Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
I Finally Found a Cooler Backpack That Fits 24 Cans and All My Beach Gear
42
items Hauling a hard cooler across hot sand while juggling towels, sunscreen, and a beach umbrella is nobody's idea of a good time. If you've ever shown up sweaty and annoyed before you even sit down, this list is for you. I spent two summers testing coole...
Sections
7
Cooler Backpacks That Actually Hold 24 Cans
Beach Bags That Carry Everything Else
Sunscreen and Sun Protection Worth Packing
Keeping Drinks and Food Cold All Day
Sand-Free Comfort and Seating
Waterproof Tech and Entertainment
Cooler Backpacks That Actually Hold 24 Cans
I used to lug a massive hard cooler and regret every step across the parking lot. These backpacks changed everything. Cold drinks, hands free, no back pain.
Swap your old hard cooler for this and you'll wonder why you waited. Keeps ice solid for 8+ hours even in July heat. Perfect for anyone who walks a quarter mile to their beach spot.
RTIC Backpack Cooler 24 Can
Grabbed this for a Fourth of July trip and my drinks were still ice cold at sunset. It's pricey, but if you're tired of lukewarm beer by noon, this pays for itself fast.
YETI Hopper Backpack M12 Soft Cooler
Toss it over one shoulder or wear it like a backpack. Rolls up flat when empty, which is huge if you're packing your car tight. Great for the person who hates bulky gear.
ICEMULE Pro Collapsible Backpack Cooler
Try this if you want the 24-can capacity without spending YETI money. My buddy bought one last summer and it held up through 15 beach trips without a single leak.
TOURIT Cooler Backpack Insulated 30 Cans
Use this when you need to carry food AND drinks. The separate compartments mean your sandwiches don't end up floating in melted ice water. Learned that lesson the hard way.
CleverMade Sequoia Cooler Bag
Snag this one if you're on a budget but still want legit insulation. Kept my cans cold through a full day at the lake, and the padded straps didn't dig into my shoulders at all.
OlarHike Cooler Backpack, Soft Waterproof 30 Cans
Beach Bags That Carry Everything Else
Once the cooler backpack handles drinks, you still need somewhere for towels, books, and the random stuff that always ends up in your hands. These solved that problem for me.
Get this if you're the person who always brings too much to the beach. It fits four towels, a book, snacks, and stands upright on sand without tipping. Rinse it off when you get home.
BOGG BAG Original Large Tote – 19” x 14” x 9”
Pair this with your cooler backpack and you've got a two-bag system that covers literally everything. It's built like a tank. Mine has survived three years of salt water and still looks fine.
Ll Bean Boat And Tote Bag
Keep this one in mind if you hate sand in your bag. The mesh bottom lets sand fall right through, which sounds simple but saves you from dumping out grit for days after every trip.
Lightweight Tote Bag - Use as a Beach Bag or Backpack
Use the wet pocket for swimsuits on the drive home. No more soggy towels soaking through your car seat. If you've got kids, this bag earns its spot immediately.
SHYLERO Beach Bag and Pool Bag
Bring this when you're packing for the whole crew. It's oversized without being floppy, and the pockets actually hold things in place instead of just being decorative.
ALOHA SUMMER Tropical Beach Tote Canvas Beach Bag
Toss your phone and wallet in the zippered waterproof section and stop worrying about rogue waves. A friend lost her phone at the beach last year. This would've saved it.
Holly LifePro Mesh Beach Bag Toy Tote
Sunscreen and Sun Protection Worth Packing
Burned my shoulders so badly one Memorial Day that I couldn't sleep for two nights. Never again. These are the sunscreens and sun gear I actually reapply and actually use.
Grab this if you want SPF 50 that doesn't smell like a hospital. It goes on smooth, doesn't leave white streaks, and the coconut scent actually makes you feel like you're on vacation.
Sun Bum Original SPF 50 Sheer Sunscreen Face Lotion
Try this on your face if every other sunscreen makes you break out. It goes on clear, feels like a primer, and sits under makeup or just on its own without any greasy residue.
Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen for Face, SPF 50 Clear
Use this for anyone with sensitive skin who reacts to chemical sunscreens. The cap changes color in UV light so you know when to reapply. Wish I'd found this before I fried my nose last August.
Blue Lizard Sensitive Mineral Sunscreen
Keep this in your bag for midday reapplication. It dries fast, doesn't feel sticky, and SPF 100 means you're covered even when you forget to reapply as often as you should.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF
Snag the spray version for hard-to-reach spots on your back when you're at the beach solo. Quick, even coverage without asking a stranger for help. We've all been there.
Banana Boat Sport SPF 30 Sunscreen Spray, 6 Oz (2 Pack)
Switch to this if you care about reef-safe ingredients but still want real protection. Smells like guava mango and actually works through sweat and swimming. Stock up before summer.
COOLA Clear Sunscreen Spray SPF 50, Fragrance Free
Keeping Drinks and Food Cold All Day
Nothing ruins a beach day faster than reaching into your cooler and pulling out a warm seltzer at 2 PM. These accessories keep everything cold way longer than ice alone.
Toss one of these in the bottom of your cooler backpack and skip the messy loose ice. It stays frozen longer and you don't end up with a bag of water sloshing around by afternoon.
YETI ICE Block Refreezable Reusable Cooler Ice Pack
Grab these if you want ice packs that freeze harder than regular ones. They lay flat so they stack between drink layers. Three of them kept my cooler at fridge temp for a solid 10 hours.
Cooler Shock Reusable Ice Packs for Cooler
Use these sheets to wrap around cans and fill gaps in your cooler. They conform to whatever shape you need, which is perfect when you're playing Tetris with 24 cans and a bag of grapes.
FlexiFreeze Reusable Ice Packs for Coolers
Bring pre-mixed cocktails in this instead of hauling individual bottles. Keeps margaritas cold for hours and pours clean. My beach crew now expects me to show up with this full.
Stanley Stay-Chill Pitcher 64 oz
Pair this with your cooler backpack and your last beer is as cold as your first. Fits 12 oz and 16 oz cans. Seriously, once you try an insulated can holder at the beach you never go back.
BrüMate Hopsulator Trio 3-in-1 Insulated Can Cooler
Keep cheese, hummus, or fruit in this without a separate cooler. The walls freeze solid overnight and keep snacks cold for hours. Perfect for the person who always brings the charcuterie spread.
PackIt Freezable Snack Bag
Sand-Free Comfort and Seating
Sitting on a thin towel directly on scorching sand stopped being acceptable somewhere around age 25. These are the comfort upgrades that made me actually enjoy sitting at the beach.
Toss this down and sand literally falls through it instead of piling up on top. Sounds like magic but it works. If you eat at the beach and hate crunchy sandwiches, get this immediately.
Original Sand-Free Outdoor Camping Mat
Use this if you want a real chair that reclines flat for napping. It's light enough to carry with one hand and low enough that you're not sitting above everyone like a lifeguard.
Rio Brands 5-Position Lay Flat Beach Chair, Blue Stripe
Bring this instead of fighting with a beach umbrella in the wind. Two sand anchors hold it down, it packs small, and you get actual shade that doesn't blow away every 10 minutes.
Neso Grande Portable Beach Tent Sun Shelter
Get this for couples who are tired of sitting in separate chairs three feet apart. It's a two-person low chair that folds up compact. We fit it in the trunk next to the cooler with room to spare.
Kelty Low Loveseat 2 Person Double Camping Chair
Switch to this from your regular towel and you'll never go back. It's huge, dries fast, and the corner pockets fill with sand to anchor it down. Wind? Not a problem anymore.
WildHorn Outfitters Sand Escape Parachute Nylon Sky
Try this if you want something between a full chair and sitting on the ground. The mesh keeps you cool, it's stupid light, and it folds up small enough to strap to your cooler backpack.
Coleman Utopia Breeze Lightweight Beach Chair
Waterproof Tech and Entertainment
Dropped my phone in the sand once and the charging port never recovered. Now everything goes in a waterproof case or stays in a speaker that can handle getting splashed.
Clip this to your bag strap and you've got music all day. It's waterproof, loud enough for your group but not the whole beach, and the battery lasts longer than any beach day I've had.
JBL Clip 4 - Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker
Use this every single time you're near water. You can still take photos and text through the plastic. Lost a phone to a wave in 2021 and bought a 3-pack of these the next day.
JOTO Waterproof Phone Pouch IPX8 Universal
Bring this if your phone dies by 2 PM from taking photos and playing music. It's small, charges fast, and fits in any bag pocket. Beach days are long. Your battery isn't.
Anker Power Bank, 10000mAh Portable Charger
Grab the Paperwhite specifically because you can read it in direct sunlight without glare. Regular tablets are useless outside. This one reads like paper even at high noon on the sand.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (8 GB)
Toss this in your GoPro before a beach trip so you never run out of storage mid-wave. Learned this lesson when my card filled up right as a dolphin swam past. Still mad about it.
SANDISK 256GB Ultra microSD Card + Adapter
Keep this clipped to your shorts or tossed in a mesh pocket. It's waterproof without a case, shoots incredible video, and captures those random beach moments you'll actually rewatch later.
GoPro HERO12 Black Action Camera
Small Accessories That Solve Annoying Beach Problems
These are the little things I never thought to bring until I needed them. Now they live permanently in my beach bag and save me from minor disasters every single trip.
Toss your sunscreen, aloe, and lip balm in this so they don't leak all over your bag. It seals flat, weighs nothing, and I stopped finding mystery sunscreen stains on my towels.
Matador Zipper Toiletry Case (FlatPak Series)
Clip your keys to the inside of your bag so they don't disappear into the sand void. Tiny, cheap, and saved me from a 30-minute key search at least twice this past summer.
Nite Ize S-Biner MicroLock Stainless Steel
Keep a small quick-dry towel in your cooler bag for wiping hands before grabbing food. Regular towels are always sandy by that point. This one packs down to the size of your fist.
Sea to Summit Portable Pocket Towel for Camping
Spray yourself in the face with cold mist when it's 95 degrees and there's no breeze. Sounds ridiculous, feels incredible. For anyone who runs hot, this is a non-negotiable beach item.
O2COOL Deluxe Handheld Misting Fan Battery Powered
Use this roller to apply sunscreen to your own back without help. If you go to the beach solo or just hate asking people to rub lotion on you, this removes the awkwardness completely.
Silicone Sunscreen Applicator: Portable Roll-On Bottle for Back Body - Reusable Cosmetic Squeeze Container with Massage Ball - Travel Lotion Dispenser
Snap these onto your blanket edges to keep them from folding up in the wind. They're meant for picnic tables but work perfectly on beach blankets weighted with sand. Cost almost nothing and solve a constant annoyance.
Coghlan's Spring-Loaded Tablecloth Clamps