It is crazy to think that I have lived in Southern California for over two years now! Our favorite perk about living here is only being an hour away from the beautiful beaches. In these two years we have enjoyed our favorite activity many, many times so I feel like I have a system down to best bring all the things we need, without over-packing.

First, I’d like to share what food I think has worked the best for our little family to take for an all-day beach trip. We pack our food in a soft cooler that has lots of insulation and we make sure to fill it with “edible ice packs” like water bottles, frozen grapes, and frozen water bottles to keep things cold with things you will be using anyway to lighten your load at the end of the day.

Drinks.

Of course you will need plenty of water to keep hydrated on a hot summer day. I have found that bringing juice or Gatorade really helps quench the thirst and replenish those electrolytes if you have been out on a boogie board all day :)

Food.

The thing that has always worked best for us is just easy PB&J sandwiches (except we use Sunbutter), chips in individual baggies, fruit, jerky, granola bars and easy to grab veggies like carrots or snap peas. None of this is very groundbreaking but it is what is easy to eat and gets eaten by everyone every time so we stick with this.

I like to make sure to protect the sandwiches by putting them all in a Tupperware container so they don’t get smooshed. And it’s funny, I never would have thought we’d want salty food like chips or jerky because of accidentally swallowing salty ocean water, but for some reason those salty snacks just taste oh so good! You can never go wrong with a bag of Fritos on a beach day!

As far as fruits go I love blueberries because they are not very messy or juicy. They are the perfect portable fruit snack. I will also say there is probably nothing better in the world than cold, cubed watermelon on a long, hot day. I always try to bring a container of cold watermelon if I can. It is always the first thing to go for sure!

Here are a few other great beach hacks to make your experience so much smoother:

1.) Baby Powder

Bring along some baby powder or even just regular corn starch and sprinkle on skin to get rid of extra sand. This really works well!

2.) Fitted Sheet Trick

Lay out a fitted sheet on the sand and anchor with heavier items on each end to slow down the sand from getting on yourself and/or the kiddos.

3.) Instant Phone Cover

To avoid getting your phone wet, place inside a resealable plastic bag. You’ll be able to still view text messages and incoming calls while at the beach without the risk of water damage. Just keep in mind that this is not 100% waterproof since seal or bag could break.

4.) Disguise Your Valuables

Place items in an empty Pringles can or wrap in a clean disposable diaper to keep valuables safe while you swim.

5.) Snack Smart

Re-use food containers to keep snacks from crumbling in your beach bag!

6.) Plastic Wipes Container

Use an empty plastic wipes container to house trash bags and then use it store wet swim suits inside once you are ready to head home from the beach.

Do you have any other tips or tricks for a day at the beach? Feel free to share in the comments below.