We are pretty darn lucky. Thanks to our crazy Navy lifestyle we get to live near water. Lots of different bodies of water: The Gulf of Mexico, Puget Sound, The Pacific Ocean, The East China Sea, The Atlantic Ocean, and soon The Mediterranean. That means we have had lots of time to improve upon our beach bag. It stays in our car all year round because you just never know when the ocean will beckon. The bag itself took awhile to find. We tried several different things in those early years of beach trips...backpacks, straw bags, large LL Bean tote bag until finally discovering the perfect bag: The Whale Bag. It's made of mesh so it doesn't mildew and it doesn't collect a pound of sand per trip. It has a nice large middle section for towels and is surrounded by a ton of pockets on the outside of the bag so you can have easy access to snacks, shovels, and sunscreen without dumping out the whole bag. I love this bag.
So here's a list of things we keep inside the bag:
Towels
Change of clothes
Sunscreen (currently reading this website to determine what will work best for us this summer...yikes, so many things to consider)
Shovels
2-3 buckets
Small plastic boxes for special finds...those extra special shells, sharks teeth, and elusive sand dollars
This book
A trashy beach read for the mama
Binoculars
Snacks
Water
Sun hats
Small first aid kit
Baby Powder (pour on sandy feet and wipe away...my favorite beach trick for removing sand before piling back into the car)
What's in your beach bag? Any favorite beach tips?
I love the bag! Will seriously have to consider this in my budgeting...it truly is perfect.
I have found that we can't live without a wide tooth comb and some conditioner, meat tenderizer for those sneaky jellyfish stings (sounds crazy, but really have never found anything that works better), and a plastic bag for wet suits. I agree, the Baby powder is a MUST.
Do you all have plans for tomorrow's launch? Hoping you may get a chance to try again.
Funny, I was just thinking of the beach bag needs for the upcoming trip to Sardegna. Thanks for the baby powder tip; I'll be adding that to my shopping list.
Dnaa
Nisha, meat tenderizer...we'll have to try that. And I think you guys would get a lot of use out of the bag. I remember what a hit your little beach cars where with all of the kids...keep meaning to add some of those to our bag, too.
Dana, have fun at the beach!
Awesome-- I've never been a particularly big beach person since I don't like to go in the ocean. (Weird person here, I know!) BUT, I like sitting on the beach if there's a nice cool breeze. :) You guys are obviously the experts at all this!
I love your tip about the baby powder. I never thought about that. I always have goggles in my beach bag as well. Sometimes the kids just want to dive into the ocean. :)
Ok, Lucia, it's official. You are WAY too organized! I'm lucky if I even remember the bathing suits. And in fact, on one of our most recent trips C did forget his and we bought one at a road stand! Wait, I did the same thing in Sicily a few years ago with a friend! haha. Plus I was pregnant. We both bought matching 10 Euro bikinis and went to the beach. It was riot. hmm I should blog that story. It was seriously funny. Enjoy the beach! K
We live near a beach now, too, and I still haven't found the perfect beach bag! I will have to try The Whale! I also have never gotten the hang of keeping the car stocked with necessities. Instead, I have been known to stop with the kids and go swimming extremely impromptu. I've gone in the water wearing my underwear and bra (secluded area), let the kids go naked, used my own shirt as a towel for the three of us, drank the rest of a gatorade so they could use the bottle as a bucket, etc. But I'd LOVE to become organized and be a little more prepared!
I've always considered myself a beach girl, but have never really lived near one. Sad. That is a great bag. Our bags usually just have a lot of snacks, a lot of water, sunscreen, and as many shovels/cups/buckets that we can carry.
How have I lived so long by the beach and not known about baby powder!? Great tip!
We had oil rigs off shore in Cali and sometimes tar would wash up on the beach. I always kept a small baby oil container in my bag because baby oil takes tar off super easy... Weird I know!
I wish I knew you in person.....you are such an organized clever person! I thought I was all snazzy with my beach basket with handles (allegedly a Ralph Lauren knockoff from the gift shop) thinking that sand mostly falls through the bottom. Anyway-- I love the baby powder idea--(I want to go try it right away!)
Also-I use that cosmetic database too-- what is crazy is how something that is the same brand, and virtually the same thing can vary GREATLY-- there was a Banana Boat one that was fairly safe and it was "Banana Boat spray mist" and the BX had "Banana Boat quick dry mist" or something VIRTUALLY the same and they are rated totally different. It seems like the California Baby products are the best, but the problem I have is that the SPF isn't that high (at least last time I checked) and since its zinc based you have to keep applying it when it wipes off. I go back and forth as to what is the lesser evil....some questionable chemicals (used infrequently) OR skin damage from the sun? What does the dr. in your family think?
We don't have the beach near by, but that bag would be great for the pool, too. I grew up in San Diego, and never, ever knew the baby powder trick. But, it makes sense because the stylists always do that on the back of my boys' necks to loosen hair clippings at the end of a cut. Very cool- I'll have to remember that for our next trip to SoCal (where, I too, remember the tar stuff in the sand!).
Tisra
Karen, yes, you need to share that roadside bikini story in more detail! Lynnie, we have also done our share of skinny dipping, too but I have gotten pretty good about keeping the bag or at least one towel in the back of the car. Lisa, good to hear your input on the sunscreen. Just wish there were cheaper options but I am not crazy about slathering on all of the extra chemicals either. Dawn, Thanks for the baby oil tip...used to deal with that on Louisiana beaches, too. Hope everyone has some good beach time this summer and if you aren't a beach person hope you have some other fun escapes.
Lucia, I sent you an e-mail with a bunch of websites for sun protective clothing and products, i.e. sunscreen. Just wanted you to know so you'll check your mail.
Love that bag!
This is a great post! The baby powder is my only trick :) I love the bag though and I love how you get to always keep it in your car :)
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