Figuring out what to pack for the Oregon coast is mostly about un-learning what "beach" means. This is not a swimsuit-and-flip-flops coast. It's a fleece-and-a-thermos coast, where July mornings are 55 degrees and foggy and July afternoons might be 70 and brilliant, and both happen on the same day. After a lot of trips to our Neskowin and Manzanita homes, here's the list we actually use.
The rule: layers, and one of them is waterproof
Coast weather changes by the hour. Dress so you can add or shed without going back to the house. The basic stack is a t-shirt, a long sleeve, a fleece or light puffy, and a real rain shell with a hood. Not a "water-resistant" jacket. A shell that keeps you dry in sideways rain for an hour, because the best beach walks happen in exactly that.
Leave the umbrella at home. Coast wind turns it inside out in the first block, and you'll see the tourists holding the skeleton of theirs. The hood on your shell is the umbrella.
Feet
- Waterproof hiking shoes or boots for Cascade Head, Neahkahnie, and the ghost forest at low tide, which is wet and slick.
- Sandals or water shoes for tide pools and creek crossings. Bare feet on barnacles is a mistake you make once.
- A second pair of sneakers. The first pair will get wet. Sand-free shoes for the house are a courtesy to whoever's cleaning, including you.
- Wool socks. Even in summer.
Head, hands, and eyes
A beanie and a sun hat. Both. The beanie is for the morning walk and the evening hot tub, the sun hat is for the two hours when the fog lifts and the UV comes through harder than you expect. Sunscreen, too, especially on your face; a cloudy coast day burns people constantly. Sunglasses for glare off wet sand. Light gloves if you're coming between October and April.
The beach kit
- A tide table for your specific beach, printed or screenshotted. Neskowin's Ghost Forest and Proposal Rock are only walkable at low tide, and Hug Point and Cannon Beach's tide pools are the same story.
- Binoculars. Whales in winter and spring, puffins at Haystack Rock in early summer, eagles year-round.
- A kite. Manzanita's seven-mile beach is one of the best kite beaches in the state, and you'll wish you had one.
- A thermos. Coffee on the sand at 7am is the whole experience.
- A headlamp for sunset walks that run long. It's dark fast under the cliffs.
- A small first-aid kit. Barnacles, again.
For the dog
Every one of our homes welcomes dogs, and the beaches near Neskowin and Manzanita are among the best dog beaches anywhere. Bring a long leash, a towel that lives in the car, an old sheet for the back seat, poop bags (lots), and their own food. Coast stores don't always carry your brand. A collapsible water bowl fits in a jacket pocket. And check the paws after a day on the rocks. Rinse the salt off before they hop in the bed, which they will.
For the hot tub
Both The Weekender in Neskowin and Puffin Lane in Manzanita have private hot tubs, and the hot tub at 9pm with the ocean audible is a top-three coast experience. Bring swimsuits. We provide towels, but a robe or a big fleece for the walk from the tub to the door is a small luxury you'll appreciate in February. And in July, honestly.
The things everyone forgets
- Phone charger and a car charger. Cell service is patchy; your phone hunts for signal and drains fast.
- A paperback. WiFi is included but you're not here for it.
- Ziplocks and a small cooler for the beach lunch and the fish you'll buy in Pacific City.
- A deck of cards or a board game. Storm nights are for exactly this.
- Lip balm. Wind.
- A bag for shells and agates. You will pick up more than you intend.
What you don't need
Fancy clothes. The nicest restaurant in Neskowin or Manzanita is fine with a fleece. Beach chairs and an umbrella; the wind takes both, and the sand is the chair. A lot of shoes. We covered the three you need. And a strict schedule. The fog decides your day; we explained how in Neskowin in summer: fog, sun, and timing.
Pack lighter than you think in clothes, heavier than you think in layers, and bring the dog. The rest is on our Neskowin things-to-do page, tide times included. See you on the sand.