Have Fun in the Sun and Sand With These Beach Day Essentials

If you and your entire crew are heading to the beach for a full day, you’ll need a lot of stuff. This heavy-duty cart can hold your cooler, towels, umbrellas, and more, and it won’t get stuck in the sand as you pull it behind you. Once you find your spot on the shore, you can use the attached table to hold drinks or assemble sandwiches when everyone is ready for a lunch break. When you aren’t using it, it easily collapses for storage in a car or closet.

It’s five o’ clock somewhere, right? Enjoy your island time with a crisp glass of rosé or a refreshing spritz in this spill-proof acrylic glass. Katie loves these, and they’re one of her favorite Amazon purchases ever. It has a spike-shaped end that sticks into the sand, preventing it from falling over. Best part? If you’re by the pool, this glass will float in the water. Magic.

Diving into a juicy romance novel on the beach? Make sure you can see the text on the page clearly, and protect your eyes while doing so. These Caddis sunglasses can be customized with your prescription (or you can get them in readers), so feel free to leave your everyday eyeglasses safe at home.

Sure, you can sit your butt directly in the sand, but that diaper feeling is not fun to deal with later. Instead, grab a beach blanket that’s large enough for you to stretch out on during an afternoon nap or share with a friend. Made from recycled materials, this super-absorbent towel will also provide a quick dry after a dip.

Speaking of not sitting directly in the sand, a beach chair can completely make or break your vacation experience. A good chair will keep you far enough from the sand all day, but a bad one can cause discomfort, or worse, send you straight into the sand you were trying to avoid. This find fits into the former category. This lounger can be used as a regular ol’ seat, a tanning chaise, or (our personal favorite) a reading chair. Similar to a massage table, there’s a hole for your face to sit in, so you can lie on your stomach and comfortably read at the same time. Game changer!

Yes, the whole point of going to the beach is to have fun in the sun, but everyone needs a break from the rays (especially if you have fair skin). Instead of lugging a huge umbrella to the shore, opt for something lighter and larger, like this shade cover. It’s basically a large sheet that is propped up with collapsible poles and securely grounded with four bags you fill with sand, but it folds up into a tiny bag.

Hours outside requires a plethora of munchies to choose from. For when you inevitably get hungry, pack a variety pack of pistachios for a crunchy, salty snack. This specific box comes with a range of flavors, from classic roasted and salted nuts to spicy chili and sweet honey, satisfying everyone at your seaside hang.

Don’t bring the beach with you when you come home. This sturdy bag stands upright (preventing it from collecting sand), can be hosed off easily, and will hold all your essentials.

Floppy sun hats are great until you’re forced to hold up the brim with one hand just to be able to see. This wide-brimmed hat stays up on its own, and it folds down into a teeny bag for storage. It’s made from a lightweight, breathable fabric, too, so you won’t be sweating miserably underneath it.

Keep your skin protected without any chalky white cast. If you love Supergoop! as much as we do, you’ll be elated to learn that you can now buy refills of the brand’s beloved Play sunscreen. This set is great if you have a family who reapplies often, but it’s also amazing for those who want to fill travel bottles with their fave sunscreen instead of buying another tube.

Leave your fancy sandals at home. These waterproof slide-on sandals from Freedom Moses are the perfect addition to your beach shoe collection. Each pair is super comfortable and gently infused with essential oils that’ll nourish your feet — and make them smell like honey! They’re the perfect complement to the natural pedicure sand provides. 

Keep your drinks cold all day long in this soft-sided cooler by Yeti, which can hold up to 12 cans at a time (or 16 pounds of ice). We recommend filling it with refreshing seltzers (like the delicious ones from Loverboy), but remember to toss some water in there so you can stay properly hydrated.

We’ve suggested the JBL FLIP before, and we continue to stand by those recommendations. This is a waterproof, lightweight Bluetooth speaker with amazing, full sound that’ll keep your whole beach crew entertained throughout the day.

Unfortunately, you can have too much fun in the sun. For the days when you feel like you need some extra protection, throw on this long-sleeved cover-up from Carve. The high neck and long sleeves will shield you from harmful rays and the material has an added ultravioliet protection of 50+, while the drawstrings on the side allow you to make the shirt as long or as short as you’d like it.

A day at the beach is incomplete without a fruity, refreshing beverage. But packing an entire pineapple to sip out of is a little unrealistic. Instead, opt for a cocktail or mocktail kit to keep your thirst quenched. We love packing Twisted Alchemy’s cocktail kits because they come with everything you need for a good drink, you just add the alcohol. For anyone cutting back on alcohol this summer, try their zero-proof cocktail kit, which they created in partnership with The Dry Challenge and comes with Waterloo Peach Sparkling Water and Twisted Alchemy’s fresh juices like Pineapple and Three Citrus. Hosting a beach soiree? One kit makes up to 25 fresh non-alc cocktails. The best part is that 20 percent of proceeds from this pack goes to Speed Rack, an all-female high-speed bartending competition designed to highlight up-and-coming women in the cocktail industry and give back to those impacted by breast cancer.