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I was born in Florida and raised in Georgia, so I’ve lived my whole life just a short drive away from the beach, which means I’ve spent a lot of time there. Our favorite place to go is the 30A area in Florida, and our family of four takes a trip there every single year. We spend all day, every day by the ocean while we’re there, so we have beach time down to a science, and today I’m going to share all of our favorite items that we take with us each day. If you’ve ever spent all day at the ocean, then you know just how much stuff you actually have to take!
O N E – Beach Umbrella
If you’ve ever been to Florida during the summer (or pretty much any time of year), then you know it is HOT there. And humid. And sticky. On the shores of the gulf where we vacation, there is also bright, white, sugary sand that reflects the sun, making it feel even hotter than it actually is. Therefore, the most important thing you will ever need on a beach in Florida is a comfy place to retreat in the SHADE.
Some people prefer to set up tents, but we find them to be excessive since there are only four of us. Tents are also cumbersome, they take up too much space (and beachside real estate is precious and sometimes hard to find in popular destinations), and they take a long time to set up. Therefore, we’ve found that a really huge beach umbrella is easiest way to go.
We purchased this exact beach umbrella on Amazon years ago and it has held up beautifully all these years – even through hours upon hours of strong, steady breezes that blow in off the ocean on the Gulf.
It has an 8-foot circumference which provides plenty of shade for four people. The shade provided from this umbrella completely covers both of our chairs as well as our wagon, and even some spots on the sand surrounding our chairs for when the kiddos need a shade break. The umbrella also contains UPF 50 to filter out 98% of harmful UV rays.
It’s very easy to set up, and it comes with a sand anchor that keeps the umbrella secure in the ground. The top also has vents to allow wind to blow through so you don’t have to worry about the umbrella turning inside out or blowing away. The umbrella itself is super lightweight, it breaks down so it’s easy to store, and it comes with a bag complete with a shoulder strap for easy transportation.
As I said before, we’ve had this umbrella for years and it has withstood hours upon hours of wind, and it’s still in excellent condition. It is so sturdy and well-made, and we cannot recommend it enough.
T W O – Portable Chaise
Lounge
As I said before, when we go to the beach, we spend all day every day there, so it’s very important to have a comfy place to lounge. My personal favorite chairs are these tri-fold chaise lounges because they give you so many options for seating.
You can lift the back and lounge with your legs straight out (and there are four settings so you can get the exact recline that you like), you can drop the back and lay on your back, or you can drop the back and lay on your stomach. The best part about these is that they have a hole in the top where you can rest your face. That is such a gamechanger, y’all!! No more laying with your head turned and getting a stiff neck!
These are tri-fold, so they fold up small for easy storage, and they also have shoulder straps for easy transport (you carry it like a backpack). The fabric is comfortable, too, and they dry off quickly as well. I couldn’t find our exact loungers online, but this one is almost identical and it has excellent reviews.
T H R E E – Bogg Bag
Bogg Bags are great for the beach because they’re waterproof, they’re durable, and they’re HUGE so they hold all the things. These things are fantastic, y’all. You can fit all of your beach essentials in just one bag – towels, sunscreen, hats, toys, etc. and the best part is, when you get home, you can just unpack the bag, hose it out, and let it dry. They come in a huge variety of colors, patterns, and sizes, too, so there’s something to fit any of your needs.
F O U R – JBL Flip
Waterproof Speaker
We love music, and there’s nothing like lounging on the beach with a warm breeze and a drink in your hand listening to your favorite song. We’ve had this JBL Flip speaker for years and it has been fantastic. It’s small and portable but the sound is BIG – it has excellent bass – and the battery life is really long. Ours is probably 7-8 years old and one charge still lasts hours and hours. I just pair it with my phone, and it plays all of the music wirelessly right from my phone since that’s where my entire music library is stored. This one is also waterproof so you can actually submerge it in the water! Therefore, you don't have to worry about it getting splashed!
F I V E – The Best
Beach Wagon
A beach day requires so. much. stuff. so you have to have something to get it all to the shore! Our very favorite thing to haul it in is this wagon! This wagon is so much better than all of the others because it has the big wheels!! The big wheels are an absolute must for the beach sand, especially the sugary, thick sands of The Gulf. This wagon rolls through it much easier than any of the wagons with the smaller wheels.
The wagon holds up to 150 lbs. of stuff, and we like this one because it has a foldable side table with cup holders which really comes in handy since we don’t have any tables at the beach. It also has mesh pockets that we typically use to hold shells that the kids find.
The wagon folds up very small and it only weighs 22 lbs., so it’s easy to transport and store, but when it’s open, it holds everything – the Bogg Bag, a cooler, our speaker, extra towels, clothes, hats, etc. We’ve had ours for years and it’s still going strong!
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Happy Friday, y’all!
These are perfect. I must get to 30A! Happy Weekend.
ReplyDeleteVery smart beach items!
ReplyDeleteThis post makes me want to take a beach vacation!
ReplyDelete