Packing for a Beach Trip: Condo list, Cooler list, Clothing list

​I have been packing for the beach for over 20 years now. 
I certainly was not as pack-savvy my first 5-10 trips as I am now. 
These are my BEST TIPS for beach packing if you are driving to the beach.
​

I'm cheap, so I buy all my paper products ahead of time
at my local Kroger instead of paying almost-double
the prices at the beach.  

I love to use the Thirty-One Large Utility Totes
​to pack food for trips.  Depending on your trunk, an Amazon box may also be a great way to keep food from falling over or getting smashed.

see list of supplies I keep year-round
​in my cabin / beach box ⬆️⬆️⬆️

Beach Food / Condo List:

1. Breakfast goods:  granola bars, cereal, oatmeal, grits, smoothie ingredients, eggs, sausage, bacon, coffee & filters, jellies, bagels
2. Lunch goods:  mayo, mustard, ketchup, lunchmeat, buns / bread, pickles, hot dogs & buns, peanut butter
3. Supper staples:  taco shells & tortillas for taco night, salsa, salad dressings;  steak & baked potato, salad fixings;  2 onions
4. Drinks:  1-2 cases of water, sports drinks, soft drinks, gallon of filtered water for coffee, apple juice, wine, etc
5. Paper products:  toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates, solo cups, plastic silverware, paper bowls, trash bags, foil pans, a few old tupperware you don't mind leaving behind if you forget them (good for leftovers), multiple zip bags of all sizes
6. Favorite cups & coozies (self-explanatory).  I'm also in love with stainless steel straws.
7. Softside cooler / collapsible cooler for pool or beach
8. Seasonings and cooking supplies:  PAM, a good spatula, a click lighter, salt & pepper, steak seasoning, A1, bbq sauce, a few good knives (condo knives never seem to be sharp), possibly your favorite pan(s) if needed for a certain dish, chip clips, scissors
9. Laundry pods & dryer sheets, dishwasher tabs, small dishwashing liquid, a few extra hand towels, Lysol wipes, spray bottle of good all-purpose cleaner (rarely do the condos leave cleaning supplies and inevitably there will be a spill or mess)
10. Pens and a notepad for keeping score of games or making a grocery list.
11. Sweets / desert:  candy, cookies, M&Ms, whatever your crew likes to snack on after a long day at the pool or in the sand.  I like to bring peanuts, mixed nuts, and sunflower seeds for the salty snackers.

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Beach clothes / other necessities list:

1. Swimsuits (at least 2 per person), swim shirts / cover ups, swim goggles, baseball caps &/or floppy hats
2. Sunscreen (lotion, spray, stick- get what your family prefers and pack EXTRA)
3. Beach towels (2 per person is also a good rule and make sure you have at least one XL or blanket-style beach towel to sit on at the pool, beach, grassy area depending on where you go)
4. Shorts, tees, tanks
5. Pajamas, bum clothes for condo, gym clothes if you plan to exercise (most condos have a gym)
6. Nice outfit(s)
7. Small games that travel well such as bananagrams, deck of cards, Yahtzee, deck(s) of cards, books or magazines
8. Bluetooth speaker (mine is tiny and I love it- puts out so much noise!)
9. Wagon- optional- we already have one for travel baseball so we may throw it in the trunk this year
10. Deflated floats and a hand pump- the place we stay has a lazy river and we love having our own floats.
11. Shoes:  flops & tennis shoes for each person;  nicer shoes for anyone who plans to dress nicely
12. Toiletries, etc:  makeup, toothbrush & toothpaste, floss, contacts / glasses, eye drops, shampoo for each bathroom, medications, bandaids, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl, aloe vera, allergy / cold medicine, Tums and/or Pepcid
13. Favorite pillows and blankets for car ride and condo leisure

​

What goes in our cooler(s) for the ride to the beach:

1. Coffee creamer. *** MUST HAVE *** 🤪
   
2. Shredded and sliced cheese, cracker cut cheese
3. Lunchmeat & hot dogs, bacon
4. Fruit:  strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, cuties, apples

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What we buy once we are there:

1. Eggs, bananas (bananas don't travel well in heat), yogurts
2. Meat for suppers
3. Lunchmeat if we didn't bring that from home
4. Head of lettuce and/or box of romaine (for taco night, salads, sandwich)
5. Cold beer- if we bought warm, it could travel but we buy cold
6. Milk, tub and stick butter, spreadable cream cheese (unless you could fit some of that in your cooler)
7. OJ & 2 gallons of tea
8. Frozen pizza(s)
9. Anything frozen for that matter:  ice cream, ice if your condo doesn't have an ice maker, frozen biscuits, frozen sausage

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I'm typing this from Orange Beach. 
I hope you found these lists inclusive and helpful.
May all your beach trips be smooth sailing.  🏖

​Godspeed.

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