Before kids, going to the beach meant I brought a towel and a book with me. Now it means I almost have to rent a U-haul to carry all our beach gear.
And storing it all at home can be tricky.
In this article we’ll look at 10 beach gear storage ideas so that storing and accessing the gear won’t sour our beach days.
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How to store beach gear? List of beach gear storage ideas
A lot of articles I write involve ways to store one particular item – like how to store socks.
But beach gear is a broad term that can encompass lots of different stuff from bulky items like paddle boards to smaller items like sand toys.
So this article contains a variety of storage options to reflect the variety of beach gear out there.
Enjoy!
Beach Bags (great for small items and beach towels)
Mesh beach bags are a popular choice for carrying beach essentials.
We have a Vulken brand of beach bag (pictured above) that has lots of storage pockets and a zipper on the main compartment.
I think it is perfect for holding our beach items like towels, sunscreen, unrefrigerated snacks and goggles. (I use a different option to store bigger items which I share below.)
It’s fairly large, and when fully packed it can be a bit bulky, but it has a shoulder strap so I find it easy to bring to the beach.
We got ours on Amazon three years ago and it has held up well to many trips to the beach and swimming pool.
It has helped us. Will it help you too?
You can click here to see the current price on Amazon.
Beach Tote Bags / Car Trunk Organizer
Because of the large rectangular shape of this tote bag, many people use it as car trunk organizer that doubles as a beach bag or grocery bag.
I haven’t tried this bag, but it currently has a crazy-high rating on Amazon with thousands of customer-submitted ratings.
I think having a prepared beach bag in the trunk is a great idea.
It allows you to quickly get some water and snacks and head to the beach. It eliminates some of the hassle of getting everything together.
Just make sure to take wet towels and the damp bag out of the trunk to fully air dry. We don’t want mildew to grow.
Mesh Bag for Beach Toys
This is what we use to store and carry our daughter’s sand toys.
Mesh bags are a practical solution for beach toys because you you can easily shake the sand out of the bag.
And the mesh holes allow it to dry quickly.
We give the toys a quick rinse in the lake to get most of the sand off, then just toss the toys in the bag.
And we don’t have a fancy or specialized mesh bag…we just use one marketed as a drawstring laundry bag.
I find them a better choice than small buckets because it is a little tricky getting the sand out of buckets. (Though small buckets with handles are great for kids to carry around their own toys.)
Beach Gear Wall Rack
A beach gear wall rack is a great way to organize your beach items if you have the wall space.
They’re easy to install – especially with exposed wall studs!
Gear racks like this popular option from StoreYourBoard can hold bags, chairs, umbrellas, life jackets, surfboards, and more. The particular product has 4 adjustable hooks.
RELATED ARTICLE: Check out our article on Beach Chair Storage Ideas.
Overhead Storage Racks
Overhead storage racks in your garage or utility room are great for maximizing space… and they keep the floor clear of your stuff.
Flat shelves like this one from FLEXIMOUNTS are a good place to store totes, beach umbrellas, inflatable SUP’s and other beach gear. (The product photo above shows totes, but just imagine your beach gear up there.)
Make sure to install the racks properly and check the rack’s weight capacity.
Plus, be careful getting your stuff down. You don’t want to drop it on your car, hurt yourself or someone else.
Because it’ll require climbing a ladder or step stool, this isn’t the best option for people with mobility issues.
Overhead Surfboard Rack (works for Standup Paddleboards too)
The company StoreYourBoard makes a lot of great organizers for sports gear. This is their overhead standup paddleboard and surfboard rack.
We have an inflatable standup paddleboard so we haven’t tried this ourselves, but it is really highly-rated.
If you want to store your boards in a nice “out of the way” spot, check this out.
Store it in a Storage Cabinet
This isn’t the most elegant solution, but it has really helped us keep our beach stuff together.
Here is a picture of me putting our beach gear into the storage cabinet that I recently painted. (That is why I’m wearing paint-covered coveralls in the picture.)
The compartment at the bottom is a great size to store our Tommy Bahama beach chairs and beach mats.
Then the adjustable shelves allow me to move them around to fit our other beach gear.
What I like most about this option is knowing where everything is. Now I don’t have the chairs over in one spot, toys in another and the beach shade tent somewhere else.
I have this cabinet outside in our carport. It’s easy to grab stuff, load up the vehicle and head to the beach.
I got lucky and found these plywood cabinets on Facebook Marketplace, but you can find similar cabinets from places like the Home Depot. (They’d likely be made of metal though so make sure your stuff is dry so it doesn’t rust the cabinet.)
Get a Waterproof Outdoor Deck Box
A large outdoor storage box (commonly called a deck box) can be a good place to store your beach gear.
At my uncle’s beach house he has a couple of boxes like this and uses it to store his grandkids’ beach toys, life jackets, etc…
I don’t have a pic of from his house, but above is a product photo giving you the general idea.
Laundry Baskets (simple option)
Another simple way to store small beach gear like googles, towels and beach mats is in a laundry basket.
The holes in the laundry basket will allow sand to fall through and air to circulate. This can be an easy “grab and go” beach organizer.
Rolling Mesh Organizer
This has wheels, so technically it is portable, but this storage option isn’t intended to be brought to the beach.
Instead, I think this option is best for someone who has a beach house.
You can toss your larger beach gear (like floats) into the main compartment and store sunscreens, goggles, and small toys in the side mesh pockets.
And because it is mesh, you can drape a wet beach towel over the side to dry off.
Hopefully one of these ideas has helped you.
Finding the right beach gear storage solution depends on:
- your available space
- the amount of gear you have
- and your personal preferences.
Each of these ideas has its advantages, so choose the one that best fits the type of gear you need to store.
Thank you.
Tim from LearnAlongWithMe.com
Tim worked in construction for a few years before going to university. Then he worked in a pharmacy for 10 years and now works as a full-time writer and online publisher. He has experience in several different, far-reaching lines of work.
“I sincerely hope you find the articles helpful and informative.”
Tim from LearnAlongWithMe.com
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