others. Good Luck, Harry

I bought beach chairs at Walmart to carry with us to Hawaii next year. They are low to the ground and very light weight. They cost about 10 dollars each. If I have to leave them there, I will. I bought them to bring so that we can beach hop around Oahu and Kauai.
I also purhased snorkel equipment for everyone in the family to bring.

Buy or rent them there. Why in the world would you want to travel with beach chairs unless you're driving?

I don't think it is ridiculous to bring two chairs that are small and lightweight. It will save you time and money while on vacation. I hate to shop around for things like that when on vacation. I would never have thought to bring chairs, but then I heard the Hilton charges 50 dollars a day for two chairs on the beach and that is where we are staying!! Then I thought, what about when we go snorkeling around the island? So, I picked up two cheap chairs and figured we would just throw them on. A friend of mine says I am nuts, but who cares.
I would rather spend my money on good food and nice souveniers!!

I agree that I would much rather have beach chairs that lying on a towel, butI think your best bet is to look into renting them there for the week at a beach/surf shop (not at the hotel). If you bring them along, you have to schlep along another piece of luggage, or if putting in your main piece, they may add too much weight (and airlines are very strict about weight).

I also prefer having a sand chair but would buy or rent them after arrival in Hawaii. I can't imagine toting them from home, to the airport, thru check-in, etc. Seems like way more hassle than any possible savings of money would be worth. There's several options in between bringing them from home and giving 50 bucks a day at the resort.

I think it depends on what sort of budget you have and where you're staying. If you're going to a posh hotel, not sure arriving toting beach chairs is the best way to go.

But if you're renting condos, maybe bringing your own chairs isn't a bad idea. As others say, you can also buy chairs when you arrive for use there rather than taking them from home. If you do decide to take them with you, check with your airline to make sure you won't be charged a fee that wipes out any cost savings.

hable46- Have you asked at your hotel(s) or condo about this? They very well may have ones you can rent or borrow from them. I go to Hawaii quite often and recall seeing only a few instances where people were toting this kind of thing around the airport.

I want to thank all of you for your replies and advice. I think we will hope to find chairs to buy or rent cheaply. It does seem like a hassle to schlep them thru the airport but I do want to be comfortable on the beach. Maybe I will call the Marriot in Kauai (our timeshare) and ask if they have chairs to rent to take to other beaches. Thanks again for all your responses.

hable46

When we fly to Miami instead of driving, I use my oldest suitcase and pack two beach chairs and a collapsable rolling cooler inside.

I also throw my trusty beach bag (coozies, sunglasses, hats, sunblockm magazines) and beach towels in this suitcase.

I have packed one of those aluminum tri-fold beach chairs inside when Mr.GoTravel was being extremely high maintainance.

In other words, go ahead and pack them. It isn't a big deal. Just make sure you use rolling luggage and stay under the 50 lb airline limit.

I'm not paying to rent something I own 50 of.