30 Beach Bag Essentials: What to Pack in Your Beach Bag

Calling all sunbathing beauties, sand castle builders, and brave souls who actually enter the water! If you are heading to the beach, ensure you’ve packed these beach bag essentials.

Disclosure: This beach bag essentials packing list contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission if you click a link and purchase an item. 

Packing for Beach Trips

As a Michigander, I’ve been going on beach vacations in Great Lakes destinations since early childhood.

I’ve also walked along a black sand beach in Santorini, paddled a kayak from a beach in Maui, relaxed in a hammock on a beach in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, and watched the sunset from a beach in Naples, Florida.

Drawing upon those and more beachgoing experiences over the years, I’ve compiled the ultimate beach bag packing list for you!

Don’t have time to read my complete beach bag packing guide? Check out some of my recommended beach essentials!

My Favorite Beach Totes

First, before discussing what to pack in your beach bag, let’s consider what kind of beach tote will best suit your beach-going needs.

The type and size of the beach bag you choose may depend on various factors, such as:

• Are you packing this tote for yourself or multiple people?
• Is your beach tote accompanying you on a beach vacation? If so, what kind of beach services are included in your accommodations?
• Are you driving or flying to your beach destination?

With those considerations in mind, the following are my suggestions for the best beach bags.

L.L.Bean Boat and Tote

If you are looking for a beach bag that can double as a travel bag, grocery bag, and everyday carry-all, the L.L.Bean Boat and Tote is it.

The Maine-based outdoor apparel retailer introduced this iconic tote as an ice carrier in the 1940s, and these timeless beach totes are still handcrafted from heavyweight canvas, making them durable bags for beach vacations and road trips.

Particularly convenient for beachgoers, L.L. Bean’s signature tote comes in multiple sizes with an open or zip top, which helps keep pesky sand out of your bag. You can also choose from two handle lengths and multiple colors for the trim, and you can have your tote monogrammed with your name or initials.

The large Boat and Tote Zip-Top should fit the beach essentials of two beachgoers, and L.L. Bean also makes an extra large Boat and Tote if you need more space for your family’s must-have items for the beach.

Most importantly, these well-made bags are built to last; my mom still has L.L. Bean totes we used on family road trips when I was a child 30+ years ago!

Lands’ End Canvas Tote

Like its L.L.Bean counterpart, the Lands’ End Canvas Tote is available in various sizes and colors, as well as open-top and zip-top styles. You can also personalize your tote with monogramming.

I have the medium and large totes, and my monogrammed medium tote has accompanied me on beach vacations in Mexico, Florida, and Costa Rica.

I prefer the larger tote for road trips and when packing for my husband and me. With five pockets, it conveniently holds all of our essential beach day items.

Sea Bags Tote

What I love most about Sea Bags beach totes is that each bag is handcrafted in Portland, Maine, from boat sails.

When you carry one of these sustainable beach totes, each with a unique, nautically-inspired design, you’ll fit right in with the preppy style of the East Coast and Great Lakes beach towns!

Sun Protection Essentials

Now that you’ve picked out the perfect beach tote, we’ll look at the most critical items to pack in your beach bag — sun protection essentials!

The following must-have beach day items will help to protect your skin and eyes against sunburn, skin and eye cancers, vision loss, and sun damage.

Broad Spectrum Sunscreen

When choosing the best sunscreen for the beach, look for a “broad spectrum” and water-resistant sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.

Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect your skin against harmful UVA and UVB rays, and water-resistant sunscreens ensure your skin is still protected in the water.

You should also check the local guidelines for the beach destination you’ll be visiting. In Hawaii, sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate have been banned. So, if you are packing for a beach vacation in Hawaii, you should pack reef-safe sunscreen.

Going to the beach with kids? Sun Bum’s Baby Bum mineral sunscreen is a highly rated reef-safe sunscreen for babies and children. With broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection and water resistance for up to 80 minutes, this sunscreen is essential for your family’s beach bag.

Travel Health Tip: Remember to apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours or after swimming or sweating.

Rash Guard

Wearing a rash guard or swim shirt is one of the most effective ways to protect your skin at the beach, making it an essential item for your beach bag.

A rash guard is especially important to wear or bring if you plan to surf, kayak, water ski, or participate in another water sport during your beach day.

When selecting your rash guard, you should check the Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF). The Skin Cancer Foundation considers a UPF of 50 or higher “excellent,” reducing exposure to the sun’s radiation to 2% or less, while a UPF of 30 – 49 offers “good protection.”

Lands’ End rash guards offer UPF 50 sun protection in styles for women, men, and children.

Lip Balm with SPF

Like sunscreen for your skin, you should pack a broad-spectrum lip balm with SPF 30 or higher, such as Sun Bum Broad Spectrum SPF 30 lip balm with aloe and Vitamin E.

Another option is Panama Jack sunscreen lip balm, which has 45 SPF and comes in a pack with four tropical flavors.

Sunshine and salt water can also dry out lips. To moisturize and hydrate your lips, look for beeswax, shea butter, or coconut oil in the ingredients.

Also, if you prefer a pop of color, you can opt for a tinted lip balm with SPF. The MDSolarSciences tinted lip balm with SPF 30 has a vegan, gluten-free formula that hydrates lips with shea butter and avocado oil. It comes in a few color options and multicolor packs.

Beach Hat

So far, we’ve discussed essentials for protecting your skin and lips. But did you know that 90% of skin cancers are basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas that often occur on the face and neck?

That is why the Skin Cancer Foundation recommends wearing a tightly woven hat with a wide brim of at least three inches to protect your face, neck, and scalp.

THE NORTH FACE Horizon Breeze Brimmer — with its wide brim, adjustable chin strap, sweat-wicking band, and UPF 40+ — certainly fits the bill and has earned the foundation’s Seal of Recommendation. It comes in various colors and can also be worn during other outdoor activities, such as hiking and boating.

If you want a hat more suited to a tropical beach vacation style, you might like the fedoras and other wide-brimmed sun hats from Wallaroo Hat Company’s Carkella UPF Collection. Every hat in the women’s and men’s collections is UPF 50+.

Scalp & Hair Sunscreen Spray

No more burned parts, ladies! In addition to wearing a hat at the beach, you can protect your scalp with Coola Organic Scalp & Hair Mist Sunscreen.

This vegan sunscreen with 30 SPF is safe for color-treated hair. It’s also water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, making it perfect for beach days. Just remember to spray it on 15 minutes before sun exposure!

Sunglasses

Are you wondering what makes a good pair of sunglasses? When picking out sunglasses for the beach, ensure they have 100% UV protection and polarized lenses that reduce glare from sunshine off the water.

Due to their UVA, UVB, and HEV (comprehensive solar blue light) protection, I recommend Maui Jim’s Red Sands sunglasses for beachgoers. These stylish sunglasses are durable and lightweight with a rectangular frame and polarized lenses that reduce 99.9% of glare.

Of course, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer and Aviator sunglasses are always classic choices for fashionable, well-made sunglasses. Both iconic styles also have models with polarized lenses.

If you are worried about losing or damaging your sunglasses at the beach, you might not want to invest hundreds of dollars in a pair of designer shades. That doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your eye health or strain to see without polarized lenses, though!

For example, Suncloud sunglasses offer polarized lenses and stylish frames at a more budget-friendly price.

Best Swimsuits for the Beach

Naturally, a swimsuit is one of the most essential clothing items to pack for beach days, and you should feel comfortable and confident wearing it.

Most importantly, you should make sure your swimwear fits properly and is a style you like on your body.

Women’s Swimwear

Investing in two-piece separates that can be mixed and matched will give you more swimwear options when going on a beach vacation.

So, I recommend shopping the Patagonia, Lands’ End, or Andie swimwear collections to create mix-and-match pairings.

Lands’ End offers a variety of sizes, including petite, tall, and plus-size up to US 24W. For sizes up to US size 34, check out Swimsuits for All. It’s where I found this tropical-print high-waisted bikini for my Maui honeymoon!

Men’s Swimwear

These days, it’s not just women who have a variety of swimwear styles.

Men’s swimwear styles range from skimpy and stylish swimming briefs to classic swim trunks and board shorts designed for surfing and water sports.

For stylish and eco-friendly options, check out the men’s swimwear from Dandy Del Mar, Faherty, Southern Tide, Fair Harbor, or Patagonia.

Kids’ Swimsuits

For children’s swimwear with UPF 50 sun protection, check out swimsuits from Andy & Evan, Lands’ End, and SwimZip.

Must-Have Beach Day Apparel

Beyond the swimsuits and sun-protection apparel I’ve already mentioned, here are a few more clothing and footwear items to pack in your beach tote.

Swimsuit Cover-Up

A rash guard or swim tee can often double as a swimsuit cover-up. However, you may want or need a cover-up that offers more modesty or looks less like swimwear. For those cases, I prefer cover-up dresses.

Flip-flops

These classic rubber-soled sandals with a thong strap are essential beach footwear that can easily be kicked off in the sand. Reef’s women’s Cushion Breeze Sandal and men’s Phantoms Flip-Flop are stylish options known for their durability, comfort, and arch support.

Water Shoes

Water shoes protect your feet from hot sand, jagged rocks, and sharp shells when walking along the beach or exploring tide pools. Lands’ End makes slip-on water shoes for women, men, kids, and toddlers.

Beach Picnic Essentials

If you are staying at a beachfront hotel or resort that delivers food and drinks to your lounge chair, you may not need to pack all of these beach picnic items. However, these items are helpful for DIY beach days and vacations.

Water Bottle

Packing a water bottle is essential for staying hydrated on a sunny beach day. Like those from S’well and Stanley, reusable stainless steel water bottles keep your water cold all day.

Beach Cup Holders

Beach cup holders keep your water bottle, drinks, and snacks safe from sand. They also hold phones, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Plus, the bottle opener on the bottom of the cup is a handy feature!

Foldable Beach Blanket

You’ll need somewhere to sit and eat while having a picnic on the beach. This durable, water-resistant beach blanket conveniently folds up, features a handle, and even includes a zippered pouch where you can stash your phone or car keys.

Travel Utensil Set

A full picnic set is a great option, whether you’re visiting the beach as a couple, family, or group. However, a travel utensil set is a compact option for individuals, especially when flying to a beach destination. Also, using a travel utensil set helps reduce plastic waste at your beach picnic.

Snacks in Reusable Food Storage Bags

Snacks and a beach day go hand in hand, and packing your fruit and veggie slices, trail mix, or potato chips in reusable food storage bags will reduce your waste at the beach.

Tech Essentials for the Beach

Pack these gadgets in your beach bag if you want to capture memories in photos and videos, listen to music, or read books you’ve downloaded at the beach.

Mobile Phone with Data Plan

Even if you want to “unplug” from your devices at the beach, at least one person in your group should bring their fully charged mobile phone in case of an emergency.

Since Wi-Fi is unlikely to be found at the beach, having an eSIM or international data plan through your wireless provider is advisable when traveling to beach destinations abroad.

With a digital SIM card, your phone can be connected to a local network, helping you avoid high roaming fees while using your phone’s apps — even in some of the world’s remote beach destinations.

Waterproof Phone Pouch

Speaking of your phone, you’ll want to keep it protected. A waterproof phone pouch protects your phone from water and sand at the beach, so you can take it along as you swim, snorkel, or kayak.

Power Bank

A beach day can drain your phone’s battery. You’ll likely use your phone to take photos, post to social media, text family and friends, and/or listen to music throughout the day, so packing a portable phone charger is essential.

Packing Tip: Remember to charge your power bank before your beach day and pack the necessary compatibility cords to charge your devices at the beach!

Amazon Kindle Paperweight

If you are like me, you love reading a light-hearted book at the beach. With the Amazon Kindle Paperweight, you don’t have to worry about dripping water on the pages. This lightweight e-reader is fully beach-ready with a waterproof design, a glare-free screen, and library space to download all your favorite beach reads!

Action Camera

If you want to snorkel and capture cinematic-like video and stunning underwater photos, the GoPro HERO12 is the camera for you. It is waterproof up to 33 feet, and you can add The Handler, a floating hand grip.

Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker

When you want to play music at the beach, a portable Bluetooth speaker offers better-quality sound than your phone. With a waterproof design and the ability to float, the Bose SoundLink Flex is perfect for beach days. Also, you can pack it (and its charging cord) in this convenient travel case!

Hair, Body & Beauty Beach Essentials

The sunshine, saltwater, sea breeze, heat, and humidity affect our hair, skin, and body. So, add these must-have hair, body, and beauty essentials to your beach bag!

Hair Clips & Hair Ties

It can be hot, humid, and/or breezy at the beach, so you may want to put your hair up with a hair tie or a hair clip. These adjustable scrunchies and snap hair ties from Black-owned SwirlyCurly are highly rated for a variety of hair types, including thick, curly, and natural hair.

Amika Supernova Moisture and Shine Cream

If you have naturally curly or coily hair, you can protect it from sun and saltwater damage by pre-treating your hair with Amika Supernova Moisture and Shine Cream. Then, pack it in your beach bag to reapply throughout the day to keep moisture locked into your hair.

Hair Oil

Applying hair oil protects your hair from the sun and saltwater. It also works as a detangler, while adding softness and shine.

Waterproof Mascara

I prefer to wear minimal makeup at the beach, but I can’t go anywhere without my favorite mascara. For beach days, I like compact travel-size Too Faced waterproof mascara.

Aloe Vera Gel or After Sun Lotion

As someone with fair skin, an aloe vera gel or an after-sun lotion is essential to have in my beach bag. SunBurnt After-Sun Gel hydrates and cools sunburned skin, helping to reduce peeling and redness.

Other Beach Bag Essentials

Lastly, here are a few more items to add to your beach packing checklist!

Wet Bag

A wet bag is lined with water-resistant fabric so your damp swimsuit won’t get other items in your beach bag wet. It’s an essential item to pack if you plan to change out of your damp swimsuit before heading back to your hotel or vacation rental. Also, I recommend packing a wet bag in your suitcase for beach vacations in case your swimwear is still damp when you pack to return home.

Portable Air Pump

You can inflate and deflate inflatable floaties, kayaks, and beach toys with a portable air pump when you are at the beach. I used this water-resistant, rechargeable travel-size air pump to inflate our pineapple pool floats in Hawaii.

Water-Resistant Card Games

Do you or your kids get bored at the beach? Then pack a deck of water-resistant playing cards or UNO Splash to keep everyone entertained! These card games are designed to endure splashes and spills, so you don’t have to worry about water damage.

Fast-Drying Beach Towel

Last but certainly not least important is a lightweight beach towel. A Turkish towel or microfiber towel will occupy less space in your beach bag than a plush beach towel. Also, these towels dry much faster than plush towels, and shaking sand from them is generally easier.

Conclusion

Whether you are vacationing in a beachfront destination or just spending a day at the beach, this beach bag packing list will help you be fully prepared for the sun, sand, and water. You can also shop here for many of these must-have beach items!

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Photo credits:

• Lounge chair and beach bag essentials on a white sand beach, © boophotography/AdobeStock

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