Beach Tents and Sun Shelters

Gorich Beach Tent Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach and Ocean Gear

Gorich Beach Tent Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A retired school nurse in Gulf Shores takes her three grandkids to the beach most summer weekends. Here is what a full season with the Gorich beach tent actually looked like.

Gorich Beach Tent vs a Pop-Up Beach Tent: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?
Beach Gear

Gorich Beach Tent vs a Pop-Up Beach Tent: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

10 Reasons a Beach Tent Keeps Grandkids Cool and Safe
Beach Gear

10 Reasons a Beach Tent Keeps Grandkids Cool and Safe

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

The Beach Tent That Changed Our Grandkid Days
Beach Gear

The Beach Tent That Changed Our Grandkid Days

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

How to Set Up a Beach Tent in Wind With the Gorich
Beach Gear

How to Set Up a Beach Tent in Wind With the Gorich

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach, and has fought a beach tent in a Gulf breeze more times than she can count.

Gorich Beach Tent Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Gear

Gorich Beach Tent Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach. What the Gorich beach tent gets right, what it does not, and what I would change.

Beach Wagons

Originsure Beach Wagon Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach Gear

Originsure Beach Wagon Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A full summer of hauling chairs, coolers, and three small grandkids across Gulf Shores sand. What worked, what wobbled, and whether I would buy it again.

Originsure Beach Wagon vs a Folding Utility Wagon: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?
Beach Gear

Originsure Beach Wagon vs a Folding Utility Wagon: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?

The Originsure beach wagon and a folding utility wagon look similar in a store aisle. On soft sand, they are not the same wagon at all. Here is which one belongs in your trunk.

10 Reasons a Beach Wagon Saves a Grandma's Back
Beach Gear

10 Reasons a Beach Wagon Saves a Grandma's Back

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

One Trip From the Car: How a Wagon Changed Beach Day
Beach Gear

One Trip From the Car: How a Wagon Changed Beach Day

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

How to Haul Beach Gear Across Soft Sand With the Originsure Wagon
Beach Gear

How to Haul Beach Gear Across Soft Sand With the Originsure Wagon

A step-by-step routine for getting chairs, a cooler, and three grandkids' worth of beach gear across soft sand without arriving already tired.

Originsure Beach Wagon Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Gear

Originsure Beach Wagon Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

A full summer of beach days with three grandkids taught me what the Originsure Beach Wagon does well and where it falls short.

Kids' Life Jackets

Body Glove Paddle Pals Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Water Safety

Body Glove Paddle Pals Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A full season with the Body Glove Paddle Pals, told by a grandmother who hauled it across the sand every weekend.

Body Glove Paddle Pals vs Arm Floaties: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?
Kids' Swim Safety

Body Glove Paddle Pals vs Arm Floaties: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?

A retired school nurse and grandmother of three compares the Body Glove Paddle Pals kids' life jacket to classic arm floaties after a full summer of Gulf Shores beach days.

10 Reasons a Kids Life Vest Gives Grandparents Peace of Mind
Beach and Ocean Gear for Families

10 Reasons a Kids Life Vest Gives Grandparents Peace of Mind

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

The Little Life Vest That Let Me Relax at the Water
Beach Gear

The Little Life Vest That Let Me Relax at the Water

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

How to Fit a Kids Life Jacket Properly With Paddle Pals
Kids' Swim Safety

How to Fit a Kids Life Jacket Properly With Paddle Pals

A retired school nurse and grandmother of three walks you through the five-step fit check she uses on the sand before any grandkid touches the water.

Body Glove Paddle Pals Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Kids Swim Safety

Body Glove Paddle Pals Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

A retired school nurse and grandmother of three shares what three summers with the Body Glove Paddle Pals taught her, including the parts she would change if she could.

Beach Chairs

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach Gear

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A retired school nurse in Gulf Shores spent a full summer hauling three grandkids to the beach. Here is what a season of use taught her about the GCI Outdoor Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair.

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair vs a Low Sand Chair: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?
Beach Gear

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair vs a Low Sand Chair: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?

I have hauled three grandkids, a cooler, and a bag of sand toys across soft sand more weekends than I can count. Here is how the GCI Outdoor Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair stacks up against a low sand chair when the day is long and the sun is hot.

10 Reasons a Beach Chair With a Canopy Works for Grandparents
Beach Gear

10 Reasons a Beach Chair With a Canopy Works for Grandparents

Notes from a grandmother who hauls three grandkids, a cooler, and a bag of sand toys across a long stretch of soft sand most summer weekends.

My Own Shade at the Water's Edge: The GCI Chair Story
Beach Gear

My Own Shade at the Water's Edge: The GCI Chair Story

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

How to Sit Comfortably at the Beach for Hours With the GCI Chair
Beach Gear

How to Sit Comfortably at the Beach for Hours With the GCI Chair

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach. How to set up, recline, shade, and actually stay comfortable for hours.

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Chairs

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach, plus the two or three things I would change if I could.

Beach Cooler Bags

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach and Ocean Gear

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

I carried this soft cooler across soft sand every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Here is what held up, what surprised me, and what I would tell a friend.

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag vs a Hard Cooler: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?
Beach Coolers

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag vs a Hard Cooler: Which Is Better for Family Beach Days?

Six beach trips with three grandkids taught me which cooler earns its place in the trunk. Here is the honest comparison.

10 Reasons a Soft Cooler Bag Beats a Hard Cooler at the Beach
Beach Gear

10 Reasons a Soft Cooler Bag Beats a Hard Cooler at the Beach

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

The Cooler Bag That Carried Every Grandkid Snack
Beach Gear

The Cooler Bag That Carried Every Grandkid Snack

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

How to Keep a Cooler Bag Cold All Day at the Beach With the Lifewit
Beach and Ocean Gear

How to Keep a Cooler Bag Cold All Day at the Beach With the Lifewit

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Coolers

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

All Reviews

Gorich Beach Tent Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach and Ocean Gear

Gorich Beach Tent Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A retired school nurse in Gulf Shores takes her three grandkids to the beach most summer weekends. Here is what a full season with the Gorich beach tent actually looked like.

Gorich Beach Tent Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Gear

Gorich Beach Tent Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach. What the Gorich beach tent gets right, what it does not, and what I would change.

Originsure Beach Wagon Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach Gear

Originsure Beach Wagon Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A full summer of hauling chairs, coolers, and three small grandkids across Gulf Shores sand. What worked, what wobbled, and whether I would buy it again.

Originsure Beach Wagon Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Gear

Originsure Beach Wagon Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

A full summer of beach days with three grandkids taught me what the Originsure Beach Wagon does well and where it falls short.

Body Glove Paddle Pals Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Water Safety

Body Glove Paddle Pals Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A full season with the Body Glove Paddle Pals, told by a grandmother who hauled it across the sand every weekend.

Body Glove Paddle Pals Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Kids Swim Safety

Body Glove Paddle Pals Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

A retired school nurse and grandmother of three shares what three summers with the Body Glove Paddle Pals taught her, including the parts she would change if she could.

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach Gear

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

A retired school nurse in Gulf Shores spent a full summer hauling three grandkids to the beach. Here is what a season of use taught her about the GCI Outdoor Sunshade Backpack Beach Chair.

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Chairs

GCI Sunshade Beach Chair Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach, plus the two or three things I would change if I could.

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids
Beach and Ocean Gear

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Review: A Season of Beach Days With Three Grandkids

I carried this soft cooler across soft sand every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Here is what held up, what surprised me, and what I would tell a friend.

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change
Beach Coolers

Lifewit Beach Cooler Bag Honest Review: What I Like and What I Would Change

Real notes from a grandmother who takes three young grandkids to the beach.

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