The Best Beach Hacks – From Someone Who Actually Lives at the Beach

There is no shortage of articles talking about “This Summer’s Best Beach Hacks” or “10 Ideas for Summer Fun”. But most of them are from someone in Indiana who just grabs the 10 best sellers from Amazon and puts them in a list. That is not what you are going to get here. I’ve made the sacrifice of living at the beach and takings 1000’s of trips to the beach to find out what you really need. I’m not going to tell you about Aloe Vera ice cubes or how to store your strawberries in your cooler like the other puff pieces people write. I’m going to give you some awesome practical ideas that will help you have fun, stay safe, and save time on your next beach trip.

I’ve linked to all of the items I talk about in this post. If you see something you like just click the link, put it in your cart, then click back to the article. Then, when you finish reading the post, you look in your cart and decide which items you might be interested in buying. That way you won’t get distracted and go down the rabbit hole of looking for products and forget to finish reading this article. Ok! Let’s dive in!

1.) The Flip Flop Carabiner Trick. Nothing says it’s your first time at the beach like tromping through the sand with your flip flops on. Hot sand flying up your sweaty back and all the people around you. Put a carabiner on your belt loop or beach bag and hook it to your flops as soon as your feet hit the sand. If the sand gets too hot you can always put them back on and just look like a dork. A lot of people leave their flops at the beach access assuming no one would ever steal a nasty old pair of flip flops. But believe me, it happens all the time. I myself lost a $60 pair of flops this way. It’s also nice if you are walking to a bar or another destination and won’t be back to your chair for a while.

ProTip — Flip flops are not always the best option. Be sure you know the facts about the beach where you are going. It could be rocky or it may have creatures like Spiny Sea Urchins. Or, maybe the water is murky and you freak out when you can’t see your feet. To solve these problems get a pair of Water Shoes or Water Socks. They can make your life a lot easier.

2.) The ol‘ Cell Phone in the plastic bag trick. Everyone puts this on their list of beach hacks but they don’t know all of the advantages because they don’t live at the beach. Sure, it will keep your phone dry and keep water from ruining it. But… it also cuts down on the wind noise (this is very important). It’s usually windy at the beach and most people still need to take work calls, even on vacation. I discovered this little trick when I first moved to the beach. My boss would always call me the second I’d get to the beach and he’d hear the wind noise and ask what I was doing. Once I started using the plastic bag trick, it was just like I was back in the office and he had no clue where I was. There are even more things a Ziploc bag can do for your phone at the beach. You can snap an underwater picture if you’re brave enough to trust the bag. I wouldn’t go snorkeling for an hour but a quick shot should be fine. An actual Waterproof Cellphone Bag would be better, but either one will work. I killed a lot of phones by getting them wet when I first moved to the beach. I finally realized I could buy a Waterproof Phone but I still use one of the bags at the beach. It not only stops the wind but keeps the sand out of all the nooks and crannies.

ProTip–It’s also a good idea to bring an External Charger for your phone. If you play music with a Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker or spend hours scrolling through Facebook and Instagraming pictures of your toes you might run out of battery. And then what you do? You might have to enjoy nature! Maybe don’t tell your kids you have it when their batteries run out.

3.) Waterproof Cameras. When I bought my first GoPro they were all the rage and they cost around $400. I think a waterproof camera is pretty much a ‘must have item’ for any beach vacation or cruise these days. And, you don’t have to spend $400 anymore. You still can, in fact, GoPro’s newest camera is $500. However, today, there are a ton of GoPro knockoffs that will do the trick for a lot less money. I’ve decided it’s finally time to replace my Gopro Hero 3. I’ve been doing the research on which one I want to buy and I’ve settled on this one: It’s called the Akaso V50. This camera has video stabilization which is important when you are snorkeling. The waves push and pull you around and the video is a bit shaky. At $120 it’s not the cheapest GoPro alternative but I think it has more of the features I’m looking for. This one says it also has a port for an external microphone that I need for my YouTube channel. They make a version that cost half the price that is a little lower picture and video quality and it doesn’t have the video stabilizion but it does a good job. It’s called the Akaso EK7000. Both versions will let use all your old GoPro mounts too, which for me is a big plus.

ProTip– Get the Float Accessory. I’ve tried using the snorkel mount and chest mount and having the camera in your hand is the best way to film when you’re snorkeling. And if you really want to step up your video quality try using a Gimbal.

4.) Here are a couple of tips to keep your kids safe on the beach. Nothing is scarier than having a kid disappear on the beach. I’ve seen a few freaked out parents looking for kids on the beach and a few scared kids who can’t find Mom and Dad. It’s easy to get disoriented at the beach. Even more so if it’s crowded like most holiday weekends that you might find yourself at the beach. My first tip is that if your beach has lifeguards get a spot next to the lifeguard stand. Not only is the lifeguard an extra set of eyes to watch your kids, but the lifeguard stand makes a great landmark for kids to find. My second tip is that if you don’t have lifeguard stations, a colorful Pinwheel or even a balloon can make an easily identifiable landmark for the little ones, and the big ones too for that matter. The college Spring Breakers bring 15-foot tall flags so you can find their party spot. I don’t know why parents haven’t figured out something similar.

ProTip– Heaven forbid your kid actually gets lost but if they do here is a great tip. Give them a Security Tattoo. When they talk to another adult, that person will know how to find you.

5.) Here are a few convenience items you not have thought about. You might not need these items or every beach trip but most of them are nice to have.

Drink Holders will keep your drink out of the sand. It may not seem like a big deal if you’re not used to going to the beach. Picture this, every time you set your drink on the sand it’s usually wet from condensation, and when you take a drink all of the sand that stuck to the bottom falls on your chest and stomach. It is super annoying. Trust me…

Micro Fiber Towels are also nice to have. They help reduce the amount of sand you bring back into your house, or your car, or your life. People ask me all the time “How can you live with sand in your shoes or your living room or even your bed all the time when you live at the beach?”. And I tell them “When I first moved to the beach it took me about 6 months to learn to accept sand into my life”. Now I hardly even notice it. Everything you can do to reduce your sand level in your life is a great beach hack. The Sand–Free Blanket is another option. But, if you have OCD it might drive you crazy when other people come into your “sand free zone” with sandy feet.

Towel Clips are also a good idea if you don’t like grabbing your towel out of the sand every time you stand up. You can also clip your Shirt, coverup, or Beach Hat to your chair when you get up to go for a dip in the water.

A Roll-Up Table will make you the envy of your beach neighbors. It will keep your snacks and things up off the sand. Food and sand don’t mix! You can even use the Towel Clips that you use to clip your towel to your chair to clip things like a bag of chips to the table so they won’t blow off every 5 seconds.

Carabiners also work great for some of these tasks. You can clip a ball cap to a chair or hang something from a Tent or Sun Shade. I also use a Carabiner Key Chain that I clip to my a cooler or shoe so I don’t lose my keys. It has a bottle opener and a screwdriver on it so I always feel like a man too (Even in my Speedo). And at the end of a long day it‘s nice to be able to get home.

ProTip– Don’t bring your 80-pound cooler for a day at the beach. It’s total overkill. Bring something lightweight like a Backpack Cooler or Soft Side Cooler. Owning a backpack cooler will change your life. I use mine all the time.

6.) Finally, here are some tips about fun and games. A lot of beaches are starting to ban alcohol. I just saw this product the other day and thought it was pretty funny. It’s a flask that looks like sunscreen. It reminded me of when we went our first cruise we used these rum runners. We bought the rum runners so we wouldn’t have to pay like $2,000 to get the ‘all you can drink’ alcohol plan on the ship. Which we ended up buying anyway because it was more fun to go to the bar and get an umbrella drink than to sneak off to the room to make another rum and coke. Plus, they didn’t check us when we got back on the boat at the various ports. So every time we got off the boat and bought duty-free alcohol, we just brought it back to our room instead of turning it over to the alcohol police. So we came back with more alcohol than we smuggled onto the cruise.

This Blow-Up Chair is something I don’t own but I think it looks like fun. I won’t say what I think it looks like because I want this post to be approved for all ages. The reviews are great and say that sand doesn’t stick to it. If Amazon had free delivery where I live in the Islands I’d buy it and give it a try. I give it a strong ‘potential buy’ rating.

Here are two games that look like a lot of fun, although, I don’t personally own them. The first one is Waterproof Cards. I don’t think they have a lot of potential for the beach because of the wind. But I like them for the pool. The Second one is this Kubb game, it really looks like fun. I’ve seen it a few times over the years and then I always forget to buy it. I am definitely going to order it and pick it up the next time I go Stateside. Basically, it is a game where you throw sticks at sticks. How could that not be fun? And… you still have a free hand to hold a drink. I think all good games should leave one hand free so you can still hold your drink. For instance, corn hole, horseshoes, bocce ball, etc. all one-handed games.

ProTip — I don’t bring games to the beach unless there are at least two or three couples. It seems like they don’t every get used when its just my wife and I sitting at the beach.

This list of beach hacks only goes to SIX but I think there are like a hundred awesome ideas packed in there. And the best part is that I have put in the links so you can just click on them and buy anything that looked fun, right down to the Ziplock bags. I want to make your life easier (isn’t that what a Hack is all about). And I don’t want you to forget something and then wait like 3 years to get it (like me and that dang Kubb game). So if you want it, just buy it here. And if you think this article has some good insight, please share it. I’m just getting started with this website so I need all the help I can get.

If you have some great beach hacks put them in the comments. If it is a good one I’ll probably steal your idea, take full credit for it, and put it in my next post. But you can feel proud that your idea made it to the masses… You’re welcome.

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