Everything You Should Pack for an Ultimate Day at the Beach

We may earn a commission from links on this page.

Credit: Credit:Zain bin Awais/Lifehacker composite; the_burttons/Bubball/artisteer/via Getty Images

Here's your guide to making the most of the sunny season, whether that means embarking on epic adventures or enjoying the great indoors.

It's not summer to me unless I spend a lot of time on beaches. I crave the time-has-stopped feeling of spending all day in a place where it's impossible to do anything useful. A lifetime of hanging out on sand near water has taught me that it's easier to achieve beach zen if you plan ahead and bring the right gear—the difference between a great day at the beach and sandy headache often comes down to what you pack.

Bring these essentials to the beach

I'm from a beach town, so I used to roll up to the sand with just a ratty towel—even a pair of flip-flops was extra baggage. There's something to be said for minimalist beach-bum style, but these days, I like things to be more comfortable. Besides, I'm usually bringing the family, and that requires stuff.

First, instead of showing up with a bleached-out, threadbare number, consider a microfiber towel. They're more absorbent than regular towels, they dry faster, they're lighter, and they can be cheap: less than $10 for 71"x32" towel with a cool mandala design. This picnic blanket with an attached strap is a higher-end option, at $19.99. It's easy to carry, waterproof, and versatile.

If you're staking out a lot of ground, nylon beach mats are a great option. They're a bit thin, but you can get a 7' by 7' beach mat that packs up small and weighs little, then put your (generously sun-blocked) toddler in the middle of it and watch them crawl around.

Next, you'll need shade. I'm going to speak up against beach umbrellas: They're a bear to set up, and a sudden gust of wind can cause them to take flight, turning them into dangerous projectiles. For a better option, try the Shibumi Shade. This ultralight piece of fabric floats on the breeze as advertised—as long as you've got a little wind. If there's no breeze on your beach (lucky), pick up a canopy style sun shield.

Speaking of shade, make sure your sun protection is locked down. Big straw hats like this one from Quiksilver have been a staple of Southern California surfers since the 1960s and absolutely can't be improved upon. As for sunglasses, I love my Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses, even after wearing them regularly for more than a year. They hover around $300, but they do a lot. Or consider a much less expensive, non-smart option in these oversized aviators from Quay.

I always use Banana Boat sunscreen because it's what they tend to have at the drug store—but this "Light as Air variety" is also much celebrated by dermatologists for being, well, light, with no white cast (so it's great for your face).

Finally, you need a cooler for snacks and drinks. If you want to go all-out, this KoolMAX cooler is a maximalist dream. It can chill your drinks like any cooler, but it also has a built in 350W Bluetooth-compatible sound system, a guitar amplifier, and it's karaoke-ready. These features won't come in handy that often, but there may come a time when you need to start an instant beach party, and you'll be ready. If you don't need a loudspeaker, you can't go wrong with a wheeled cooler, but if you're only bringing a few things, backpack-style coolers like this Miycoo are great and very inexpensive.

Have fun on the water with these beach gadgets

Over the last few years, electric hydrofoils have taken over the waves off Southern California (at least the beaches for people with disposable income), and whenever I see one, I think, "Yeah, humanity has reached its peak." This Waydoo Flyer EVO hydro-foil is one of the best electric hydrofoil for beginners, according to The Inertia.

If you're looking for the most fun thing you can do in water, I suggest snorkeling. An everything-you-need set up from industry leader Cressi is around $100. If you want to go bigger, try snorkeling with an underwater scooter. These things are amazing. They're about the size of a soda bottle, and can pull you along with over 14 pounds of thrust. You can even clip one on a paddle board and use it like a little outboard engine.

For less adrenaline-packed water fun, paddleboards—many (like our own Beth Skwarecki) say—are awesome. They've come down in price so much lately that you can get a nice inflatable paddle board for not too much.

The Surfer Dudes Wave Powered Mini-Surfer costs around $25, and it creates hours of fun for kids, as long as you're at a beach with any kind of waves. You can throw it into the surf at random and it will catch a wave, or you can get skillful with it and try to catch one just as it breaks, like real surfers.

Keep yourself entertained at the beach with these on-land gadgets

Doing nothing on the sand is the personal goal, but you don't want absolutely nothing to do. So pack these "almost nothing" things to do.

I used to always bring a book to the beach; now I pack a Kindle Paperwhite. These Kindles can stay immersed in (fresh) water for an hour and still work (try that with a copy of War and Peace). And they're Bluetooth-compatible for when you decide you'd rather listen to a podcast anyway. (The Kindle will be OK if you drop it in fresh water, but salt and sand is a different story, so get a screen protector.)

Next, don't forget to bring a camera. I love my GoPro. This small camera is rugged as hell, fully waterproof, mounts onto literally anything, and has almost no learning curve. Check out this glowing GoPro Hero 13 review for an in-depth look.

If you're feeling like a game of spades, I recommend these waterproof playing cards from Hoyle. They’re practically indestructible.

Bringing a guitar to the beach is like wearing sunglasses at night. Most people shouldn't do it, but some people should always do it. "The beach will damage my delicate guitar!" you might be saying. That's why you need a carbon fiber guitar, like this Klos Deluxe acoustic/electric. It can plug right into an amp and it's practically indestructible—a feature that will come in handy if you're playing "Wonderwall" through your cooler.

If you want music you're not playing yourself, pick up a beach-ready Go 4 from JBL. It's IP67 waterproof, so it can be fully immersed in water with no ill effects, and it's designed to resist outdoor threats like dust, sand, and UV light.

And don't forget an extra charger: I like this Poseidon Nano. It's small but packs eight hours of go-juice. Plus, it’s water-resistant. 

Speaking of phones, they overheat at the beach—but not if you pack yours in a thermal phone case. Not only does this reflect sunlight and heat in the summer, they protect your phone from extreme cold in the winter too. 

Finally, I have heard rumors that there are people who don't like the beach—who don't see the fun of doing nothing all day in the hot sun. Those people need to hang a personal air conditioner around their necks. It will keep them cool until they can convince everyone else it's time to leave.