Richard

A trip in August and I need to suit up a family of six for hiking and Snorkeling.
Who has the best ideas on snorkle equipment and or hiking boots for children elementary school age. No idea about how to shop for snorkle gear and the hiking boots question has me perplexed also. I know hawaii's hot weather cancels out a lot of the ankle high tough stuff, yes.

sktraveler

I would recommend just renting snorkeling equipment from your hotel in Hawaii. Some places even let you check it out for free. If you aren't staying in a hotel, I think there are sports equipt. stores that will rent it out, also. As far as hiking boots go, I'd try your local sporting goods store. Good luck!

scigirl

There are indeed many places to rent snorkel equiptment on island. Unless you are planning really tough hikes I'd skip the boots. I live on Oahu and pretty much everyone I know just hikes in their sneakers. (or even teva type sandals).

x

Are you looking for top of the line stuff, or usable, reasonably priced items? I don't know where you're located, but I believe a couple of the Costcos in my area are currently stocking children's snorkel and mask sets and selling children's fins as well. Sort of a one size fits all type of setup. The only thing I would worry about in the snorkel kits is to make sure the masks fit their faces properly so there is less likelihood of leaking. However, as sktraveler pointed out, it might be cheaper to rent by the week in hawaii. As for hiking boots, i've done quite a bit of hiking in Maui and never really needed boots, even on the lava. I just wore my sneakers, which worked out fine. Hope this helps

Richard

Is it cheaper to rent by the week? I was thinking that we will be on the islands renting a condo on two islands for two weeks. I figure it has to be atleast $10 a day, go 3-4 times and you could atleast own a pair of fins for that. I am not looking for top of the line but not bottom of the line either. Any names of those sports equipment stores so that I can call. How much is it to rent for a week?

J T Kirk

I agree about the hiking boots: you don't really need them. Some trails can get real muddy and slippery, though, so check the conditions of the trail before heading out.
As to snorkeling gear - Do you intend on doing "serious" snorkeling, ie, from a boat, or is it more for your kids to splash around the water with? If it's the latter, I'd be tempted to buy (there) a cheap set of gear for the kids. If it's for serious snorkeling (for which you'd need better equipment), I suppose most shops would rent for the week, but that may be costly for a family of six.

D

For snorkel equipment, try www.diversdirect.com, 'online shopping' and then 'packages'. They sell kids snorkel sets which even come with a handy carrying bag. After renting a couple times you'd probably end up paying for one set anyway - but this way you can keep it!

Patty

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