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The Insider Pick:
A great beach bag needs to be spacious and rugged, ready to tote all sorts of sundries to and from the beach and to withstand the elements including sand, sun, and water while there.
The Dezzio 10 Feature Duffle Bag manages to look great while doing all that and more thanks to its multiple unique design features.
What do you need to bring along to have a great day at the beach? Why, nothing but a few good friends or close family members, of course. The good times you share and the memories you make are all that counts. Actually, you should probably bring some sunblock, too, because your skin is going to "remember" a serious burn. A towel is a good idea, what with the hot sand and all that water there in the ocean. Speaking of hot, some chilled beverages always make a beach day better, too. Games, music, and books? Those are also welcome. And snacks. And maybe a clean shirt. And a ball and a kite, perhaps. And sunglasses and a case for your sunglasses and your phone and wallet and keys and...
My oh my, turns out you need a lot of stuff for a proper beach day after all. Not to worry, you can stuff all that beach stuff into one of the beach bags in our guide.
We have found fine beach totes that will match the budget, style considerations, and functional needs of just about every beachgoer out there, from the family with young kids to the fashion-forward young professional to the gadget-loving techie and the kids themselves.
You can count on all of the beach bags we're featuring to offer enough room for plenty of sundries and enough durability for frequent use all summer long. But we chose these varied bags not for their similarities but for their unique qualities. One has built-in USB cables while another has a built-in cooler pocket. One is sized just right for a kid while another is roomy enough for the whole family yet folds down small enough to tuck away in the glove box.
So gather up the sunblock, towels, volleyball, drinks and snacks, books, Bluetooth speaker, and all the rest of it, pick a bag, and head for the beach, baby.
Here are the best beach bags you can buy:
- Best beach bag overall: Dezzio 10 Feature Duffle Bag
- Best stylish beach bag: Nordstrom Packable Raffia Crochet Tote
- Best beach bag for kids: Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flex Octopus Beach Tote
- Best affordable beach bag: CB Station Medium Boat Tote
- Best cooler beach bag: Odyseaco Aruba Mesh Beach Tote with Cooler
- Our guide to the best beach gear you can buy
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best beach bag overall
Why you'll love it: The Dezzio 10 Feature Duffle Bag is a great beach bag based on its looks and layout, multiple pockets, comfortable carrying handles and straps, and its unique and innovative features.
On looks and quality construction alone, this Dezzio duffle-style beach bag would still be a great beach bag. Having used a Dezzio bag myself many times, I can tell you it is durable and capable, ready to be loaded with books, beach toys, towels, drinks and snacks, sunblock, a kid's lifejacket, and all the other stuff my family brings along for a day at the beach.
As you can expect from any good beach bag, the Dezzio has several different pockets that allow you to keep your things organized and separated. There is a large side pocket that's perfect for sandy footwear or damp bathing suits. There are internal pockets for phones and keys. A small external pocket is great for sunglasses or sunblock. And so on.
But now let's talk about a few features you probably aren't expecting but that, if you're like me, you'll never want to be without again. Opposite the "sandal pocket" is another side pouch, this one that is insulated and waterproof so it keeps drinks and foods cold and fresh. Inside one interior pocket you will find a pair of USB cables that can be hooked up to a battery pack and allow for easy charging of your small devices anywhere you go.
Perhaps my favorite feature of all is the zippered bottom panel of the Dezzio 10 Feature Duffle. This stiff lower panel can be opened wide, revealing a mesh bottom of the bag that will keep all of your stuff in place while allowing any sand that made its way into your Dezzio to fall out. If that seems like an inconsequential feature, then you, sir or madam, have not spent much time at the beach.
A writer from TrendHunter called the Dezzio bag "designed with efficiency in mind," praising its ability to keep your things organized, your devices charged, and "offering ample space" for everything from "flip flops... to drinks."
Pros: Multi-function design, durable and handsome, sand- and water-repellent exterior
Cons: Expensive for a beach bag
Buy the Dezzio 10 Feature Duffle Bag on Amazon for $110
The best stylish beach bag
Why you'll love it: The Nordstrom Packable Raffia Crochet Tote is a great beach bag precisely because it hardly looks like a beach bag at all.
If you were to use the Nordstrom Packable Raffia Crochet Tote bag as your go-to all-purpose carry-all bag, you would be using it right. This tote is perfectly suited to helping you bring along your phone, wallet, a magazine, a snack, a water bottle, keys, and all the other accouterment of everyday life.
It's also roomy and solid enough to be used as a grocery bag, ready to carry that carton of milk, bag of salad, fresh fruits, and whatever else you need to pick up during a quick trip to the market. But the fact that the bag folds down well for easy travel yet has a roomy main compartment that can be loaded with stuff makes it the perfect choice for a vacation beach bag.
Also, just take a look at this bag. Its natural tan color and handsome woven exterior all but demand to be used during the sunny summer months. The fabric-lined interior will help keep sand off your stuff, while a zippered inner pocket and second open topped pouch allow for secure and organized storage of a few choice items. Thanks to its stylish looks and versatility, this is a great choice for anyone whose travels often lead them to the shore.
One Nordstrom shopper called the Packable Raffia Crochet Tote a "fantastic summer tote" that's "great for the beach, for travel, or [as] an overnight bag." Another loved that this "beach bag... is packable" and fits easily in a suitcase.
Pros: Stylish exterior design, packs down well for travel, suitable for myriad uses
Cons: Faux leather handles don't age well
Buy the Nordstrom Packable Raffia Crochet Tote at Nordstrom for $99
The best beach bag for kids
Why you'll love it: Kids will love the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flex Octopus Beach Tote because it's charming and just the right size.
Yes, the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flex Octopus Beach Tote is totally cute — just look at that googly-eyed octopus there with his big smile and little nose and legs and such. That's one good reason your kids will love it. Another is that the bag's main compartment is the perfect size for holding their beach stuff, like a shovel and pail, a ball or two, a small towel, and so forth.
An outer pocket is just right for holding a book, some snacks, and other items that shouldn't get sandy. Speaking of sand, one of the features parents will love about this bag is the mesh bottom that allows sand to sluice through and water to drip out.
Another thing parents will love about this little beach bag is the little price tag. At about fourteen bucks, this bag will fit the budget of any beach-bound family. You won't even mind if the tote wears out after a single season of heavy use. Which it might, because frankly, this thing is hardly indestructible, but given the affordable price, that's unlikely to surprise anyone.
With several dozen reviews posted on Amazon, the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flex Octopus Beach Tote has a fine 4.5-star average rating. One mom calls it "perfect for toddlers" thanks to the bag's size and design. Another parent said the bag was a great choice for a "daughters 5th birthday," so you can be assured the tote works for kids of many ages.
Pros: Perfect size for kids, mesh bottom for drainage, charming design
Cons: Not very durable
Buy the Melissa & Doug Sunny Patch Flex Octopus Beach Tote on Amazon for $14
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