It’s time to switch your heavy duty, winter bag stuffed with emergency cold medicine and long forgotten cough drops to your lightweight, summer bag filled with everything you need for spontaneous sunbathing in the park or a last minute hike. We’ve got your covered with everything from the bag to snacks and sunscreen that will have you prepared all summer long.
The Bag: Seabags Recycled Sail Tote Bag
These bags are perfectly made for summer: they are eco-friendly, quick drying, and come in a variety of patterns perfect for everyone. Seabags are made in the heart of Portland, Maine’s waterfront with materials sourced in the US, mostly even from New England. Sails are locally sourced then thoroughly cleaned before being handmade into functional, stylish totes, duffels, and even wine bags. While we love this Mariner Stripe Handbag for daily use, the Ogunquit Beach Tote is ready for any weekend getaway. The easy to clean bag has a zippered interior pocket for valuables, an exterior pocket for wet items, three interior pockets for easy organization, and grommets in the base to let any errant grains of sand escape without turning your whole bag upside down. Once you start using a Seabag you’ll fall in love and want to fill your life with their pillows, jewelry, and more.
Sunscreen: TropicSport
Everyone knows how important sunscreen is, so having some handy is absolutely essential. We love TropicSport for a few reasons: it’s chemical free (aka safe for the ocean), water resistant, full of vitamins and essential oils, and comes in a variety of handy sizes perfect for your purse. We always have the coconut lip balm, face stick, and 3-ounce keychain in our bag, all travel friendly sizes you can transfer from bag to bag all year long. This bundle is another great place to start as it comes with the lip balm, face stick, and sunscreen along with vanilla coconut facial moisturizer and coconut aloe face cleanser.
After Sun: OUAI After Sun Body Soother
Yes, we always wear sunscreen, but sometimes we make a mistake and end up burnt. Enter cult brand OUAI’s first non-hair product. The limited-edition After Sun Body Soother is a foam that super-cools and sounds like pop-rocks upon contact, soothing and hydrating your skin after time in the sun. You’ll actually be able to feel the aloe-infused bubbles, rose hip oil, and cucumber extract instantly working your magic to soothe and hydrate your dry, sun exposed skin.
Water Bottle: HYDY Estiva Infusion Bottle
Just like sunscreen, hydration is KEY. If you find water a bit boring, this water bottle is perfect for you. The 20-ounce bottle has a strainer at its center that you can fill with your favorite fruits, veggies, and herbs (we love strawberry basil, cucumber melon, or watermelon mint). The bottles are also perfect for brewing hot or iced tea on the go as they are safe for temperatures ranging from -4 to 212˚F. The bottles are made from a BPA-free, clear as glass material, come in a variety of colors, and have even won international design awards. The silicone coating will also ensure that everything else in your bag stays free from condensation.
Snacks: Kate’s Real Food Energy Bars
There are so many bars on the market, and it’s impossible to know if they’ll taste good before you buy. We are vouching for these energy bars from Kate’s Real Food as they are the tastiest energy snack we’ve ever tried. The hand rolled bars were created by Kate Schade as fuel for her backcountry skiing adventures in Jackson Hole in the late ’90s and came to market in 2010. The bars are all organic, gluten free, non-GMO, and kosher. Each bar has a recommenced two servings (though we haven’t been able to resist finishing one in a single go) and the packaging easily twists up so you can save the rest for later. Stash one of your favorite flavor (if you can pick just one) in your bag for an on-the-go pick-me-up at all times.
Ultimate Comfort: Body Glide for Her
Nothing is worse than uncomfortable chafing caused by skin-to-skin contact in your summer skirts, shorts, and dresses. Body Glide for Her is the perfect way to avoid chafing and skip the downtime caused by discomfort. The balm rolls on the skin and provides a barrier to stop chafing before it begins. The unique formula is all-natural and enriched with vitamin F to moisturize sensitive skin. It’s made from plant-derived wax so it doesn’t harm clothes and is water and perspiration resistant. Keep one stick next to your deodorant to apply to your thighs and bra line when you get dressed and another in your bag in case you need more throughout the day. You won’t believe you ever went without it!
