The beach is one of the most fun days out you can have. Whether visiting with family, friends, a loved one, or even on your own, you’re sure to have a great time. However, most people aren’t lucky enough to live right by the beach. So, they have to figure out what to take with them!
In this post, we’ll take a look at the essential items you need for your beach adventures. With our help, you can concentrate on enjoying yourself rather than stressing out over something you’ve forgotten!
Bag
Before you decide what to take to the beach, you need to work out how you’re going to carry it. Here are three types of bags that mean you can’t go wrong.
Backpack
A trusty backpack is our first choice for heading to the beach. And that doesn’t mean a huge bag that you’d use for traveling around a far-flung continent! A day pack is more than good enough, there’s space for all the essentials (we’ll get to those in a bit), a good book, and if you have side pockets; a bottle of water.
Duffel Bag
Don’t have a backpack at hand? You must have a duffel at least. This awesome alternative is soft and squishy, so you can fit it into pretty much any space – whether that’s in your car or on public transport. If you don’t have any of these bags, duffels are the cheapest of the three, so good news if you’re on a budget!
Dry Bag
Planning on water sports at the beach? If you’re thinking of stand-up paddle boarding between beaches, a dry bag is essential for transporting your stuff and keeping it, you guessed it, dry! Made of vinyl or nylon and coated in waterproof fabric or film, they will keep items such as phones and wallets from getting wet and damaged.
Essentials
There are some things that you can’t miss putting in your bag when going to the beach. Here are five of the most important!
Sunscreen
Heading to the beach for most people means getting a dose of Vitamin D. However, the sun can be pretty nasty if you’re not protected against it. The first thing you should be packing is sunscreen. Make sure you have a high factor or at least one that adequately protects your skin. You’ll need to reapply it regularly too. If you’re going to swim, use reef-safe sunscreen as it’s better for the environment.
Swimsuit
With that reef-safe sunscreen, you’ll need a swimsuit too. It’s key if you’re planning on taking a dip or partaking in water sports. If you don’t have much space in your bag, wear it under your clothes on the way there. Just make sure that you’ve got a spare bag or towel to wrap it in on your way bag. Otherwise, it could damage your stuff!
Sunglasses
Sunglasses are another important piece of kit that will keep you safe from the sun’s UV rays. If there are shops near your chosen beach, it shouldn’t be hard to pick up a pair if you leave yours at home. However, the best thing to do is get a pair with a strap and remember to bring them. They’re great if you’re planning onboard sports!
Microfibre Towel
If you’re going swimming, you’ll want to get dry before getting back in the car or on public transport at the end of the day. Otherwise, it’s going to be an uncomfortable journey home! Rather than packing a big beach towel, which can take up loads of space, get a microfibre towel instead. These will not only dry you but themselves instantly. And they can fold up into the tiniest spaces!
Spare clothes and shoes
If you don’t want to go barefoot in the sand, at least bring a pair of flip-flops or sandals with you. These will stop you from burning your feet on the hot sand and they’re pretty comfortable. The jury is out on them looking good though! Even so, it’s better to wear these than get sand in your shoes and have to empty them for the next few weeks.
Spare clothes are important too, especially if the journey home is a long one.
Board Sports Gear
Last, of all, let’s take a look at what you’ll need for board sports. After all, there’s nowhere better than the beach for stand-up paddleboarding and surfing!
Board
While you can rent paddleboards and surfboards from many beach shops, it’s often better to have your own. Repeated renting costs can mount up, and having a different board each time might slow down your progress. For SUP, consider using it. They’re easy to transport and can fit into their own specialized backpacks which you can throw (or carefully place) in the car. iSUPs are also great for paddle board yoga. Of course, you’ll need a paddle too, but there’s a compartment for that too. You can get iSUP pumps that fit into your car’s cigarette lighter, which takes no time at all once you arrive!
Leash
You’ll need a leash for both SUP and surfing, but don’t try to use the same one for both sports. SUP leashes are longer and thicker than surf leashes, so make sure you have the right one for your sport. Though they look and feel different, they do the same job: keeping you tethered to your board should you fall off.
