You can find a ton of beach bag checklists floating around, but this is not your basic list.
We moved to the Okanagan Valley from Calgary a couple of years ago. And even though my husband grew up here, there was a steep learning curve when it came to figuring out what we actually needed to bring in our family’s beach bag.
These are the 5 unusual things you need in your beach bag if you want to take your beach day game to the next level.
1. Electrolyte Crystals
We learned early on that one of our kids was prone to dehydration, but we weren’t crazy about the idea of lugging bulky bottles of sports drinks to the beach.
Our solution: electrolyte crystals!
This little trick kept us all hydrated during the heat dome we had last summer and is now a staple for us in the summer.
We prefer the kind you can get on the shelf at a pharmacy because they tend to have more electrolytes and less sugar. We also buy them in preportioned tubes, which saves on space in our beach bag.
At a lower price point per serving, you can also get the crystallized version of your favourite sports drink and pre-scoop serving sizes to keep in your bag.
Both options will combat heat exhaustion and dehydration, so you can spend more time playing in the sand.
2. First Aid Kit
How much damage can a kid do to themselves on a soft, sandy beach, right?
Wrong.
They always find a way.
They trip in the parking lot, step on a piece of glass (because they refuse to wear water shoes), or get some kind of friction burn from the sand. And sometimes, they start bleeding spontaneously!
So I always have a first aid kit with us, because a fancy band-aid makes everything feel better…even if it does fall off 2 minutes later, and you end up throwing it right in the trash.
3. Wagon
Obviously, this one won’t fit inside your bag, but it is a great companion to it, especially for families.
In our pre-wagon days, I felt like a pack mule every time we went to the beach. My husband is a nurse, so it was usually just me and our 2 children under the age of 4. We had so much stuff.
Then my sister-in-law came to visit with her wagon and our beach days were changed forever.
Get yourself a folding wagon, so it will actually fit in your vehicle.
Ours is on the smaller side, but it still holds our beach blanket, small cooler, sand toys, and the beach bag itself.
Now rolling out of the parking lot and onto the beach is a breeze.
4. Lip Balm with SPF
Sunscreen at the beach is a given, but until a couple of years ago, I hadn’t even considered that lips can burn too.
Lip balm with sun protection is becoming easier to find and is so small it can fit in any beach bag. Plus, it’s so simple to put on that there’s almost no reason not to do it.
Wearing lip balm with SPF is not my favourite thing. It just tastes and smells…off. Maybe that’s just because I haven’t found one I like that doesn’t break the bank.
Either way, I know it’s one of those things I should do and should teach my kids to do too. So, that’s why I’m recommending it to you.
5. Portable Charger
There’s nothing worse than setting up for an awesome day at the beach only to realize that your phone won’t make it through the day.
Enter the portable charger.
If you’re going to be using your phone to crank some tunes, take a million pictures, scroll through social media, and brag about your beach day via video calling, a portable charger is a must-have in your beach bag.
It’s small and lightweight and can easily be left in your car year-round for whenever your device needs an extra boost to get through the day.
Conclusion
Before we figured out we needed these 5 things, going to the beach was a hassle, and we often had to leave earlier than planned because someone was sick or bleeding randomly.
Now, we spend more time soaking up the summer because we’re prepared for almost anything.
Tell me that doesn’t sound good.
So, which do you want to try?
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