Going on a beach vacation? Veterans of the beach know that planning a perfect day requires a lot of prep. Not only do you need the obvious things like a bathing suit and towel, but you’ll need snacks, drinks, sunscreen, shade, and the ability to haul all your beach day essentials across the sand to your chosen spot. And if you’re not lucky enough to be on the beach or next to beach access, you might have quite a walk in front of you.
Luckily, I’ve done the miserable walk, and experienced the chagrin of dropping something precious in the sand because my hands were too full, so I can tell you what’s made my life easier going to the beach. Everything here was used on my last trip to Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, so it’s been beach, sand, and wind tested!
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Best Beach Chair
You’re probably going to be at the beach a while once you get down there, so having something comfortable to sit on is key. Trust me, having nothing but a towel and no back support gets old real fast.
You might balk at the price point of these, but they’re definitely worth the money if you want to invest in a beach chair. Other beach chairs will become impossible to fold or unfold after one trip to the beach, or are super flimsy. These are well built, and have bonuses like a cooler pocket and attached cupholder. And they have backpack straps, and a hand strap so you can choose the best way to haul it to the beach.
I linked to Amazon, but these are regularly seen at Costco in the late spring / early summer months, so if you have a membership and want to invest in a beach chair, keep an eye out.
Best Way to Shade at the Beach
If you’ve been out to the NC coast over the last few years, you no doubt have seen the two-toned blue wind powered Shibumi Shade. They’re everywhere.
But maybe you’re looking for something a little cheaper? Something that won’t be noisy in the wind, or rely on windpower to maintain shade? But also something easier to set up and carry than a pop-up canopy?
One Shibumi Shade alternative is this Red Suricata beach tent. I can’t take credit for this one, this is all my dad and his everlasting frugalness at work. But I’ve been on two beach trips with him where we used this tent and I was pretty impressed. It comes in a compact carrying bag, and is fairly easy to set up. You just need to screw the four pole holders into the ground, put the poles in, and attach the tarp to the top of the poles. The whole thing is held down by four sand pouches at each corner, which, of course, you fill up with the plentiful beach sand.
It was far easier to haul to the beach than the previous pop-up canopy, covered more area than a beach umbrella, and also did much better in the wind. Set up and tear down took a leisurely ten minutes, and you could probably do it faster with more hands.
Best Beach Cooler
You’ve probably realized by now that ease of hauling factors into a lot of these beach essentials. There’s nothing like doing a flight of stairs up, and then down over the dunes to realize that your hands are too full and maybe you skipped your workout a few too many times. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to make all of your gear as efficient as possible. Yes, you can bring a Yeti cooler to the beach and have the ice last two weeks or whatever, but I’m not volunteering to carry that thing.
Thus, the backpack cooler. This one in particular is lightweight, carries a good amount of ice, cans, and snacks, and has exterior pockets which make it easy to stash your phone or kindle when walking to the beach, or going in the water. I haven’t experienced any leakage while using it, which is great because no one likes a soggy bag against their back. Also, it’s significantly cheaper than a Yeti.
Best Flip Flops
One thing to know about me is that I will beat a pair of flip flops into the ground. I wear them all the time in the summer, not just to the beach. So a good pair of flip flops has to hit a lot of boxes – comfortable for a long period, arch support, high-quality, ideally won’t get ruined if they get soaked.
I’ve had my pair of Olukai Ohana for five years now, and I don’t think they’re close to needing a replacement. They’ve been on beaches in Hawaii, California, North Carolina, and they’re still going strong. They’re super comfortable, don’t give me any blisters if I wear them for long walks, and have not been ruined in salt water or chlorine. They’re a bit of an investment, but I think it’s 100% worth it.
For the men out there, my husband and several of his friends swear by these Reef flip-flops. Like we meet up in the summer and multiple guys are wearing the same pair of Reefs. They have a bottle opener in the bottom of the sole, which is cool and handy if you don’t think about it too hard.
Best Bathing Suits
Once upon a time I did a lot of research into finding the best bathing suit, one that was flirty but would stay on during water activities, and hopefully not fall apart in one season. I came across Carve Designs, splurged on a bikini set and loved it, quickly buying another. Then, the next year, I gained weight and grew out of said suits and didn’t feel like spending as much on their replacements.
So I turned to the bastion of cheap clothing, Amazon. But if you’ve bought bathing suits, or even just clothing in general on Amazon before, you know it can be a minefield of company names with too many consonants and varying quality. But I actually managed to find a few that fit and looked cute and hid the parts I’m self-conscious about without being a sack of a black tankini. And I would share them with you, dear reader, but they’re no longer sold. I even bought a replacement just six months ago, and it’s no longer available.
The only one that’s still sold is the most ridiculous one that I bought for a Vegas bachelorette where we had a poolside cabana. I’d recommend it, I looked amazing in it, it’s held up after a few washes. But it’s definitely not the hang-out-with-your-in-laws bathing suit.
Anyways, if you’re a dude, my husband has bought a few swim trunks on Amazon and says this the best bathing suit he’s tried. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, so you can be as flashy or subtle as you want. And they’re still sold on Amazon, so go for it.
Best Sunscreen
Look, the best sunscreen is the one that you wear. Whatever you end up regularly applying is the best sunscreen for you. I’ve linked a few here that I’ve purchased before and liked. There’s a lot on the market from sprays to lotions to sticks, and chemical and mineral based. So, just choose whatever one works for you. And yes, I like Sun Bum a lot because I like the way it smells. YMMV.
Beach Day Essentials Recap
That should be a good start to preparing your beach day essentials! Remember that the sun is a deadly laser, so making sure you’re lathered up with sunscreen, have shade available, and keep hydrated! Keep that in mind and you’ll have a great day at the beach.
Did I forget something? Do you have a recommendation for something that changed the way you do beach trips? Let me know in the comments!
If you liked this, you should also check out my travel essentials post, which details all of my favorite things for any type of vacation. And if you want even more, sign up for the newsletter so you don’t miss a new post!
Ashley Reviews
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