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We’ve added recommendations for coolers on wheels, leather flip flops and surf shirts, bikini shopping tips and more.
There are always two beaches – the one you imagine and the one you land on. Somehow the sun is always hotter, the sand more stubborn and the towels less inviting than you remember. But with a little preparation, you can bridge the gap between fantasy and reality. We’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and testing the best towels, chairs, sunscreen and other gear to make your next boating adventure as fun and relaxing as possible.
Looking for fun in the sun? Whether you’re heading to the beach or the pool this summer, we’ve rounded up the best toys to keep kids (and adults) entertained.
Umbrellas can give you more shade than umbrellas and are much less dramatic. Our favorite is Quad Sun Ninja, but we have other options as well.
Comfortable, absorbent and durable, the LLBean Seaside Towel resists sand with ease. Plus, it’s stylish and big enough to lay on.
Beach towels don’t have to be complicated. We research towels for 12 hours and talk to fabric experts. We hung up about 10 highly recommended towels for too long to be considered work. We’ve looked at comfort, absorbency, durability, sand resistance and style for every towel and we think the best beach towel you can buy at a reasonable price is the LLBean Seaside Beach Towel.
Turkey is famous for its towels, just like France is famous for its wine. In this towel sanctuary, Seaside towels are woven from fluffy cotton and are more absorbent than any others we’ve tried. This is a medium weight towel with a weight of 450 gsm. (GSM stands for grams per square meter; most towels weigh between 300 and 900 GSM. Anything over 600 is considered premium.) Seaside is also surprisingly soft (even after several washes), and its edges are stitched to keep them from fraying. . time. Seaside measures 36 x 68 inches, which is just enough for you to lay comfortably in the sun. Plus, as long as you lay it down with the fluffy side up (like most beach towels), this towel makes it easy to remove sand during packing.
If you’re looking for a more luxurious beach towel that is heavier than our classic, check out Brooklinen – it’s incredibly soft and absorbent. We received this towel for the first time after a year of testing on the beaches of Oahu.
Brooklinen Beach Towels are the same as our classic LLBean Seaside Beach Towels collection: they measure 34″ x 70″ with a velvet surface and an absorbent terry backing. However, the Brooklinen material is rated at 600 GSM, which is 150 GSM more than the Seaside material. It’s a difference in weight and class that you can feel in your hands, and having a towel draped over you is a treat. However, Brooklinen towels are almost twice as expensive as Seaside towels, and it’s an added luxury that probably doesn’t matter much to anyone. After all, it’s still a piece of woven cotton spread out on the sand.
If you want the best and are willing to pay more for it, Coyuchi towels are made from organic Turkish cotton and dry faster than other towels. However, with prolonged exposure to sunlight, the color fades.
One of the downsides of the huge LLBean seaside towel is that it takes up a lot of space in your bag. And it’s not as soft as the organic cotton towels made by the Koyuchi cotton artisans. If you don’t mind a smaller beach towel, this Coyuchi Organic Mediterranean Towel is a luxury that’s perfect for travel. It is woven “high and low” from the softest organic Turkish cotton, like a basket. Weighing in at 320gsm, this is our lightest towel, half the weight of our premium towels. Coyuchi dries faster than LLBean towels and absorbs moisture surprisingly well given its lightness. It is also the most beautiful towel. But Coyuchi is expensive, and undyed colors tend to fade after prolonged exposure to sunlight.
If you have a small child or toddler, the lightweight Sandy Bumz folds out easily. The semi-rigid sides help create a decent sand barrier without being so rigid that someone could fall and get hurt.
While it’s nice to lie on a towel at the beach, it’s not the best option when you’re trying to babysit on the beach. The Sandy Bumz Beach Mat is a simple 7 foot wide hexagonal polyester sheet with an 8 inch high semi-rigid frame around the edges that acts as a small debris barrier. (The walls of the frame are light enough that you won’t hurt yourself if you fall on them, but they are strong enough to withstand the wind.) When you pack the pillow, the pillow folds into an origami shape, about 10 by 10 cm 34 inches. While nothing can completely protect against sand, the Sandy Bumz is a pretty basic piece of gear that can quickly create a relatively clean space anywhere.
If you’re looking for a classic lounge chair to kick back and enjoy the sunshine, check out the Tommy Bahama Backpack Beach Chair. We chose it after carrying and planting seven finalists over the course of three weeks in the midday heat on the beaches of Oahu – a daunting task.
A high quality Tommy Bahama chair with back straps and a fridge to keep your drinks warm. However, you will need to bring your own umbrella.
If you want to lay back and enjoy the sun on a cold day, get the Tommy Bahama Backpack beach chair. Built-in padded backpack straps make it easy to carry to the beach. You can easily adjust five seating positions on the chair (simply lift the handle, move it back and forth and lock it in place). The sturdy canvas base makes the chair very comfortable and strong enough to support up to 300 pounds. The chair also has a cushion, a large zippered pocket, a cup holder and a fridge in the back (holds up to six 12oz cans).
The Tommy Bahama chair doesn’t have a built-in sun visor, but the more relaxed seating position, reclining capability, and built-in refrigerator make it a great lounge chair. Our only minor gripe is that running along the front of the seat can compress your hamstrings uncomfortably against the frame bars during long workouts in the sun. However, the chairs are quite low to the ground, so that even with legs apart, the bar is minimally inconvenient. Overall, the Tommy Bahama chair is more comfortable and has more important features than other chairs we’ve tested, including a strong, rust-resistant aluminum frame and durable wood armrests.
This bag features a simple yet durable design that will last you a lifetime. The lack of smaller pockets means you can easily shake off the sand.
After six hours of research, extensive consultations with longtime beachgoers, and half a day hauling a bunch of towels and snacks among our top four contenders, we decided that a LLBean boat and bag would be the best way to haul all your belongings to or from the beach. The bag is made in Maine from heavy duty 24-ounce canvas, which helps it weatherproof (although not waterproof) and keeps it upright like a bucket even when empty. In this bag, your valuables are securely protected from prying eyes, sand and water. The LLBean bag has a reinforced bottom and overlapping double seams made with nylon thread, which resists decay better than cheap cotton.
The boat and bag are available in two handle lengths. The large bag we tested has a standard 8-inch handle long enough to drape over your shoulders and free your hands to carry an umbrella and fridge. But he fits well; if you plan on stuffing your bag, choose a longer 14″ handle for larger bags. They reach to the bottom of the bag and are rated at 500 pounds.
There are no additional pockets and zippers, but it’s not bad. The pockets are filled with sand. As Wirecutter founder Brian Lam discovered after throwing away half a dozen different bags of zippers, zippers (unless specifically designed for a high-salt environment) oxidize and quickly seize in ocean air. (But if you still need a closure, Boat and Tote offers a zippered top.) This bag comes free and comes with a one-year LLBean limited warranty.
This waterproof and durable bag is ideal for wet gear such as rash guards and snorkel gear. Its puncture-resistant shell can withstand the rough handling of most metal utensils and hard plastic toys that can tear apart other bags.
The Yeti Camino 35 Carryall Bag is made from the same material as our top waterproof gym bags, making it an obvious recommendation. The outer layer, branded “Thickskin”, is a high-density nylon coated with a thick waterproof material that repels water and stains. To the touch, it is exactly the same as Wellington, only more elastic. The bottom is injection-molded with EVA foam, which is a fancy way of saying the bag will stand upright even when empty, making it easy to load and unload.
We have been skeptical about Yeti devices for years. It’s not that he’s poorly built or doesn’t live up to the hype, but we always thought there was a premium attached to the name. However, after years of testing Yeti gear, we can’t deny how durable and strong it is almost always. If your gear is heavy or you’re prone to more adventurous outings, this bag might be worth considering.
This is a powerful trolley with wheels wide enough to roll beach items through mud and sand.
The best quads should move smoothly over most types of sand, be strong enough to carry a full cooler and other beach gear, and ideally fold up so they can fit in the trunk of your car or in the back of a pickup truck. bed. MacSports ATVs are ATVs. The 3″ plastic wheels are wide enough to get around most beaches and dirt trails. However, plastic wheels don’t do well in very loose sand, and also have poor traction on concrete – imagine a kid’s plastic bike sliding down the pavement. Fair warning: MacSports carts are heavy. The metal frame weighs in at around 22 pounds, which might be a bit bulky for some (even when folded). However, the weight is what makes the trolley so strong and capable of carrying impressive amounts over long distances without straining itself or the trolley. “It’s been a long time since I tried a product that immediately drew me in,” says Carl Olsen, a recently retired surfboard manufacturer and owner of Two Crows Surfboards in Hawaii. “You can throw two kids and a beer fridge in it and pay little to no attention to the terrain, whereas in a regular van you have to watch out for bumps and cracks and make sure you stay on the pavement.” One season, but we hope it will last much longer.
The Coleman insulates better and costs less than the competition, stays ice-free for a week, and its well-designed drain makes cleaning easy.
If you’re looking for a roomy and reliable cooler, check out the Coleman Coastal Xtreme 70 Quart Marine Cooler. Its size makes it easy to move and carry. It fits in the trunk of most cars and is great as an extra beach seat – it can hold up to 250 pounds. The Coleman Coastal Xtreme weighs 13.4 pounds unladen, loaded with 60 pounds of ice, it can still haul it short distances.
In our tests, Coleman kept ice cubes frozen for a full week (170 hours) – 30 hours longer than Igloo MaxCold (140 hours). Measuring 28.4 (L) x 15.8 (W) x 17.5 inches (H), Coleman’s design includes bevels and corners throughout, as well as a ruler and cup holder built into the lid. Insulation fans might want to fill these cup holders with styrofoam, but given how well this cooler performed in our tests, that doesn’t seem like a big deal. Unlike most other coolers of this shape and design, the Coleman Xtreme has a slotted drain that makes it easy to drain and requires little to no tilt.
Coleman makes many nearly identical versions of the Xtreme cooler. We don’t know why they all have such similar names and such different looks. But judging by our testing, for practical purposes they are the same in important places: insulation and building materials. We believe that all these models belong to the same family. You can currently get replacement hinges and handles from Coleman for less than $12, and parts kits from Igloo (including hinges and drains) for about $16.
Adding wheels to a cooler isn’t as easy as it looks – at least according to our tests. Yeti is the only wheeled cooler we’ve seen with a handle and wheels strong enough to keep it from bending, straining or breaking even in the toughest of times.
Many of the wheel coolers we’ve tested over the years (six by our last count) have always broken because of wheels or handles. While we still stand by the fact that most people don’t need a rotomolded bear-proof cooler, if you want a cooler that moves on wheels, none will be as well made as the Yeti Tundra Haul cooler. hard cooler. The levers are made from thick welded aluminum and you will immediately feel the quality when you lift it up. The wheels are a solid piece of plastic that doesn’t feel hollow or brittle like many other coolers. It is worth noting that when we lifted the cooler by the handle, filled with cans, food and many pounds of ice, it felt the same as spinning on an expensive suitcase. We found the Yeti to be quite nimble, especially considering it weighs 37 pounds and holds about 100 pounds of cargo.
One feature we would like to see is more internal sections (or at least the ability to add separators). Once you tilt the cooler at an angle, you should expect the contents to move around a bit. But it would be nice to have more control over this as you shuffle and roll refrigerators around the boardwalk or on the pool deck.
These Wayfarer fakes fit just about everyone and are comfortable to wear. Their strong loops are better than many more expensive glasses. At this price, chances are you won’t be heartbroken if they get lost.
Goodr’s The OG Sunglasses are versatile, unisex and fit almost any face shape, no matter the size or shape. The epitome of classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer design, they are the most popular style of sunglasses we’ve tested. They are comfortable, UV and polarization resistant, and feel durable. For the price, Goodr glasses are great for their simplicity and durability. Goodr only offers a 30-day return window, but the glasses are guaranteed for one year.
All the frames that Goodr sells as “OG” have the same Wayfarer style design, just different color combinations of frame and lenses, so they should all be equally good. OG comes in a bag that can be used as a microfiber cleaning cloth. If you’re having trouble finding sunglasses that are big enough, Goodr sells an OG variant called the BFG. According to Goodr, these goggles have “wider frames, longer temples and larger lenses than our OG goggles,” with an overall frame width of 146mm and a temple length of 155mm (significantly longer than any other glasses).
Ombraz glasses are attached to the head with two laces. This unusual design keeps them in place while still being stylish.
Ombraz Classics sunglasses have a regular frame that is attached to the head with two connected nylon threads, rather than two arms that wrap around the ears. This makes them ideal for many beach activities requiring exercise. The lenses are scratch and UV resistant. We’ve been using these sunglasses for a few years now for everything from picking up trash to playing on the beach and we love how secure they are even when we bend over to pack. However, Ombraz sunglasses are a lot more expensive than OG and that’s a liability. If, like some of us, you lose things easily, the cost can be prohibitive. There are a few anecdotal tests here, but every time I take them from very active people—kayak paddlers, canoe surfers—they almost immediately ask me where I can find them.
We spent two hours researching and then testing 15 pairs of flip-flops: seven new men’s styles, six new women’s styles, and two of the best of yesteryear. We wore them around the city and on the beach, where we got wet and crawled over rocks and sand.
These stylish beach sandals are available in a variety of colors. However, be careful: Indosole is small.
These are the same women’s models, but with a wider neckline; we still think they are slightly smaller than normal shoe sizes.
There is no reason to take your best sandals to the beach. This is especially true if you’re going on vacation and don’t want to bring heavy or bulky sandals with you. We believe that the Indosole ESSNTLS flip flops for men and women are the perfect combination of quality, understated appearance, simple packaging and responsible production using recycled materials. Indosole is a Certified B Corporation, so everything it influences, be it environmental, social or industrial relations, is assessed and controlled. While some may find the ESSNTLS sandals a bit stiff, we found them to break in well after a few walks.
If you’ve been wearing sandals all summer (or year round), consider this pair that will take you far ahead.
If you’ve been wearing sandals all summer (or year round), consider this pair that will take you far ahead. Women’s models are available with straps of different sizes.
If you’re looking for a sandal that will sit on your foot and look better and better over time, look no further than the Classic Men’s or Women’s Rainbow Single Layer Luxury Leather Sandals. Close your eyes and imagine a pair of classic leather sandals: a simple shape with a single strap that won’t come undone even after miles. You represent the rainbow. It has been that way since 1974. In Hawaii, I wear them all year round, year after year, and the more I wear them, the more comfortable they become.
If you just want sandals that you can wear to the beach or pool without worrying about dropping your shoes (or losing them at all) in the water, get a pair of Havaianas Top Flip Flop Sandals (Men’s and Women’s sizes) Havaiana is much more expensive than the Old Navy Classic flip flops (which we used to choose). But long-term testing has shown that living with Hawaiians is much better, especially when it comes to water. Old Navy flip flops can squeak a lot when wet, but the Havaianas Top flip flops are quiet (or at least as quiet as you would expect from flip flops) and are more grippy when wet. Old Navy flip flops usually cost less than $5 a pair, but they don’t perform well when wet, so they’re not ideal for water.
Unlike our other options, this straw hat has a bold pattern under the brim if you like the look.
This straw hat (sometimes called a lifeguard hat) is nothing. This is a practical item designed to protect from the sun. Almost every beach, garden and surf shop on the coast has a variety of these hats. We think the Brooklyn Athletics Surf Straw Hat and the Billabong Tides Printed Lifeguard Straw Hat are great examples of this type of headgear, and they are also reasonably priced. Both are more comfortable than many of the off-brand versions we pick up off the shelves, with a nice inner brim and a durable nylon cord. If you’re looking for other styles of summer hats, check out our complete guide to summer hats.
This sunscreen uses ingredients that are considered the safest for coral reefs. It costs less than the competition, rubs in easily, and feels good on the skin.
Post time: Mar-23-2023