The Perfect Beach Bag

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This is the summer of travel for us! We’ve been to California, Mexico, and now Maine. All of those places have something in common…the beach! Luckily I grew up on the beach, so I know how to put together the perfect beach bag, and today I’m going to show you how!

I know it isn’t rocket science, but the more prepared you are, the better your day at the beach will be! Plus, I have a secret ingredient in my beach bag,- you’ll never go without it again!

But before you pack your beach necessities, first you have to have the perfect bag! I found mine at Suzie’s Sweet Stuff, on Etsy. It’s HUGE! So huge, in fact, that…

Yup, all three kids fit in the bag! Before they tipped over, that is…

Seriously, this thing fits everything you need for a day at the beach, and it includes 6 inside pockets, plus another zippered pocket. I loved it so much that I ordered a second in pink! It’s great for the beach, but I’ve also been using it as a suitcase for my kids; I can pack for a week for all three of them in the one bag! You can even get it embroidered– check out the options she offers!

Here is what I like to bring in my beach bag. I try to pack as light as possible, without missing any essentials.

Can you spot my secret ingredient?

Most of the items are self-explanatory- towels, snacks, a good read, water… on the right side there is a blanket and a canopy…

and baby powder! Did you know that baby powder takes sand off your body? Yep, just shake a little on your sand-coated feet, and the sand will rub right off! How did I not know this when I was growing up and spent every summer day on the beach? Now it’s a beach bag staple.

Can you spot probably the most important beach bag ingredient? It’s right there in the middle- the sunscreen! You can survive the beach without a book, without a snack, even without a towel. But you might not survive without sunscreen!

We bought a selection of Banana Boat sunscreen at Walmart, including Kids Free SPF 50 Clear Spray, Men’s SPF 30 Clear Spray, and Protect & Hydrate 50 Lotion.

Most of the Banana Boat varieties can be bought in lotion or spray form. The ones we didn’t get this time around, but may purchase next time, were Sport SPF 50 Clear Spray, Protect & Hydrate 50 Spray, and Men’s SPF 50 Lotion.

I have to admit that at first I thought having a sunscreen specifically for men was a little silly, but I was so wrong. My husband LOVES it!

He said he really likes that it’s scented and doesn’t smell like regular sunscreen. Now I don’t know what is up with him and not liking the smell of regular sunscreen, because that’s one of my favorite smells of all time, but I’m glad he likes Banana Boat for Men! And ladies, it does smell good!

As for the other two kinds I bought- I like to use the spray (Kids Free SPF 50 Clear Spray) for the kids and myself, for quick overall coverage, and then I use the Protect & Hydrate 50 Lotion for everyone’s faces.

We will definitely be using our Banana Boat sunscreen this summer, whether we are playing outside in the Arizona desert, lounging on the rocky coast of Maine, or riding in the car somewhere in between the two!

Join us in our quest for fun this summer, and enter the Banana Boat Facebook Wheel of Fun Contest! You could win some great prizes, such as a trip to Sea World, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or Six Flags!

Vacation got you low on funds? Then you’ll want to enter at Walmart.com for a chance to win a $100 Walmart gift card! Who wouldn’t love that?

I’m going to leave you with this printable checklist for your perfect beach bag. I hope you get to make it to the beach this summer, whether physically or just in your mind!

click to download printable version

See what we are up to while on our vacation by following #TenneyTravels on Instagram and Twitter!