Living near the sea, I have a family beach packing list. I keep it in the notes on my phone and find it much easier to follow rather than trying to remember everything I need.

We’ve spent years lounging around on Sandbanks Beach and after all this time I like to think my list is quite good. As it has such useful information I thought I would share it with you today.

If there’s a specific item you are interested in then please check out my clickable quick links.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at my beach list in more detail below.

MY FAMILY BEACH PACKING LIST 2023

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Image Credit: Sunny South Coast – Sandbanks Beach in Poole, Dorset

MY FAMILY BEACH PACKING LIST 2023

Image Credit: Sunny South Coast – Sandbanks Beach in Poole, Dorset

What I Take to the Beach – My Personal Beach Packing List

What things do I need for the beach?

Suntan lotion, food and drink, empty shopping bags, food bags, swimwear, beach towels, poncho towels, a picnic blanket, sand toys, a parasol, a beach tent, a rubber mallet and a beach wagon.

The beach list above includes the items that we take to the beach as a family of three. I’ve tried to write the it in order of priority so that the more essential beach items are at the beginning and luxury items are towards the end.

Suntan Spray

A Beach Packing List Essential!

I always pack suntan spray to help protect our skin from sun exposure. At the moment we are using Garnier Ambre Solaire SPF 50+ Sensitive Advanced Dry Touch Protective Mist.

We’ve been using this suntan spray for at least two years now. It’s never let us down and always provides full protection. It seems to dry instantly and unlike other suntan sprays we’ve tried, it does not stain clothes. Our daughter seems to get on best with a spray application so this has been an amazing find.

Food and Drink

A Must Have on my Beach Packing List!

When spending a day on the beach I think it’s always a good idea to hydrate and nourish our bodies. If I’m honest, I’m not one to go without food either. That’s why, even though we might buy food and drink at the beach, I always make sure I pack plenty of supplies too.

Empty Shopping Bags

I find empty shopping bags great for carrying clothes that family members have taken off, rubbish, food and drink or sometimes new items that our daughter has bought whilst at the beach!

Food Bags

Food bags are an absolute essential when we visit the beach. I use them to store uneaten food, cutlery, rubbish, wet swimware, shoes and all sorts of other items that are best off in a bag when walking home.

Swimwear

We usually intend to do more than just get our feet wet at the beach, so swimwear is a must. It’s essential for playing in the waves and swimming in the sea. I personally try to choose swimwear we all feel comfortable in, so we can really enjoy our day at the beach.

Beach Towels

My beach towels are a bit bigger than our regular bath towels so I always take them to the beach. They are better suited for drying off and wrapping up after swimming in the sea. We have also been known to use them in place of the our picnic blanket too.

Poncho Towels

The main reason we take poncho towels is to keep us warm as we often go to the beach in the evening because we find it less busy. We also use them for discreetly changing in or out of our swimwear. We simply pop one on and change under it. Another fab invention which is extremely useful for the beach.

Picnic Blanket

I love our picnic blanket and find it’s a must have item to take to the beach because it acts as a barrier between us and the hot sand. Ours fits perfectly by the tent and provides a comfortable place for us to lay down in the sun. We also all enjoy sitting on it as a family when we have snacks, lunch, dinner and drinks.

Image Credit: Sunny South Coast – Alum Chine Beach in Bournemouth, Dorset

Sand Toys

Fun Items on the Beach Packing List

We always bring sand toys with us as digging holes, building sand castles and making fun creations with seashells is the main reason our daughter likes to go. As long as we take her sand moulds, and buckets and spades I know she’ll be having hours of fun.

Parasol

Is a tent or umbrella better for the beach?

As well as our beach tent, we also have an umbrella as it works well with chairs.

Our beach parasol fits nicely in the beach wagon along with our daughter and everything else, when folded down. Much like the beach tent, our parasol also provides us shade and protection from the sun. We always take both the parasol and the beach tent with us because we find the extra shade useful and it’s easier to use with beach chairs if someone brings those too.

Beach Tent

Which tent is best for the beach?

I love our Large UV Protection Beach Shelter Mountain Warehouse Beach Tent.

The second item on my list is our beach tent. I have an amazing one from Mountain Warehouse which is a really good size measuring 270cm x 120cm x 120cm. It’s lightweight at 1.8KG and easily fits all three members of our family in. This tent is great for protecting our young daughter from the coastal winds and sun.

I got a really good deal on this tent as it had 57% off. I’m not sure why Mountain Warehouse are selling this so cheap as it’s amazing quality for the price. We are very happy with ours.

The Mountain Warehouse Beach Tent is available from the following website:

Are beach tents worth it?

I could not be without my beach tent now I have one. Just like the beach wagon, it was a bit of a game changer for me!

The thing I love the most about it is I can pop the beach wagon and all my things inside and zip it up. This is amazing for when we want to grab an ice-cream or wander off to get some food and drink.

Rubber Mallet

I bought a rubber mallet from Mountain Warehouse when we bought our beach tent as we needed it to hammer down the tent pegs. Just like the tent, I managed to get and amazing discount with 43% off, so I was really happy with that!

The Mountain Warehouse Rubber Mallet is available from the following website:

I’ve mentioned a lot of items here and we are no where near the end of my list yet. I’m guessing there might be one question on your mind….

How do you carry a lot of stuff to the beach?

The truth is we often wear backpacks, take bags for life (as mentioned previously) and use my favourite method of all which is the beach cart!

Beach Wagon

* My Beach Packing List Must Have Item! *

What is a must have beach item in the UK?

My number one must have beach item in the UK is a beach wagon!

Yes, the most important item on my list is a beach cart. It was my cousin that introduced the idea of using one of these and oh my goodness, what a game changer. When I realised how good these are I couldn’t believe I hadn’t decided to buy a beach wagon before.

Not only does it save us from walking back and fourth from the car park multiple times but our daughter rides along in it too! She finds this so much fun and we are super happy carrying everything in one go.

The beach wagon is very much a case of once you know – you know! I would not be without one of these now and should anything ever happen to ours I will be replacing it straight away!

Our beach wagon can carry up to 150KG. When folded down its only 8″ thick and measures 75 x 50 x 20CM. It sets up in seconds and at this point measures 90 x 50 x 100CM on the outside and 80 x 44 x 25CM on the inside.

Beach wagons are available from the following websites (ad):

A Lovely Edition to Add to the Beach Packing List!

Luxury Picnic Basket

Who doesn’t love a little bit of luxury in their lives, and there’s nothing better than investing in Fortnum & Mason when it comes to picnic hampers. My personal favourite is this Fortnum & Mason Huntsman Picnic Hamper which is perfect for a family of four.

The Fortnum & Mason Huntsman Picnic Hamper is available from the following website:

Picnic Accessories

As well as the Huntsman, Fortnum & Mason have lots of other gorgeous picnic accessories that would look amazing on the beach including picnic hampers, a picnic umbrella, picnic blankets, picnic mats, cool bags, picnic backpacks, sandwich bags, lunch boxes, a picnic condiments bags, a bottle bag, water bottles, a cutlery roll, plates, mugs and probably my favourite of all – the Fortnum & Mason Squeezy Honey Bear which seems to come up every time I search!

Fortnum & Mason picnic accessories are available from the following website:

I hope you have found this post useful and it’s given you an idea of what to take to the beach!

What do you think of my list? Is there anything I should add?

Have you visited them before?

Please let me know in the comments box below!

Thanks to all of you that have sent us e-mails and messages on our social media accounts. We’re always happy to help if we can!

Sunny South Coast

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