Memorial Day weekend marks the kick off of the 2020 summer season. In honor of all the sun-drenched beach days ahead, I'm sharing my favorites for a great day at the beach!
Favorite Beach Chair
In my book, these beach chairs are the best. They are well made, pretty lightweight, and have backpack straps. This means you can have two hands free while you walk out to the beach, which is huge especially if you have children who need a hand to hold! The back of the chair has two generously sized zipper pouches, one is insulated for drinks and snacks. You can also fit your beach towel inside the seat of the chair before you close it up. If you pack carefully, you'll likely be able to fit most of what you need for the beach in this chair!
The chair is comfortable for a full day of tide supervision, with several reclining options including a fully reclined, lay-flat setting. Tommy Bahama releases new fabric patterns each season. They are pricey. But we have had our chairs for 4 years so far and they have held up really well.
Hint: Tommy Bahama issues a coupon for $50 off a purchase of $100 or more several times a year. Watch for that to come out, and save some $$ on those chairs!
Favorite Shade Solution
I married a ginger, so the only way a full day at the beach works for us is if we have a reliable source of shade! When we first looked into shade tents for the beach, we considered larger, expensive ones from high end brands. But what we found is that while the higher end tents were sturdier, they were also longer and heavier. We really needed a tent that would fit in our SUV without sacrificing a row of seating. So, our compromise was to buy a less expensive tailgating tent and find a way to keep it from walking away with big wind gusts. Enter these genius pop up tent sandbags!
Here's how they work, the bags arrive empty and they open with a velcro strip at the top of the bag. You take the empty (lightweight!) bags out to the beach with you. Set up your pop up tent on the beach. Then fill these bags WITH SAND FROM THE BEACH and strap them around the legs of your tent and VOILA! You have a tent that won't start "walking" down the beach when the wind blows!
When you're done at the end of the day, empty the out the bags! I can't tell you how many people have stopped us on the beach to ask about these bags. They're cheap and it's a perfect solution in my book!
Favorite Beach Blanket
My favorite mat for the beach is this one. It is made of a plastic material and when you pick it up from the ground, all of the sand falls through it, making for easy clean up at the end of the day. The mat comes with small stakes to keep it in place on the beach. I usually double the mat up by folding it in half, creating just a little more separation from the sand.
Favorite Snorkel Mask
One of the advantages of a beach vacation in Panama City Beach is crystal clear water and amazing marine life. My favorite way to enjoy this is with this snorkeling mask.
I had an amazing moment watching a large sting ray right in front of the condo last summer! The full face mask gives you a clear line of sight and the dry-snorkel design keeps water from entering the mask. I generally don’t use the fins that come with this mask. (I’ll be honest, they hurt my feet.) But the mask is a clear winner in my book.
Favorite "Just for Fun" Beach Item
These towel clips can be used at the beach or the pool. Simply use them to clip your towel to the top of the chair and they will keep your towel in place all day. They fit perfectly on the Tommy Bahama beach chair too. Do you NEED these to have a great day at the beach? Obviously not. Will they make your day at the beach just a little more fun? Definitely!
Any day at the beach is a good day. But these items might make your experience just a little easier. Anything that makes the beach even better is a win in my book!
How about you? What are some of your must-haves for a day at the beach? Share them in the comments below.