Heading on a family beach trip this year? We’ve spent a week at the beach every summer for over a decade as our kids grew from tiny toddlers to teens. Over the years, we’ve perfected the beach gear that deserves room in our car trunk for the road trip. You can see our list of what to pack for a road trip here. Our focus is on budget-friendly, reliable, and well made pieces that we can use over and over again every summer. In my list of essential beach gear, I’ll share which items are worth an investment for the long run and which ones you can find more budget friendly prices. If you are a member of Costco, you can find some of the items at a discount at a local warehouse here in the southeastern coastal cities. While you’re making your shopping and packing lists, don’t miss my great list of the best beach toys for the whole family.
We tested out the beachBub umbrella and immediately fell in love with it so hard that I quickly ordered a second one. We take both umbrellas to the beach so we have plenty of shade for our family of four and it only takes my husband 10 minutes to set them both up. These umbrellas have held up against strong winds without turning inside out or bending over, have SPF protection, and come with a compact tote bag for storage and travel. Our umbrellas have had heavy use and are still going strong after several years of use. While they are definitely an investment, it is money well spent. If you bought nothing else from this list but these umbrellas, your beach trips would already be better off. Also, don’t miss these important tips on how to avoid sunburn at the beach. They have held up with rough use for years and years and are still in amazing condition. The frames are lightweight but very well made. The canvas is thick and sturdy. They dry fairly quickly and don’t retain sand in the mesh weave. There are cupholders and pockets hanging from the arms, a head cushion, and a zip storage pocket behind the head. The seats are wide enough to feel extra comfy and they open and fold back up easily. The best part is they come with backpack straps so every member of the family could wear one on their back for easy transportation to the beach. However if your kids are still too little to carry a big chair, they also come with a carrying handle at the top. We strongly prefer a soft-sided thermal tote with a handle and pockets over a hard body cooler because they are easier to fold up and pack on your road trip to the beach. A soft tote is also easy to squoosh into a beach cart if you’re using one and is lighter to carry overall. Sandproof and waterpoof, you can simply rinse the whole thing out with water after the trip and let it air dry. We love bringing along an insulated can cooler for sodas and water bottles to help keep beverages cold while we sit and enjoy them at the beach. This gives your bottom a little break from all the sand and helps reduce the amount of sand that will sneak into whatever snacks you’re trying to enjoy while you eat them! This blanket in particular is perfect because of the size, tote bag it comes with, and the 4 stakes it includes for pinning down your blanket in the sand so it doesn’t blow away in the wind. A lightweight beach bag is where you’ll want to store all the little accessories you’re carrying down to the beach for the day but the key is to keep the whole thing very organized. Keeping what they need in a separate, smaller mesh bag lets me hang this on the hook of our umbrella so they can grab what they need without getting everything else sandy in the process. My kids vastly prefer to wear SPF googles that not only protect their eyes from the waves and salty ocean water, but from the sand that blows on the wind. They also protect us from stepping on sharp shells in the sand and are work great walking through the shallow waves as the tide comes in and out and there are more shells in the wet sand. These colorful cup holders also have an additional side pocket which is perfect for holding your sunglasses, cell phone, or other small accessories. It is so nice to have a sand-free spot to rest a drink, snack, or glasses. This tray is lightweight and waterpoof so you can just rinse it off when you’re done for the day. They are also handy for clipping wet swimwear or clothing up to dry either at the beach or back at your hotel or condo. Strong and sturdy, you’ll find plenty of reasons to use these colorful clips at the beach. If you know you’ll have wet swimwear to take back from your day at the beach, a wet bag is a perfect way to pack it all up but keep things dry that need to stay dry. For our family, it falls under essential gear because we cannot imagine a day at the beach without them. Boogie boards have been my girls’ favorite thing to do in the waves at the beaches we’ve visited. They’ve also doubled as a sand-free place to sit in the shade in lieu of a chair. This style is lightweight and made from a really sturdy foam-like material. With heavy use, they can break but we usually get a few years of use out of each set and never hesitated to buy new ones as needed since we use them so much.
