Beach Day Must-Haves for a Perfect Day on the Beach

A day at the beach should be relaxing. While a simple blanket or towel will do just fine to lay down or sit on, it’s great to have the option to sit in a quality beach chair and relax under the sun. And because we generally have a little walk from the parking lot to our favorite spot on the beach, we prefer the backpack beach chair.

Sure, a lot of people on the beach are sitting in the exact same Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair, but there’s a reason they are so popular.

If you’re going to the beach for an extended period of time, then you’ll want to bring a dependable cooler. There are a few brands out there that are comparable, but we love the affordably priced Rtic Insulated Cooler.

We were delightfully surprised at how long this cooler kept our ice packs cold in the blazing summer heat. After hours on the beach, they were still ice cold, which means any drink you pack or food that needs to remain cool will stay cool all day long. This is definitely on the top of our list of beach day must haves.

The beach blanket is a staple when it comes to beach day must haves. We keep our beach blanket in the car with the backpack chairs and boogie boards during the summer, and we love the affordable HIHOHO Sandproof Beach Blanket, which comes with a vinyl bag and stakes for the corners to keep the blanket well positioned on a windy day.

Pro tip: fold up your beach blanket and stuff it in one of the backpack chairs. And the same pro tip goes for our next beach day essential.

Much like its close cousin the beach blanket, the beach towel is another one of those must haves you want to bring with you to the beach. Whether you’re using it to towel off after a refreshing swim, bask in the sun to help with that full body tan, or to simple add another layer of comfort over your beach chair, you can’t forget your beach towel.

We recommend a soft, oversized towel with a hint of personality like these Oversized Utopia Towels. We are a family of four, so this is perfect — and the price won’t break the bank.

We don’t always use a beach umbrella, but on those blisteringly hot August days, sometimes it’s a welcome respite. We keep ours in the car for whenever we need it, and we opted to spend a tiny bit more for a sturdy beach umbrella.

The Aoxun 7ft Heavy Duty High Wind Beach Umbrella has served us well. With a carrying bag, corkscrew base, and tilt mechanism to adjust the angle as the sun crosses the sky, this sturdy beach umbrella is another must-have.

Let’s be honest, you’re not going to the beach without water bottles for everyone in your group. Whether it’s just you or you are a family of 9, everyone needs a good water bottle to stay hydrated during a long, beautiful day on the beach.

The Hydro Cell Stainless Steel Sport Water Bottle is nicely insulated to keep water cold, even when it’s been sitting in the sun while you’ve been in the ocean.

A solid day at the beach requires tunes, so be sure to bring a good bluetooth speaker to keep the music going all day long. We’ve been using our trusty Fugoo Style Portable Bluetooth Speaker on the beach for the last four years. This thing does not only provide great sound quality, but it is seemingly invincible. We absolutely love our Fugoo, and it is absolutely an essential item on our list of beach day must haves.