Living in Southern California has resulted in us taking multiple trips to the beach. Let’s be honest, we high tail it to the beach any time the sun is out on my days off! It’s too good to resist. Here are our family beach trip essentials- the things that we ALWAYS grab, no matter where or how long we go.
Beach Umbrella
We have both this beach umbrella and the matching beach tent (which I love!), but the umbrella is hands down so fast and easy to set up, so it comes with us no matter what. We have a separate anchor for the sand that we found on Amazon. These two together stand up so strong against the wind. The umbrella itself can adjust to angle in any direction and provides plenty of coverage from the sun.
Folding Table
We have this small, lightweight table that folds up really compact. It is perfect for having some kind of surface to place drinks and snacks on. Having kids generally means that they’re going to knock something over- or run into it- especially if it’s just sitting there on the ground. Having this tiny little table gives our favorite treats a dedicated space that the kids are more aware of. And it’s just nice to have.
Beach Toys
The ever important beach toys– these are silicone, so there is the added benefit that these pack down pretty small and you don’t have to worry about cracks or damage. These fit into a suitcase like a dream, and I also don’t have to worry about the kids breaking them.
Cooler + Insulated Tote Bag
We pack this cooler with fresh food, sparkling water, and whatever craft beer we might pick up. Our tote bag is also insulated and pretty versatile- we could pack it with additional food or beverage if we needed to, but more often than not I use it to tow along extra beach towels and clothes.
Portable Speaker
We bring this portable bluetooth speaker– it’s wireless and syncs up instantly to our phones. It’s loud enough for us to hear it but not disturb anyone else! It holds a charge for up to seven hours.
Beach Blanket + Towels
We bring this beach blanket as our main one because it has a special cut out for the umbrella to go through (our folding table actually has this too!). And then we bring these turkish beach towels from Amazon- they fold up more compact than a standard beach towel and are highly absorbent. Plus they come in so many pretty colors!
Family beach trip essentials- we always look for things are that convenient to carry around and pack up small so that we are able to carry everything just the two of us adults. We’ve tried loading stuff into a beach wagon before, but ours gets horribly stuck in the sand, so this is what works best for us! (Funny, I just saw two families yesterday struggling with their wagons, I totally felt their pain!).
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