Summer is here and I just wanted to share some ideas for a beach/resort kit for you fellow minimalist water rats. I used to lifeguard high school summers and just love the water – swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving…. I can sit in the water all day. I think I’ve grown a set of gills.

So here’s some of the stuff I’ll tend to carry with me to the water.

Baseball cap folds, which packs away nicely. I’ll take this small Packtowel when I’m not sure if I’ll be going in, but I have a full 6′ size if I’ll be lying down on it – still smaller than a paperback.

The snorkeling kit is pretty self explanatory, nose clip is a kayak accessory. Without a full mask, you cannot properly equalize, so if diving deep, you need to squint hard to prevent your eyeballs from popping out into the eyecups. But it works fine for surface viewing to 10-15ft depths. Of course fins are the most efficient, but they’re just too big to carry, so this is best compromise I can come up with. Anyways, being a strong swimmer, I can usually out distance most people wearing fins. The goggles are prescription, but off the shelf. Even if there’s nothing to view, I like swimming with snorkeling gear – just the ability to keep your head/face in the water means you can float without effort and stay in the water indefinitely.

The bucket is my little swim raft. To swim, fold it up flat and stick it in your waistband. To lounge, open it, turn it upside down and fill it with air, then stick a leg through the handle and hug the air ball. This is another way to stay out in the water indefinitely. (DISCLAIMER – DO NOT RELY on this as a safety floatation device, always stay within a comfortable swimming distance of the shoreline which you can reach under your own power.). I use this to relax just a little further out than the masses of people wading at the shoreline, creates my own personal space. Course the bucket also doubles for freshwater to cool-off with, wash sand and salt off, sand castle building, a cooler with ice, as a dry bag for your valuables, etc.etc.

Almost forgot the beach chair… this thing is surprisingly comfortable, but with only two legs, you’ll need yours to stay upright, about 1 lb, well worth the carry.

Lastly, I’m looking for sun shade ideas. I sometimes bring an umbrella, and I do have various camping tarps, but nothing really meets the minimalist size/weight vs benefit equation to be worthwhile to bring. Anyone have any good ideas?

Hope some of you can use some these water toys…