beach gear tips
Our Best Beach Gear Tips for the Ultimate Beach Day
Are you a beach minimalist or a beach maximalist? It’s easy to tell; one is carefree and skipping to the beach with nothing but a towel and possibly a tiny bag for sunscreen and keys. The other? The other is pulling a wagon loaded with a cooler, toys, a boogie board, towels, and at least two giant beach bags.
We’ve rounded up a few great finds to pack for your next beach visit no matter how much gear you need.
Beach Shade
Hopefully, your beach rental includes a complimentary beach chair and umbrella setup, but if it doesn’t? Don’t worry. These two options are quick to assemble and don’t involve 10 minutes of digging.
1) This pop-up beach tent is quick to assemble and great for keeping one or two people in the shade.
2) With this beach shade you get the coverage of a tent, but it’s easier to set up (and pretty!).
Sand-Free Beach Blankets
Carrying multiple towels to the beach is a pain, and they are typically covered in sand by the time you’re ready to go.
1) This sandless beach blanket has multiple layers! The top layer allows sand to filter through, so sitting on the blanket is a sand-free experience. Ingenious.
2) The Roebury blanket has a water-resistant bottom and a quilted top that is easy to shake the sand off of.
Beach-Friendly Drinks
Fizzy or flat, alcoholic or not, no one likes a hot drink with sand covering the bottom half when trying to cool off at the beach.
1) These colorful beverage holders keep cans elevated, so the sand never has a chance to stick!
2) How fun are these wine and cocktail cups? The cups balance when stuck into the sand and float in the water!
3) Everyone needs a cooler that works. We love this one by Yeti because it can hold long bottles, fit snacks, and double as a rigid tabletop at the beach!
Beach Toys for Little (and Big) Kids
1) If you have a young child, trust us. You need a mini pool at the beach so they can splash and keep cool in the shade. We love this beach pool because it doesn’t need to be inflated, and if you flip it over, it converts to a picnic blanket!
2) This beach aquarium is absolute genius. Kids can scoop up little fish or shells and enjoy watching them while at the beach. When it’s time to go, gently empty the beach aquarium back into the Gulf.
Beach Wagons
When it’s time to haul gear, nothing is worse than a wagon with wheels that get stuck or can’t handle our powder-fine sand beaches. Say it with us: fat wheels are your friend.
1) A packing genius invented the Timber Ridge wagon. Yes, it has fat wheels, and yes, it holds a bunch of weight—but what’s most exciting are the two layers of storage! Say goodbye to bulky umbrellas and towels falling out of the wagon on the way to the car.
2) This heavy-duty beach wagon checks all the boxes: collapses easily, holds a lot of weight, and has fat tires.
Stash Valuables at the Beach
One of the downsides of going to the beach is knowing where to stash valuables when playing in the water.
1) This clever water bottle will keep you hydrated and store car keys, room keys, and whatever else you need to hide.
2) It would take some time and effort to crack into this portable safe. Attach it to the top of a beach umbrella, or secure it to something more permanent if spending time around the pool.
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