A Hawaiian Travel Writer’s 12 Top Beach Essentials

As someone who lives in Hawai’i, it’s no surprise that I spend a lot of time at the beach. With my ‘ohana (family) in tow, we explore all over Hawai’i Island (Big Island) from white, brown, and black sand beaches to rocky shorelines. While I wish we were the spontaneous types, content on just throwing down a towel and slathering on some sunscreen, we enjoy our beach accessories and know how to make even the most remote spots comfortable. 

Whether you’re heading to a tropical locale via plane or loading up the car for a day trip, the right beach gear and summer accessories can make a huge difference in the success of your day, just as much as proper planning and safety research can. After the hundreds of times I’ve been to the beach in the past 10 years, these are some of my (and my family’s) favorite beach essentials for a great day full of sand and sun.  

Best Beach Essentials, According to a Hawaiian Travel Writer

Leave at home: Slippery flip-flops

Bring instead: Water-resistant flip-flops

Sanuk Cosmic Shores Flip-flops

In Hawai’i, flip-flops are better known as “slippahs,” and they’re pretty much worn everywhere for nearly every occasion. However, not every style is meant for the beach. If you’re not wearing water-resistant flip-flops, you’ll be slipping and sliding all over the place, which can be uncomfortable and unsafe. Water-friendly flip-flops typically dry faster and don’t end up with a funny smell (just be sure to rinse them in fresh water after the beach). I love Sanuk’s Ziggy flip-flop with its ultra-soft, cushioned footbed, wide fit, and supportive upper strap. For a women-specific style, try the brand’s Cosmic Shores style.

Leave at home: Chemical sunscreen

Bring instead: Reef-safe mineral sunscreen 

Raw Elements Face and Body Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30

In Hawai’i, Maui County requires beachgoers to only use reef-safe sunscreen, while the rest of the state requires reef-friendly sunscreen. The sunscreen law is meant to protect the fragile reef ecosystems and preserve them for future generations. While the difference between reef-friendly and reef-safe can get a bit confusing, it’s easy to remember that mineral sunscreen is the safest bet, not only to protect the reefs, but it’s also healthier for our bodies, as it creates a physical barrier between the sun and your skin. 

It would be great to see other beach destinations with this law, but just because it isn’t required doesn’t mean we can be proactive. Raw Elements offers a variety of mineral sunscreen options, including face and body cream, a tinted face cream, and tinted lip balms.

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Leave at home: Thin clothing

Bring instead: UPF 50+ sun clothing

Humu Surf Bamboo Lightweight UPF 50+ Hoodie

In addition to mineral sunscreen, our family also uses sunscreen clothing to defend against UV rays, especially when our beach days include fishing. My husband loves this super lightweight UPF 50+ bamboo hoodie from Humu Surf because it doesn’t feel heavy on his skin in the heat, and it dries very quickly. For me, who is more likely to be in my beach chair reading a book, I prefer something light and flowy as a swim cover-up, like this sun-protective layer that offers UPF 50+ coverage. 

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Leave at home: Baby powder to remove sand

Bring Instead: Shakalo Sandscreen pouches

Shakalo Sandscreen Sand Removal Bag

While most days at the beach typically involve sand, it’s not something you want to bring back home with you (especially if you have a rental car). There are some beach hacks out there that suggest using talcum powder to get the clingy stuff off. With more and more people shifting away from talcum powder for health and environmental reasons, non-talc-based sand remover pouches like the Sandscreen from Shakalo (invented in Hawai’i) are a great alternative. The powdery pouches smell fresh and amazing and help you easily brush off sand from your face, body, and hands, using a blend of vegan, reef-friendly products. The sandscreen pouch comes in its own carrying case and is small and convenient to toss in a beach bag.

Leave at home: A bulky camp chair

Bring instead: A beach chair with backpack straps

Tommy Bahama 5-position Beach Chair

For us, a beach day is about comfort, but it’s also about efficiency. We don’t want to pack up our whole house, but we still want to feel like we’re pampering ourselves. Instead of struggling with heavy camping chairs, it’s hard to go wrong with the classic Tommy Bahama Folding Chair, which is on rare sale. This chair was made for the beach and includes backpack straps so you can easily pack its 7-pound aluminum frame on your back. It’s also got a lot of features that standard camping chairs don’t, including a pouch cooler, drink holder, cell phone pocket, and towel bar. It also converts to five different seating positions, allowing you to lounge however you see fit. 

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Leave at home: A flimsy beach blanket or bed sheet

Bring instead: A sand-resistant beach blanket

Lay N Stay Beach Blanket

If you’re trying to go even less bulky, like if you’re hiking or flying to your beach destination, another option for beach seating is the Lay & Stay beach blanket, which packs up nicely in its own carrying bag. It’s big enough for a few people to sit on, or one person to lie down on, and the microfiber material makes it much easier to shake sand off and use as a towel than a regular cotton beach towel. The accompanying stakes are also handy to keep it from bunching or blowing away on a windy day.

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Leave at home: A styrofoam cooler

Bring instead: A durable, insulated cooler

Kūla by Bote Hardshell MagnePod-compatible Cooler

At this point, we all know that styrofoam isn’t great for the environment. It’s also not the greatest material for a reusable cooler, as it tends to break easily and wind up in the trash. In fact, in some U.S. states and a handful of countries like Belize, Scotland, and some island nations, the coolers have been banned. 

For a day at the beach, you want a cooler that’s got great insulation, so it can stand up to the heat; the Kūla by Bote hardshell cooler does just that. This lightweight bucket-shaped cooler employs a rubber closure to keep it sealed up tight, making ice last exceptionally long. Additional features include a bottle opener, padded handle, and bottom drain plug. The other nice thing about the durability and shape is that it can also be used as an extra seat. 

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Leave at home: A canvas or cotton beach bag

Bring instead: A splash-proof, water-resistant beach bag

Aloha Collection Holo Holo Tote Bag

While I love a canvas or cotton beach bag for traveling or the pool, at the actual beach, I prefer a splash-proof bag that keeps water from seeping in. It also has the added bonus of being made from material that sand doesn’t easily cling to, and if you have any spills, it’s just an easy rinse. A zippered top also helps keep your stuff in and the water and sand out. Bags from the Aloha Collection are standard in Hawai’i—everyone here has multiple bags in different sizes, styles, and prints. 

If you’re heading out on a real adventure and actually hiking to a beach, or want a good travel carry-on bag that does double duty, Wandrd has the weather-resistant PRVKE bag with a roll top and side access and extra comfy straps and back padding.  

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Leave at home: A rusty, standard wagon

Bring instead: A big-wheeled beach wagon

Mac Sports Heavy Duty Collapsible Folding All Terrain Utility Beach Wagon Cart

One thing that families that frequent the beach know, a wagon is pretty essential for getting all of this great gear from the car to the actual beach, especially if you have small kids who can’t help carry things. Not all wagons are created equally, though, and having a wagon that can easily roll over sand is imperative. The Mac Sports All-terrain Beach Wagon, with its large plastic wheels, is a great option; it folds easily when not in use, can carry up to 150 pounds of beach gear, and includes handy cup holders for drinks (they can also double as quick stash pockets for sunscreen, sunglasses, and more). 

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Leave at home: Basic sunglasses

Bring instead: Polarized sunglasses

Maui Jim Kahiko Rectangular Sunglasses

To the uninitiated, your average pair of sunglasses may seem like the way to go for a day at the beach, but if you’re spending your days somewhere with white sands and crystal blue waters, you’d be remiss to not switch those out for polarized sunglasses. Putting on a pair of polarized sunglasses opens your eyes up to a whole new world, giving you near-Ariel levels of vision of the beach and horizon. 

These Maui Jim lenses typically come in a range of shades, including pink, yellow, gray, and blue, with each causing a different effect on the colors you see. The best part is that in clear water, these lenses help you see almost straight through the water, making fish, turtles, and other underwater life visible from the surface. However, if you tend to lose your sunglasses in the water, these polarized Bomber sunnies are a budget-friendly option that floats, and you can’t go wrong with Sojos’ classic round sunglasses, which are on sale for $16. 

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Leave at home: A plastic or glass water bottle

Bring instead: A stainless steel water bottle

Soma Full Circle Home Steel Water Bottle With Straw

This may seem like a no-brainer, but glass and plastic bottles just won’t cut it for a day at the beach. You need insulation to battle the heat, making stainless steel your best bet. Soma’s 24-ounce water bottle is great, particularly because of the ring at the top that you can use for convenient carrying. While it doesn’t keep cold water cool as long as some of the higher-priced water bottles, that’s something a little ice can easily fix. It only comes in one color, white, but that leaves an empty canvas for stickers, which can transform your bottle from practical to a sentimental souvenir.

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Leave at home: Standard hair ties or clips

Bring instead: Tangle-free hair ties

Rip Tie Soft Hair Tie 3-pack

A day at the beach usually means heat, sand, wind, and water, all of which can lead to a bad hair day—but who cares? You’re at the beach. While a typical hair day for me means a tight bun, at the beach, it’s not ideal; it makes goggles difficult to wear and somehow always ends up a tangled mess when I try to take it down. 

For beach trip up-dos, I love the Rip Tie hair ties, which pull together hair at the crown of your head, then wind their way down a ponytail, and tie at the end of the hair. This configuration magically keeps hair from getting tangled and makes for a super cute ponytail (it’s especially great for a side pony because it helps to create a formed shape), making it a favorite for athletes, according to the brand. 

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