Beach Day Essentials for Every Family

(Blog post by: Kelly, @nomanbefore)

We thought we were pretty avid beach goers before, but since moving within walking distance to the actual beach part of Newport Beach, California a few months ago, we've headed to the sand on almost a daily basis. Whether we're trying to catch some waves, hanging out with friends or just watching the sunset, we've picked up a few things that have made our beach days both better and easier.  

Akumal Microfiber Beach Towels 

A towel is the most basic piece of beach gear, and Wildhorn reinvented this staple and took it to a whole new level. Whether we need to dry off after a swim or just want to stretch out on the sand,  the Akumal Microfiber beach towel is our new go-to.  

Size: This towel smooths out into an extra large beach blanket, but rolls up extra small, hardly taking up any room in our beach bag. We used to debate whether to bring more than one towel, and now it's easy to throw three towels into our bag, one for each of us. It's small size and light weight, also makes it a no-brainer to bring on a hike with a great swimming spot, camping, or even in a carry-on for our next trip. 

Super absorbent: The whole point of a towel is to dry off. Even with the super thin and compact material, the Akumal Microfiber Beach Towels is way more absorbent than the bulky cotton beach towels that previously crowded our beach bags. Even if I jump in and towel off a few times, this towel still gets the job done. 

Soft and smooth: This is really getting into the nitty gritty details, but the smooth microfiber material of this towel makes the sand shake right off. No more ending up with a pile full of sand in our beach bag, car, or washing machine from shaking out our old cotton towels. Plus, it's so soft! 

Quick dry: This one is another double bonus. The towel is often dry by the time we head home, and it doesn't need endless cycles in the dryer to get it past the point of being damp. 

Sand Escape Beach Blanket 

This beach blanket is another recent addition to our beach kit. As much as we love the sand, we don't love it when it gets everywhere. We spread this beach blanket out before setting out all our gear, which helps keep us a bit less sandy.  

Size: Like the Akumal beach towels, this beach blanket wraps up into a super small bundle. It's big enough for all three of us to hang out, lay out, or maybe even hide under if there was a freak sandstorm at the beach (hey, you never know!).

Stuff bag attached: I know I'm not the only one who is always leaving something at the beach, and with the stuff bag sown into the blanket, it's one less thing I have to worry about. 

Anchor pockets: The sand anchor pockets are also sown in, which is super convenient given the pretty consistent breeze along the California coast. The nylon is really light weight, so this way I know it's not going to blow away.