How often do you find yourself going to the beach? Whether it’s once a year or more often there are must-have items that can make your life easier. Who wants to have kids or family members cranky because they are stuck out in the middle of a sandy beach miserable? Today I am sharing 5 of my favorite beach bag lifesavers! They are simple but will make your life so much better at the beach.
A few of these things were ideas given to us over these past few years of living in South Carolina. Others are some that we came up with that made our life easier. We have packing for the beach down to a science!
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A few of the ideas that I am sharing will help at a resort but they are mostly for those trips when you are on your own packing up and hiking to the beach yourself.
Water Jug
This was a suggestion given to us by a friend and it has been a lifesaver! When we go to the beach, we always bring a refillable jug of water with us so we can rinse our feet off. Some of the beaches that we go to have outdoor showers available. So, we can rinse our feet off, but most access points do not. This tip really cuts down on the sand that gets transferred into your car.
We use an old water gallon jug but there are containers that you can buy instead like the ones below. Make sure that whatever you do buy has a good seal on it. You do not want it to leak in your car!
Hand Wipes
A beach trip wouldn’t be complete without snacks or a picnic! But who likes sand or saltwater in their food? I sure don’t! I like to bring along wipes so we can wipe off our hands before eating. Plus sometimes I just like to wipe my hands down because they can feel sticky being at the beach from the saltwater.
My favorite wipes are travel-size or individual Wet Ones. I like the travel size because they won’t get dried out and I don’t end up having to throw out a full-size package. You can sometimes find the travel size at Target in the travel section.
Can Koozie or Insulated Water Bottle
This is a must-have if you are going to be drinking any kind of beverage at the beach. I should note that most beaches have laws against drinking alcohol on the beach. So make sure you check the local laws prior to going. We typically bring a cooler with soda and water. It gets hot at the beach even if you are sitting under an umbrella.
I highly recommend bringing a can koozie or an insulated water bottle to keep your beverages cool! We have forgotten ours before and it makes for a sad day at the beach! No one likes hot water or soda…
Sunglass Cleaner & Microfiber Cloth
A few weeks ago, I did a blog post: 5 Everyday Habits That Cause Wrinkles which you can read here. In that post I discussed squinting as being one of the habits that can cause wrinkles around your eyes. So please don’t forget to pack your sunglasses for the beach!
One thing that I have noticed with trips to the beach is between the salty air and sunscreen your sunglasses get a film on them. We keep eyeglass cleaner in our glove compartment, and you can also throw some in your beach bag! If you can make it through the day at the beach without cleaning your glasses, you will need to clean them for the drive home.
Portable Charger
Whether you are planning on listening to music or taking a lot of photos you do not want to run out of power! There are so many different choices of portable chargers and I recommend that you keep one in your beach bag out of the sun!
Most people spend most of the day at the beach when they do go and if you keep a spare changer on hand, you will never run out of power! It is also a good idea to make sure they are waterproof since you will be exposing them to the elements! I have linked a few below for you to check out!
This is by no means an inclusive list of what you need to bring to your next beach trip! You still need your necessities like sunscreen, chairs, umbrella, sunhat, and the list goes on and on! Lol!
Do you have any ideas that might help others out for their next trip to the beach? If you do, please share below. Don’t forget to signup so you don’t miss out on anything coming up!
The wipes and a portable charger are great ideas. I only get to go to a true beach once a year but I think they would be great ideas for hiking in the mountains too. Now you got my mind thinking on what else to put in my bag when I hike.
That’s a really good idea to pack in your bag for your hikes! Please share if you come up with some other ideas!