Beach Bag Essentials

Photo courtesy of hauteis.com.

What are the top 10 beach bag essentials?

1.     The bag. The bag should be roomy, but lightweight. While aesthetically I prefer a bag in a fun, beachy print, I have found that the most efficient beach bag is actually a backpack. Backpacks provide two important benefits. One, they keep your hands and arms free for carrying other beach gear and two, they don’t make your arms and shoulders ache from carrying too much weight.

2.     Sunscreen. Always have a minimum of one sunscreen product in your beach bag that is AT LEAST a 30 SPF. Personally, I prefer to use two separate sunscreens. One specifically formulated for faces to minimize breakouts and another for the body. But, if room or weight is an issue, you can use a single sunscreen on your face and body.

3.     A towel big enough to lay on and absorbent enough to dry you off.

4.     A bottle of water. I like to freeze one so that it stays cold longer. One piece of advice. Don’t leave the frozen bottle of water in your beach bag once you get to the beach as it will get everything wet from the condensation produced as it melts.

5.     A healthy snack. Some good choices are a bag of nuts, trail mix, granola bar, or energy bar. I like these items because they don’t need refrigeration, will stay fresh for long periods, and provide protein in case there is no food available at the beach.

6.     A small amount of cash to pay for parking (if necessary), food (if available), and anything else you may need or want.

7.     A book, magazine, or ereader.

8.     Travel -sized games such as a deck of cards or dominoes.

9.     A lightweight, folding beach chair.

10.    A beach umbrella.

Keeping these beach bag essentials in mind should make you secure in the knowledge that you have everything you need to enjoy your time at the beach.

To many joyful beach experiences!

— Lisa Dworkin