What To Pack for The Beach

SHOP THESE BEACH ESSENTIALS:

Who else plans on heading out to the beach this month? Even though the pandemic sill lingers in Florida well into August, it’s deemed safe to enjoy the beach by abiding by CDC guidelines to stay at least 6-feet away from other people.

Setting up for a beach day has never looked more distant! Brian and I ventured to the beach for the first time since the pandemic started making its way to the United States back in April.

We gathered our belongings from the car and made our spot close to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Since that very first trip out to the beach, I’ve been collecting a growing list of beach packing essentials to ultimately add to a blog post. Today’s the day where I am sharing the best of the best for the beach in 2020!

The Essential Beach Packing List: What To Pack for the Beach

SHOP THESE BEACH ESSENTIALS:

First Things First: Pack Sunscreen

Hopefully, if you’ve read my blog enough times, you understand my absolute obsession with sunscreen! Not only do I make sure to apply enough all-year-round, but I especially dedicate my mornings to rubbing in a solid amount of product onto my face, neck, ears, and arms.

Every beach day must include protective sunscreen. Even the most sensitive skin types should find a perfect sunscreen formula that’s oil-free and won’t clog pores — check out my helpful guide to sunscreen for sensitive skin through this link.

One of my most-loved sunscreen brands is Supergoop! because the line includes various sunscreen products for sensitive skin and normal skin. The brand continues to release more products each year. The face oils are a new range for Supergoop! and I need to get my hands on a bottle.

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Supergoop! has face lotions, body lotions, face oils, body oils, sprays, and more. It’s seriously my go-to sunscreen brand for all things SPF-related! One of their top-rated products is the Unseen Sunscreen with SPF 40 that I even got my best friend hooked on and she hates wearing sunscreen.

Floppy Hats and Visors

Another must-have for my beach bag is a floppy hat or sun visor. I can’t be outside for very long without some sort of sun protection on my head. Especially now that its August, I will be packing my favorite sun visor I scored from H&M for $14.99 to look chic and feel protected from the harsh sun while enjoying the sunshine.

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Slip-On Sandals

Beach sandals are also important to wear to walk along the sand. Ditch your cheap flip-flops and upgrade to a chic pair of slip-on sandals for summer 2020. Amazon has some great slip-on sandals for a low price, too. Check out these raffia sandals that are under $30! The raffia sandals also look eerily similar to the popular Sam Edelman H-band shape.

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Credit Card Holder

While at the beach, I typically switch out of bringing my usual wallet and stash a few credit cards and my license in a handy credit cardholder. I found this really cute Fossil credit card holder wallet with a chain on Amazon for under $25. Small credit card holders are a great help to eliminate carrying around heavy, bulky wallets at the beach.

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Kimono Coverup

Packing a coverup also tops my list of things to bring to the beach. If I’m not already wearing a kimono coverup in the car on the drive to the beach I have one packed away in my beach bag. A crisp white kimono coverup (like this one from Abercrombie) looks fresh and modern for a stylish beach look.

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Polarized Sunglasses

One of the first things I always pack inside my beach tote? A pair of protective sunglasses, of course. With the sun blaring down on you at the beach it’s vital to pick out a nice pair of polarized sunglasses to block out UV rays.

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A trip to the beach without sunglasses sounds terrible to me! Even if I forget a pair, I’ll find a local beach shop in the area and get a cheap pair for the day to protect my eyes. How cute and trendy is this pair from Amazon that features a double bridge frame similar to a $200+ pair from Ray-Ban?

Turkish Beach Towel

Recently I’ve been a fan of bringing a soft Turkish towel with me to the beach. The fabric feels way better than any standard cotton towel. This beige Turkish towel off Amazon has quick-drying cotton and durable enough for a long beach trip.

The brand I found on Amazon has lots of color options to choose from. These Turkish towels ($19.99) are pre-washed and won’t shrink up after you wash them when you get from your beach trip. As for beach towels, this line of Turkish towels also makes  Amazon’s Choice for top beach towels.

Umbrella and Beach Chair

The most Insta-worthy beach umbrella for 2020: umbrellas with fringe. Maybe you’ve spotted these beautiful beach umbrellas on Instagram already, but fear not, I’m going to share them with you right now. One of the best selling beach umbrellas for summer 2020 comes from the brand Business & Pleasure.

The neutral Business & Pleasure umbrellas are also featured above in the photos of me plopped down on a raffia bean bag. The beach umbrellas from this brand are available at Free People, Urban Outfitters, REVOLVE, and other retailers. These umbrellas are not your average CVS store-bought umbrella. If you truly want to elevate your next beach day outing, I’d pack a beautiful Business & Pleasure holiday beach umbrella. The canvas canopy style of this umbrella will completely shade you from the blaring sun. The pink striped one has to be my favorite.

shop chic business & pleasure co. beach umbrellas

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Beach Tote Bag

Of course, no beach trip happens without a trusty beach tote bag in hand. Personally, I own quite a stack of oversized straw tote bags that I bring with me to the beach because I am a true Florida beach bum.

Oversized tote bags are the perfect way to keep your belongings safe and out of sight while relaxing on the shore. Each summer I love to treat myself to a brand new beach tote and a lot of the ones you’ll find below are affordable under $50 from places like H&M and Target. Look at this straw beach tote with tassels from H&M. Or how about this structured circle tote bag from Target?

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