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- [00:01]
Kyra Blackwell
The Wirecutter show is supported by Intuit QuickBooks. Do you own a business that's ready to thrive? It's time to let Intuit QuickBooks take things like unpaid invoices and tracking expenses off your plate so you can take things to the next level. QuickBooks is a powerful AI driven, all in one business solution that can help with day to day tasks like invoicing expenses and taxes. QuickBooks can help you unlock the growth in your business so you can get back to enjoying your business. Manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks your way to money. Get 90% off for 3 months. Limited time only terms and conditions apply.
- [00:36]
Kit Dillon
Imagine this beach that we're all gonna go and there's like sun and there's sand and there's wind and we're like, oh, I can't wait to get there. And then we spend the entire day sort of trying to mitigate and block the sun and the wind and like too much sand.
- [00:50]
Christine Cyrclassette
I'm Christine Cyrclassette.
- [00:52]
Kyra Blackwell
I'm Kyra Blackwell.
- [00:53]
Rosie Guerin
I'm Rosie Garant and. And you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.
- [01:02]
Christine Cyrclassette
This episode is called A Day at the Beach.
- [01:12]
Rosie Guerin
Hi, guys.
- [01:12]
Christine Cyrclassette
Hey there.
- [01:13]
Rosie Guerin
I'm coming in hot with something. You didn't ask about me.
- [01:17]
Christine Cyrclassette
Oh, wonderful.
- [01:18]
Rosie Guerin
You did not ask to know this, but I'm going to tell you that I'm not much of a summer beach person.
- [01:22]
Christine Cyrclassette
Sacrilege. What do you mean?
- [01:24]
Rosie Guerin
Does that surprise you?
- [01:25]
Christine Cyrclassette
No, it doesn't actually surprise me.
- [01:27]
Rosie Guerin
I like. I like the beach. In the winter.
- [01:29]
Kyra Blackwell
She's always in her flannel gear bag.
- [01:32]
Rosie Guerin
You know, the vibes. Summer beach in New York and New Jersey, it's the crowds, the heat, the schlepping. It's not my vibe.
- [01:41]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah, I get that there are a lot of people on the beach out here in the summertime, but I love the beach. I will go to the beach every weekend. I love it so much. It's so great.
- [01:50]
Kyra Blackwell
I really can't do it either. I'm kind of in between you and Rosie. I just want to fly out to somewhere warm with clear water and not bring anything with me except my bathing suit and a towel.
- [01:59]
Christine Cyrclassette
Now, I. I can get behind that idea too. But one thing I have to say about the beach, and this is not just the beach, this is also going to the lake with my family in the summertime or even hanging out at friends who have pools out in the suburbs or whatever, is that this is really a category where I really do think you need to have the right gear to make the day, you gotta have the shade, you've gotta have something comfortable sit on. It can really make the day better. So we are going to talk about that a little bit today. We're going to bring on our resident beach expert, Kit Dillon. He is a senior staff writer on our outdoor and travel team. Kit lives in Hawaii where he tests a bunch of beach gear for us. He's also a surfer, so he's spending a lot of time in the water and on the beach. He basically does beach very, very well.
- [02:44]
Kyra Blackwell
Yeah, his job is beach.
- [02:45]
Christine Cyrclassette
That's right.
- [02:46]
Kyra Blackwell
I love it.
- [02:48]
Christine Cyrclassette
We're going to take a quick break and when we're back we'll talk with Kit Dillon about how to uplevel your beach gear. We'll be right back.
- [03:02]
Unknown
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- [03:32]
Kyra Blackwell
Welcome back. With us now is Kit Dillon, who's a senior writer on Wirecutter's travel and outdoors team. He's also a surfer who spends a lot of time on the beach. His whole job is actually beach. Like Ken from Barbie, Kit has written a bunch of our guides to beach shelters, coolers, beach bags and all kinds of other beach gear. And he also covers luggage and you may have heard him a few months back on our episode about that.
- [03:54]
Christine Cyrclassette
Kit, welcome. It's great to have you back.
- [03:56]
Kit Dillon
Hi. It's good to be back, Kit.
- [03:58]
Rosie Guerin
It sounds very oppressive to be known as the Ken of Wirecutter. What are you doing all day? Are you just sort of sitting on beach chairs staring out at the Pacific? Is that you calling that testing?
- [04:11]
Kit Dillon
That is actually a lot of the testing, yeah. As absurd as that is.
- [04:15]
Rosie Guerin
I love this for you.
- [04:17]
Kit Dillon
It's really nice. No, it's, it's a good, it's a good part of the job.
- [04:19]
Rosie Guerin
So. How so? So tell me, I mean, within the scope of a day at the beach, what does testing look like?
- [04:25]
Kit Dillon
You know, the actual testing part is really great because like you said, you're just sitting there and you're trying to enjoy the things you have setting it up and sort of getting to the beach is a total pain and it's sort of tripled because you're bringing everything you need to go to the beach. Normally then you bring everything you're testing to go to the beach to use. And then there's sort of all the, like, ephemera that comes with opening boxes at the beach and then dragging this up back and forth.
- [04:46]
Christine Cyrclassette
People must think you're a weirdo.
- [04:47]
Kit Dillon
You. You look. You an absolute. Yeah, it's nuts.
- [04:51]
Rosie Guerin
It's like you're going to live.
- [04:53]
Kit Dillon
It looks so crazy. Like there'd be like eight shelters just in a row, and there's just like, one guy, like, sitting under each one. You know, I try to find very private places, and even then, it's like people walk by and you're like, oh.
- [05:05]
Christine Cyrclassette
Why is this guy on this deserted beach with like, eight shelters? This is weird.
- [05:08]
Rosie Guerin
Well, the thing is, is, like, you know, it can't be overstated that not all things that folks at Wirecutter test end up as pigs. So you're testing stuff that is, like, might not be the vibe.
- [05:19]
Kit Dillon
Absolutely.
- [05:20]
Christine Cyrclassette
But you're. You're not just testing in Hawaii. You've got people testing or you're testing in other places, too, right?
- [05:26]
Kit Dillon
Yeah. So we try and get these things all over the country, largely California, a little bit in New Jersey and New York, some bits of the Carolinas, you know, just trying to sort of test for all the different kind of conditions and types of beaches. There actually seem to be many types of beaches that you can go to, and some equipment works a lot better in some places than others. And we can get into that.
- [05:47]
Christine Cyrclassette
I want to know, Kit, obviously anyone could just get whatever for the beach. You could just get a little flimsy umbrella. You could bring whatever you have at home. What is your case for getting some beach equipment that's really good beach equipment? Does it actually make your day better at the beach?
- [06:03]
Kit Dillon
I really think it does. There is sort of a limit. There's a bar, I think, with beach gear, where if you. If you do get the kind of right stuff and the slightly better stuff, it does make the day just easier. Usually the stuff that's a little bit better is lighter. It's easier to set up. It's usually a little bit stronger. You're more comfortable. All the sort of things you want are just there and then. And then easier to use, which ultimately. Which is if you're dragging it from a car to the beach, back and forth. Yeah. The beach is like a weird place. It's pretty strange.
- [06:31]
Christine Cyrclassette
Tell us more. What do you mean?
- [06:33]
Kit Dillon
Well, there's a friction to it kind of. Right. You know, we sort of go. We imagine this great place. We imagine this beach that we're all going to go and there's like, sun and there's sand and there's wind, and we're like, oh, I can't wait to get there. And then we spend the entire sort of trying to mitigate and block the sun and the wind and, like, too much sand and the water's too cold and, you know, I need something to put over myself to cover Everything sort of becomes about defending against the very place. And then we leave, we go. That was amazing. What a good time. What a great day.
- [06:59]
Rosie Guerin
This is my diatribe about the beach. This is like, I'm like, you go to the beach in November to take a walk and you can look around and you see the water and you see the thing, or you go to the beach in the summer to surf. It's like, I'm going to, but I don't want to go and schlek and then just fart around.
- [07:17]
Christine Cyrclassette
Oh, so you're very beach task oriented. You want to have a beach.
- [07:21]
Kyra Blackwell
She was in my itinerary.
- [07:22]
Christine Cyrclassette
You're going to do something. I think that the scenario that you just described, Kit, of, you know, sort of struggling on the beach to enjoy yourself and then afterwards feeling like it was a really good time. I feel like there's a lot of things in life that are worthwhile doing that are like that. Like childbirth, childbirth, parenting. Like, you know, these are. Kyra's looking at us like, oh, God.
- [07:42]
Kit Dillon
It speaks to the human condition. I think, you know, for sure that.
- [07:45]
Christine Cyrclassette
Little struggle is good for us. You know, like, if it's too, too easy, we won't appreciate it, I think.
- [07:50]
Kit Dillon
Yeah.
- [07:54]
Kyra Blackwell
Okay. You've done all of this gear testing and you obviously spent a ton of time on the beach. What are the items you think are really worth investing in?
- [08:04]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, I know. It's. I mean, the easiest ones are beach shelter, a very good chair, and a cooler. Pretty much, you've got yourself covered.
- [08:13]
Kyra Blackwell
Okay, so walk us through that one by one. Let's start with the beach seltzer. What is that and what makes a good one?
- [08:20]
Kit Dillon
They've been coming out with these new types of. If you, if you forget about the classic beach umbrella that we all know, they're coming out with these new stretchy fabrics that are held up by tent poles or they sort of float in the wind a little bit. They're these kind of large coverings that can kind of give you a lot more shade over a bigger area than a normal umbrella. And you're not sort of chasing that shade around because you have this sort of big postage stamp that you can sit under. And the good ones can fit, you know, four or six people under them. So these are becoming kind of a lot more common now.
- [08:52]
Kyra Blackwell
And if it's just a piece of cloth, and I imagine it's a lot easier to pack. Right. You're not bringing like a whole tent to the beach.
- [08:58]
Kit Dillon
Right. They're super light. An umbrella can sometimes be like this six foot, kind of heavy thing you got to put on your shoulder. If you're trying to include a chair. You know, there's always sort of that image of like the beach dad dragging, like, four things. You see it every time you go down. You see this sort of one family with, like, just too much stuff. This is one way to, like, cut that down a little bit.
- [09:16]
Kyra Blackwell
And what's your pick for that?
- [09:18]
Kit Dillon
So there's one which we can get into, which is. It's. It's so specific that we have to kind of talk a little bit about it. The other one is. This is sort of sun Ninja. It's nice. It's nylon, stretchy fabric over these aluminum tubes. It kind of looks like a Bedouin tent. If you imagine briefly what a bedouin tent looks like in your mind, then that's kind of what this looks like.
- [09:37]
Rosie Guerin
What's the first one that we need to dive deep into?
- [09:41]
Kit Dillon
The deep dive one is called the Shibumi, which has. It's a terrible name, but that's what it's called.
- [09:46]
Christine Cyrclassette
Let me break out my Shibumi. That's.
- [09:48]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, I know.
- [09:49]
Rosie Guerin
Honey, did you bring the shibumi?
- [09:53]
Kit Dillon
That's an interesting, very unique design. I love it. TikTok does not love it. And it's essentially just a arc of aluminum tubing, very thin aluminum tubing like you'd find in a camping tent. And a light piece of parasailing fabric stretched across this, and the wind kind of hits this. And then ideally this will sort of float in the levitate over your heads suspended from this one arc of single tubing. So it's very elegant. It does work as long as the winds are sort of constant and light and from one direction.
- [10:29]
Christine Cyrclassette
Am I correct that this was developed down in North Carolina?
- [10:32]
Kit Dillon
Correct.
- [10:32]
Christine Cyrclassette
I was on a vacation down there a couple years ago, and I. I looked out at the beach and there were like 50 of these on the sand. They're like a turquoise and a dark blue color. Everyone had the same one. And I remember thinking, the wind here is perfect for these. But I feel like back in New York, I'm not sure that these would work so well. And I actually don't see that many of them up here.
- [10:54]
Kit Dillon
You really do need somewhere like the Carolinas or Florida to a degree as well, where you have just a constant breeze from the water to the shore. And it has to always sort of be the same direction in South Carolina basically is like that. You know, all summer long just one direction hits the shore. And in Hawaii we get sort of variable winds. So it can work really well. The nice thing about it is it actually is really good against like assaulting winds. You know, if you, if you have really high winds, this thing will be fine, but it's as loud it can be. You know, when you're sitting under it, it's sort of whipping away.
- [11:24]
Kyra Blackwell
So it sounds like a flag blowing in the wind.
- [11:26]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, like a huge flag.
- [11:28]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah.
- [11:28]
Kit Dillon
So they've also now they've come out with a sort of wind assist aspect to it, which are these tie downs that sort of hold the ends down. So when you have no wind you can kind of stretch it out a bit like a lean to, which makes it an excellent product. It's just one of these things that it can be so great and it's so light and so easy to carry and so easy to set up. One person can do it in about a minute that we can't not make it a pick because it's just, it's just an amazing to use. But when it doesn't work, it can be irritating for some people.
- [11:55]
Christine Cyrclassette
I think we have. My family has a beach shelter and it's like much more cumbersome than this. And my husband and I, fortunately we get along and we can, we can put it together without fighting. But I have witnessed a lot of other people on the beach putting together beach shelters and it does. Ruining their marriage does seem like a source of tension, especially if it's like a poor design that's hard to put up or it just doesn't do well in wind. I think that's one case for getting a good shelter, is to just save a relationship. What about umbrellas? Like if somebody's listening and they're like, I don't want a shelter. Sounds like too much of a pain. Surely there are good options. I've seen some, but I'm not sure what qualifies as like a good umbrella because I think the classic problem with the umbrella is it's. It's either like this flimsy thing, a little bit of wind happens and it's like a tumbleweed down the beach and they don't provide that much shade generally. So what do you recommend for a good umbrella?
- [12:52]
Kit Dillon
All of it's true. There's a really big difference, I think, between the good and bad umbrellas. So when I was young, we used to go to Maine a lot. And some of my earliest memories are like our umbrella just getting caught in some wind and then whipping down the beach. And like all the parents running and trying apologizing as you sort of run. And I would have been there kit.
- [13:11]
Rosie Guerin
On that same beach in Maine. So I'm sure I caught your umbrella at least once.
- [13:16]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, so they are getting better. A lot of them come now with sort of sand augers and anchors, and they sit a the best one we found. It's called the Beach Bub. All in one umbrella system.
- [13:28]
Christine Cyrclassette
Ooh, these names.
- [13:29]
Kit Dillon
Another great name. Yeah, it is. It's like setting up, like a column in the middle of the beach. It will not go anywhere. The wind could be a hundred miles an hour, and this umbrella just. Just brushes it off.
- [13:41]
Christine Cyrclassette
So any other umbrellas you'd recommend?
- [13:43]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, so we do recommend this other sport, Brella Premier XL that sort of leans on its side.
- [13:50]
Christine Cyrclassette
Is it the kind that looks like it has, like, ear flaps that go.
- [13:53]
Kit Dillon
Down off the side, like an umbrella that tipped over. You sort of secure the edges. It creates sort of a half of a tent, half of an umbrella. They're pretty good, except obviously you have to kind of position those against the wind, because if you face it and the wind catches it, you've just created this giant wind tunnel for it to suck into and disappear. If you want one that's not like a zillion dollars, but can kind of withstand some gusts of wind. We have the coolie bar umbrella, which has a nice covering underneath the umbrella, so it does block a lot of UV ray, and it's about $75. It's pretty good. I just wouldn't expect it to stand up against strong wind.
- [14:31]
Christine Cyrclassette
So what I'm hearing, though, is if you want a really good beach shelter or umbrella, you. You got to put down some money. These are not cheap things, right? Like, how much are we talking?
- [14:39]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, I mean, the Sun Ninja is actually not too expensive. The Shibumi is in the, like, $200 range.
- [14:46]
Rosie Guerin
Looks like the 150.
- [14:50]
Kit Dillon
Yeah. So you're. You're in the hundreds for sure already.
- [14:52]
Christine Cyrclassette
But, like, in theory, some of these nicer pieces of equipment will last you longer than, like, the cheapo thing that will just die for sure.
- [14:59]
Kit Dillon
The Shibui should last almost Your whole life. I mean, you'd have to really work hard to break it. Beach bub as well is built like a tank. Yeah.
- [15:06]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah. It's just pennies per year to invest.
- [15:08]
Rosie Guerin
In your beaching future.
- [15:09]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah, that's.
- [15:14]
Kyra Blackwell
Okay. We're gonna take a quick break and then when we come back, Kit's gonna tell us his picks for the best beach chairs and coolers, plus what you can skip for your next outdoor adventure. Be right back. The Wirecutter show is supported by Intuit QuickBooks. Do you own a business that's ready to thrive? It's time to let Intuit QuickBooks take things like unpaid invoices and tracking expenses off your plate so you can take things to the next level. QuickBooks is an all in one business solution that can help with those day to day tasks like invoicing and expenses. Manage and grow your business all in one place. Intuit QuickBooks your way to money. Get 90% off for 3 months. Limited time only terms and conditions apply. Welcome back. We're here with Kit Dillon talking about the gear to invest in to make your day at the beach feel like a day at the beach. So we've covered shade. What about chairs? I love this image of you sitting down in a bunch of chairs lined up on the beach. But how do you decide what makes a really good chair?
- [16:26]
Kit Dillon
Strong, lightweight, easy to carry, and then ideally comfortable and supportive. And some notes we've been getting back from older testers especially is a lot of these beach chairs are so low to the ground that they're really difficult to get in and out of. So we've been looking for and we think we found finally a chair that's kind of a little bit higher, a little taller seated chair, but still has a reclining function in these things.
- [16:49]
Kyra Blackwell
Tell us more about that. What's the name?
- [16:51]
Kit Dillon
So that again, made by Shibumi, they just came out a lightweight, strong chair that you can clip two chairs together, carry easily on your back with one person, which is sort of an innovation, so to speak, in this world. And they make a chair that's low to the ground and. Or a model that's high to the ground and is easier to sit in. So. And reclines. And it's quite comfortable. It's not the most comfortable. That would go to the yeti, which again is an absurdly priced beach chair.
- [17:20]
Kyra Blackwell
Well, how much is it?
- [17:21]
Kit Dillon
It is over $300.
- [17:23]
Kyra Blackwell
For one beach chair.
- [17:25]
Kit Dillon
For one single beach chair.
- [17:26]
Kyra Blackwell
Seasonal beach chair.
- [17:28]
Kit Dillon
I know.
- [17:28]
Rosie Guerin
Is it like a massage chair? What is this chair doing for You.
- [17:31]
Kit Dillon
I like this chair more than I like my couch. I will take this thing and go, I'll go anywhere with it. It is so comfortable. And I think it's something about the tension that they've figured out in the fabric. It's just sort of supportive enough. It's like being cradled at the beach. I set that up with my beach bub. I'm so happy. And it's also like $600 worth of equipment.
- [17:52]
Christine Cyrclassette
So, you know, wait a minute. Is this chair like the traditional kind of like Tommy Bahama style chair that it's like? Is it like a backpack chair, beach chair that you bring to the beach and you put it down? And is it also kind of one of these lower types of beach chairs?
- [18:06]
Kit Dillon
Yep. Yeah. It reclines further than the Tommy Bahama. And imagine Tommy Bahama just oversized. It's just bigger. It's sort of a Texas sized chair.
- [18:14]
Kyra Blackwell
But what is the deal with the Tommy Bahama chairs? Because it's a very popular chair that you will see. Are those not good enough? What's the deal?
- [18:22]
Kit Dillon
They're our top pick. They're still our top pick. They're light, they're easy to carry, they're not too expensive. They are comfortable, they're low to the ground. It's just, you know, they've been the standard for so long that, you know, companies come in and they start to use new materials and they make things a little stronger. There's a lot of room to improve. But again, it's the beach. How comfortable are you ever really going to be at the beach? And why are you trying to be comfortable at the beach? Because it's sort of inherently an uncomfortable place.
- [18:48]
Rosie Guerin
This is the existential thinking that I.
- [18:50]
Kit Dillon
Like when talking about the beach.
- [18:53]
Rosie Guerin
Let's not be frivolous when we talk about the beach. Let's be real.
- [19:03]
Christine Cyrclassette
YETI makes amazing coolers. We recommend a few of them. You've mentioned that coolers are something that we should be thinking about for the beach. I have long had this like terrible igloo cooler that I think I got at a cvs. But if we're talking coolers for the beach, what do you recommend?
- [19:19]
Kit Dillon
We do like yeti.
- [19:20]
Christine Cyrclassette
But like, how much better is a yeti cooler?
- [19:23]
Kit Dillon
It's not that much better for most people.
- [19:25]
Christine Cyrclassette
Okay.
- [19:25]
Kit Dillon
There's certain things that yeti does really well. They're really sturdy. I mean, originally they were designed to stand on to fish from off of a boat. They just wanted something structurally fair, very sturdy. You know, two 250 pound person could stand up on it and cast away without sort of tipping over. Tipping over the boat. That was sort of the original intention. They have about 3 inches of insulation all the way around. That's, that's the big innovation of the Yeti.
- [19:48]
Christine Cyrclassette
But you actually recommend, I think your top pick in our guide is this brand. RTIC is. Am I saying that right?
- [19:54]
Kit Dillon
Arctic.
- [19:54]
Rosie Guerin
Arctic.
- [19:55]
Christine Cyrclassette
No. Come on.
- [19:57]
Kit Dillon
Arctic Circle. Rtic. Circle, yeah.
- [20:01]
Christine Cyrclassette
Now you know.
- [20:01]
Kit Dillon
Yeah. No. So for most cases we like the Arctic. It's basically the amount of performance. The one we particularly like is this ultra lightweight. It's inexpensive, really good insulation, particularly on top where it matters. And that's kind of replaced the. If you imagine all the. The old Coleman's, the igloos, that's sort of the 90s era of coolers have really been outclassed by this new wave of cooler companies.
- [20:29]
Christine Cyrclassette
What makes. I was at Target the other day and I saw a whole wall of these Arctic coolers next to a bunch of Coleman and Igloo. Cool. What makes these Arctic coolers better?
- [20:40]
Kit Dillon
Well, First I have 3 inches of insulation on top, which the Igloos and Coleman's almost certainly do not. The plastic that Arctic uses, just thicker, stronger, it's a sturdier material. The Yeti is even more sturdy because of its method of manufacturing. Still, if you hold up an Arctic, you're like, oh, man, this thing is. This thing's really tough.
- [21:00]
Rosie Guerin
I've got little kids. I see people on the beach hauling stuff with beach carts, for instance. My sister in law, brother in law have one. I've used it. It's great. They're so expensive. I know, like, the idea is invest in your beach experience, but who are beach carts for? Are they worth it?
- [21:19]
Kit Dillon
I think they're worth it. I don't have children yet, so I don't have one that I keep around that often.
- [21:25]
Christine Cyrclassette
I have our pick.
- [21:26]
Rosie Guerin
Rosie, did it change your life?
- [21:28]
Christine Cyrclassette
It is like getting an SUV for your beach experience. It is worth it. I think it really changed our beach experience. We were kind of like, why didn't we do this sooner? Yeah, it was like a real upgrade.
- [21:37]
Kit Dillon
I will say the city at the beach and watching people come and go and set up and do their things. And the thing that separates the pros and the amateurs is absolutely the beach cart. When you see a family come down with the beach cart, you're like, oh yeah, they know what they're doing here. They're already miles ahead of everyone else.
- [21:51]
Christine Cyrclassette
I will also say that the one that we recommend, which is the Max Sport heavy duty collapsible cart. It has these big crazy fat wheels on them that. That just kind of go over the sand really well. They're not like regular wheels. The people I see with like the regular wheels, they're like getting stuck in the sand and pulling the thing and it looks very frustrating.
- [22:11]
Rosie Guerin
You walk by and you're like sucking.
- [22:14]
Kyra Blackwell
You're gliding by, Rosie. Gliding?
- [22:16]
Kit Dillon
Yeah.
- [22:17]
Kyra Blackwell
You either.
- [22:17]
Kit Dillon
You either need a really wide plastic wheel or there's some carts that are like a very soft, thick rubber. Yeah, if you're looking at any kind of carts here somewhere, look at the wheels. First.
- [22:29]
Rosie Guerin
Kit.
- [22:30]
Kyra Blackwell
I heard that you actually just finished testing a bunch of kids pool and beach toys with a couple of other wire cutter writers. What was the coolest thing that you tested for this project?
- [22:39]
Kit Dillon
That was actually a really great project. I'm not gonna lie. It was awesome.
- [22:42]
Kyra Blackwell
Yeah, rub it in.
- [22:42]
Kit Dillon
That's fine. It was just like 30 kids at a pool and you're just throwing toys at them, being like, what do you think of this? What about this one? The coolest thing that I think we stumbled upon a number of toys. Increasingly they're made from biodegradable materials. So you'll like sand building kits that are made out of this material or things that you can like, search for inside the pool, like the little dive toys. It's nice to see people moving away from that sort of disposability. When we go to the beach particularly, but also the pool, we know there's too much plastic. So why are you bringing more plastic to this. This place?
- [23:20]
Kyra Blackwell
Well, when it's a kid's toy too, they just. They are always losing stuff. Like you take a plastic bucket to the beach and you're probably not coming home with it.
- [23:28]
Kit Dillon
Right. And so that's where actually. So this one thing that I also enjoyed was that's called the sand dipper, which is a sifter. Basically, you look like an old timey gold miner. You pick up all the sand and you sort of sifting it through this basket and then you get shells and bits. So it's fun. You know, it's a little bit exploratory if you have young children, but then afterwards when they have. When you're sort of packing up, you can go and kind of dig where they were playing and you'll find like GI Joes and whatever was probably left behind or buried.
- [23:54]
Christine Cyrclassette
I'm looking at a picture of it and it looks kind of like a cross between a sifter and a shovel.
- [23:59]
Kyra Blackwell
Oh, like A litter box scooper.
- [24:01]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah, it's almost like a big litter box scooper for your toys so you.
- [24:05]
Rosie Guerin
Can take home all the sea glass and cigarettes your hearts desire.
- [24:15]
Christine Cyrclassette
Are there any things in this beach category that you think are things that people are constantly marketed for going to the beach that you have tested that you're just like, eh, not really worth it?
- [24:24]
Kit Dillon
Yeah, no, for sure. I mean like beach blankets with like built in sand anchors that are so these nylon tarps that have these corners that you can put sand in. As if you can't just, just put down a blanket and put sand on the corners or weight it down with a chair. I mean, you know, and then the other one is, the one that's the most absurd is like sand repelling beach blankets. These things that you like fine plastic sieves that you lay out and then apparently as sand hits it, it's supposed to sort of fall through and then you just have this plastic area that you can sit on. Just don't go to the beach. If you hate sand, don't go to the beach.
- [24:58]
Christine Cyrclassette
Did you hear that, Rosie?
- [24:59]
Rosie Guerin
I heard it.
- [25:06]
Christine Cyrclassette
So what I'm hearing here is if you are dedicated and want to have a great beach summer, whether that means going to the ocean, going, hanging out by the lake, going to the pool, get some good shade, whether it's like a shelter, whether it's an umbrella, that's really where it's worth spending some money. Comfortable chairs, always going to be good. You're never going to regret that. And a cooler if you're the type of person who likes to bring yummy things to eat. And then also a cart, a cart is going to be like a real up level for people, especially families. If you're schlepping a lot of stuff.
- [25:38]
Kit Dillon
To the beach, that's about it really. Pretty much all the way there.
- [25:41]
Christine Cyrclassette
All right, keep it simple.
- [25:42]
Kit Dillon
You solved it.
- [25:44]
Christine Cyrclassette
Kit, thank you so much. It's been so great having you on the show.
- [25:47]
Kit Dillon
Oh, thanks so much for having me.
- [25:48]
Rosie Guerin
Hi Kit.
- [25:49]
Kyra Blackwell
Lovely to have you on.
- [25:53]
Christine Cyrclassette
Kyra. Rosie, are you, are you gonna change your tune? Are you gonna become beach people this summer?
- [25:59]
Kyra Blackwell
No.
- [25:59]
Rosie Guerin
Nope.
- [26:00]
Kyra Blackwell
But this was fun.
- [26:01]
Rosie Guerin
This was so fun. I loved learning about all of these things and it really confirmed my desire to not visit the beach in the summer. I have to reiterate, I love being there in the fall. I do not wanna be there between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- [26:16]
Kyra Blackwell
Rosie has rested her case and mine, so.
- [26:19]
Christine Cyrclassette
All right, well then what was for you in this episode? Like what is something that you are actually gonna take away.
- [26:26]
Kyra Blackwell
I think my takeaway is that you go wrong with the Tommy Bahama chair.
- [26:29]
Christine Cyrclassette
I think that's pretty solid.
- [26:31]
Kyra Blackwell
Yeah.
- [26:31]
Christine Cyrclassette
Pretty solid takeaway.
- [26:32]
Kyra Blackwell
I don't know if I really would use it just for a beach chair, though. I actually have been looking for a chair to just sit outside of my apartment building like an old man.
- [26:41]
Christine Cyrclassette
I've seen lots of people take them to, like, music festivals and, you know, seems like a solid chair.
- [26:46]
Rosie Guerin
Lean into that life, that Tommy Bahama life.
- [26:48]
Kyra Blackwell
Yeah, totally.
- [26:49]
Christine Cyrclassette
Get some flip flops.
- [26:50]
Rosie Guerin
We're going to the beach this summer with some family, and I'm taking some of this advice very seriously. And I'm gonna rent a car cart because, you know, I don't like the schlepping. Anything to kind of alleviate some of the tension of let's pack everything up, let's schlep it, let's put it down, and then let's schlep back.
- [27:10]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah, I think it's worth it. Just. Just spend that money. Get that cart. So I'm gonna get a new cooler. I think I'm gonna go with this. I. I hate to say this, but this arctic cooler. I hate that beevil. Yes, I will. And I'm. I'm super excited because we are gonna drop a bonus episode later this week about snacks and recipes that are great for taking to the beach. That will be with New York Times cooking editor Tanya Sachensky. I think I'll get some good ideas for what to pack in my new cooler.
- [27:38]
Rosie Guerin
That's great. Tanya is incredible. She also writes the veggie newsletter. Can't wait to talk to her. One more bonus takeaway here. I think that sums it all up is invest in yourself. Right? Invest in yourself. Take your own pulse. If you're a beach person. I love that you are, Christine. I respect you, Kyra. I see you.
- [27:58]
Kyra Blackwell
Thank you.
- [27:58]
Rosie Guerin
Treat yourself if you can invest in this stuff because it might make things a little bit simpler and it might make the day a little bit sweeter.
- [28:06]
Christine Cyrclassette
Don't suffer at the beach with things that are making your life worse.
- [28:11]
Rosie Guerin
If you want to find out more about Wirecutter's beach coverage kits reporting, go to our website or you can find a link in our show notes. That's it for us. Have fun at the beach, you all. We're gonna see you next week.
- [28:22]
Christine Cyrclassette
That's right. See ya. And don't forget to check out our podcast feed for the bonus episode.
- [28:27]
Kit Dillon
Bye.
- [28:31]
Kyra Blackwell
The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Maddie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Alicia Ba Itupe and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher is Cliff Levy. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Kyra Blackwell.
- [28:55]
Christine Cyrclassette
I'm Christine Cyrclassette.
- [28:57]
Rosie Guerin
And I'm Rosie Guerin.
- [28:58]
Kyra Blackwell
Thanks for listening. Your whole job is beach. I love it.
- [29:16]
Kit Dillon
I've got a little song, too.
- [29:18]
Christine Cyrclassette
Yeah, we're going to have that part at the end. It's all coordinated, choreographed.