Outdoor Essentials for Outdoor Activities (Summer Edition)

I am team summer, so longer days and warmer nights (I prefer humid!) are calling my name! Sharing my favourite outdoor essentials for all outdoor activities whether you’re hanging out with Mother Nature, with friends, or with family.

NESO

Beach Tent – now I did my research and hands down this is worth the buy. We have the grande tent which comfortably kept me and three friends cool in the shade. I received so many compliments on the leopard print. Easy set up (tent and two poles and you fill up the bags with sand), compact that you could pack and travel out of country with it and weighing at 6.5 pounds, I was able to ride my bike wearing the cross body bag and hopped on a ferry to hang at the beach. You can buy online and they ship internationally.

Sideline Tent – because of my love for the beach tent, Neso was kind enough to send me the sideline 1 tent. It’s lightweight, portable, UPF 50+, easy set up and water-resistant. I am an outdoors mom so perfect for the park by the lake. I’m a soccer mom so a perfect size for 2 people and doesn’t take up a lot of space on the field. I’m NOT a camper mom but if I was, this would be perfect.

Beach Table – I had this table on my wishlist and Neso made my wish come true and sent this to us for review. Portable (folds flat with a shoulder carry strap), weighs in at 5.7 pounds and can hold up to 60 pounds. What I love about the table are the cup holders, the cell phone pockets and the book stash pocket underneath the table. My boys use the table indoors as well!

WATER FLOATIES

Petite Pommes – I used to buy the cheap floaties and I learned quickly that my boys play rough and they would pop. I found these beautiful floaties through a Toronto children’s store KolKid – Toronto. They are durable and are of great use for kids of all ages. Comes in four sizes with a great selection of colours. They also carry towels, beach balls and more! I’ve packed them for day trips to the beach and have taken them to Barbados. Make sure you bring the travel air pump (sharing the one I use further down in the blog) .. it’s a game changer.

Liewood – a Danish brand that creates organic, toys, accessories, and more for kids of all ages. I have their mini floaties, beach toys and the mini pool which I fill with ice and place drinks during the summer! Genius right? Les ptits mosüs – Montreal carries all the beautiful products from this brand. 10% off your order if you subscribe to their newsletter.

NOTE: the visors that the boys are wearing are from Bluestone Sunshield, they are my fav for UV protection.

PORTABLE AIR PUMP– if you’re going to travel with floaties, you need to have the Flextail Gear – Max Plus Pump Portable Air Pump, it pumps and deflates, making packing them back into your bag a breeze. I’ve had mine for almost two years and it’s compact and gets the pool floaties ready to go in a few minutes.

SCRUNCH BUCKETS and TOYS – I love these buckets because they were designed for travel. You can roll up the buckets and pop them into your luggage. It’s made from 100% silicone and the products are recyclable. Scrunch is designed specifically to make travelling and storage easy. Roll them, fold them, scrunch them – pop them in your luggage. Made from 100% silicone which is derived from sand, Scrunch’s products are environmentally friendly, recyclable and reusable.

The beach toys are fun for toddlers and they are sold separately from the bucket and shovel. The other silicone set that could be used as teething toys, educational toys that communicate the values of equality and inclusion is the Diversity Kids Set from Dena Toys. I purchased mine from Modern Rascals.

BEACH CHAIRS – I just can’t choose one so I have one of each brand and I’ll give you the pros and cons to each.

SUNNYLIFE – it’s called the Luxe Beach Chair and has backpack straps for easy transportation from car to beach. It has a drink holder, a zip up cooler in on the back chair, padded head rest and 6 adjustment settings. an insulated zip-up cooler pocket and an adjustable padded headrest. I get my boys to carry this to the beach with no fuss. The one note I’ll make is that it’s bigger in size compared to the Business & Pleasure beach chair. It takes up just a bit more space in the trunk.

Business & Pleasure Co (2-piece chair) – I love this chair because it’s compact, lightweight and sturdy. It’s flat when you pack it up so it doesn’t take up a lot of space, easy to carry with the shoulder strap and for packing in a wagon and trunk, it’s not bulky. It’s got a pouch on the back of the chair, where I’ll tuck away my phone and some snacks. On the pricey side, I would definitely wait for a sale.

WAGON – I bought the Woods Outdoor Collapsible Folding Utility Adventure Hauler Wagon w/ Carry Bag in Sage Green knowing that I’d be using it on pavement, grass and sand. It cost more than the standard wagon (maybe $30 more), but it’s so worth it because it is very sturdy. It holds up to a max of 225 pounds and I still have my boys hopping in the wagon living their best lives cruising while my husband and I get our workout in! Lots of pockets and so easy to open up and collapse and store.

I spy twins living their best lives getting chauffeured around!

BEACH UMBRELLA

I have the Sunnylife luxe fringe umbrella which can hold its own on a windy day. It’s easy to assemble and comes with a carry bag. This umbrella can tilt so you can get full coverage all day. – Just a note and not sure if it just happened to be my purchase, but I wasn’t impressed with the craftsmanship. Parts of the umbrella were glued together and seeing dry glue for an umbrella that costs over $200, well I would I expect more. I did justify the cost, because I bought mine end of season for $105. Click here for Simon’s Department store (got to support Canadian companies) and of course the actual company website Sunnylife which has all the selection of prints.

Another brand that I recommend but don’t own is Business & Pleasure. I’ve been eyeing the Amalfi Umbrella in sage green. Waiting for it to make its way to Canada and for a sale. I have their beach chair and ice cooler and the quality is great.

MINNIDIP POOL – the perfect luxury addition to your backyard if you don’t have the real deal. I bought the Banana Luxe Leaf pool at Target in 2019 (5.5 ft wide and 1.5 feet tall) and since then other brands have come in with their own prints and designs. I’m going into my fifth season with the pool and love that the boys still love to play and splash in it. It’s stylish, quick to inflate/deflate and durable. They have a smaller pool that’s 4ft wide and 1 ft tall for littles, but I’m glad I went with the larger size. I just didn’t fill the water high as toddlers and love that we actually use it year over year.

NAKIE (Hammock): portable, compact, lightweight and 100% made from recycled bottles, Australian founded company Nakie Hammock’s are perfect for hikes, beaches, parks or your backyard. I love the easy setup and the hammock fits 2 people comfortably. There are sales offered through the year and world-wide shipping is free! Picnic blankets, beach towels and puffy blankets are also available through their site.

THOUSAND HELMETS – a stylish helmet that we use for scooting, biking and roller skating. They have two styles for adults, and they have helmets for kids and toddlers. We have the heritage collection 2.0, colours Terracotta, Going Green and Blazing Blue. I love that the chin strap fastener is magnetic…no risk of pinching your chin, great ventilation to keep the head cool, they have the dial knob on the back so it can securely fit on your head and a pop lock system that’s magnetic so you can lock up your helmet with your bike (only for the adult helmets). However, if you purchase a kid’s helmet, it comes with stickers and head padding. They’ve got some accessories too. I have the bike gloves that’s super stylish.

BLANKETS

RUMPL (Puffy Blankets): hands free blanket – yes please! Take this blanket anywhere and everywhere. The Puffy blanket is water repellant, has a clip, weighs two pounds, washer and dryer safe, sustainably sourced and it’s compact. We have two puffy blankets, the everywhere mat and the travel blanket. Honestly, we are well underway with the whole family wearing these blankets. You can buy online, or if you want to check them out in-store, visit MEC. Save 10% off if you sign up for their mailing list, but I’d hold off on their 25% sales throughout the year.

blanket on the left is perfect for everyday, the blanket on the left is compact for flight travels

YETI – ROADIE HARD COOLER : For on-the-go year-round, the 24 Roadie Hard Cooler is where it’s at. The cooler fits perfectly in a car behind the driver’s seat and in a portable wagon for those travel beach outings/day trips. It can fit all the essentials, like wine bottles, cans, BBQ meat and ice cream. It’s the perfect size, but I wish it came with wheels (they do have a Yeti with wheels, but it’s bigger). Yeti products go on sale at Sporting Life several times a year.

CHEF’N S’MORES ROASTER: a tabletop s’mores roaster for indoor and outdoor use! Easy to assemble with simple clean up (gel fuel sold separately). It’s such a fun way to roast marshmallows and during the winter keeps those hands warm while roasting. It makes a super cute gift. I recommend for holiday gifting to buy the gel, a multi-purpose lighter and a s’mores pack so it can be enjoyed immediately. If you sign up for the Create and Barrel mailing list, you can save 15% of the roaster.

Scooters – Globber Scooters was kind enough to gift the family scooters over the last few years and it’s so convenient to get around the neighbourhood and in the city. They carry tricycles, balance bikes and electric scooters as well. The two wheel scooters we have is compact compared to other brands – my boys used to scoot around on the Razor. The scooter and handlebars are foldable, there is a kick stand and its height adjustable. It’s got a sleek design, smooth riding, a great selection of colours and the frame is durable – I’ve ridden over cobblestone which I wouldn’t recommend on the regular and it didn’t feel rickety. Mastermind Toys, Indigo and Toys ‘R Us carry Globber scooters and have several sales throughout the year.

RAINKISS (Sustainable Designer Rain Ponchos): can be used all year round and had to share my fav rain poncho because these are the coolest unisex. inclusive one-size fits all design and they are made from 100% certified recycled polyester. Their selection of designs and prints are insane!!! I bought the smiley face print and I get so many compliments. Not gonna lie, it’s on the pricier side but worth it for me because fashion and function! Love that the poncho is stored into a pouch all in one and it’s perfect for travel. Ponchos are available for kids and dogs! Business is founded in Amsterdam, so I’m hooking you up with the link here for the nearest retailer.

DUCKHEAD UMBRELLA – I’ve always been obsessed with cute and unique things but they’ve got to be durable and meant to last years and years. I also take into consideration the materials used and opt for sustainable products (9 plastic bottles are used for each umbrella. But what caught my eye was the duck handle on this umbrella. It was super cute and then saw all the beautiful designs. Stockists in Canada that carry Duckhead: Linen Chest (national chain store) (subscribe to newsletter for 15%), Advice from a Caterpillar – Toronto , Good Egg – Toronto, Atelier Boutique (Montreal) (subscribe to newsletter for 15%), and Vancouver Art Gallery

LUCI (Solar String Lights): the best string lights! The Luci Solar String Lights are self-powered, the wires wind up and stores into the unit, three levels of brightness and can be used as a flashlight. Option to charge through built-in solar panel or USB charger. I love that it’s compact and portable (no messy string lights!). Can be used for indoor and outdoor use and it’s a great for glamping and picnics. If you sign up for the Sail mailing list, you can save 15%.