Ready for summer? Be up for anything any time when you keep a summer go-bag stocked and ready!
I am counting down the days until summer 2022 is officially underway. My girls are ready for lazy days by the pool, summer road trips and just simply waking up at their leisure and having breakfast on the couch when they feel like it.
I'm ready for those days, too.
So I'm using these final days of school to stock my summer go-bag- the bag I always keep in my trunk stocked with must-have items to be ready to adventure on all summer long. My summer go-bag is a fixture in my summer routine, and I replenish it regularly so we are always ready to grab summer- and life, really!- by the horns!
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| We are always ready for summer fun! |
What's a summer go-bag?
A summer go-bag is a large tote filled to the brim with all the necessities that keep you ready to go all summer long. We keep ours stocked so we are always ready to accept last-minute invitations to pool parties, water parks, overnights and so much more. We are always prepared in the summer to leave the house first thing and not come back until the street lights come on. My girls have absolutely inherited their mother's inability to stay in one place for very long!
What's in a summer go-bag?
I got the idea for my summer go-bag years ago from a mommy blog. Every time friends would call and say "want to go to the splash pad?" it would take me ages to round up everything we needed, from sunscreen to Goldfish and everything in between. So I followed the mommy blog's advice for a summer go-bag and have kept one stocked and ready every summer since my girls were babies. It's evolved a bit through the years (it isn't filled with diapers anymore, something I have mixed feelings about), but it's core necessities are largely the same.
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Here's what I keep in my summer go-bag:
- One bathing suit per girl that is dry and ready to be worn
- One wet bag per girl, to store wet bathing suits
- One change of clothes per girl: shorts, shirt, undergarments
- One pair of PJs per girl
- 4-5 beach towels
- Baby wipes
- Snacks: GoGo Squeez, fruit snacks, Goldfish, crackers- anything shelf stable
- Empty water bottles, at least two
- Beach/picnic blanket
- Toiletries: on-the-go toothbrushes, a hairbrush, multiple hair ties, detangler spray, deodorant, face wipes, hand sanitizer
- Flip flops or sandals, one pair per girl
Yep, it's a lot of stuff. And their clothes take up a lot more space now than it did when they were young! But, hear me out:
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| Working on this year’s summer go-bag! |
I fit everything in a large tote. For years, I carried a large utility tote from Thirty-one. This year's I've switched to a large rubber tote, similar to a Bogg Bag, from Simply Southern. It holds everything I need and then some! Before we hit the road, I always try to toss a few lunchables and cold bottles of water in the bag, but this sometimes just doesn't happen.
Why do I keep so much stuff in my bag? Easy. Then we can hit the road with zero effort! How often do you go to a morning play date and the kids fuss when they have to go home but you didn't bring a change of clothes? Or you head out the door to the pool so the kids wear bathing suits and you want to stop for lunch or ice cream but they have nothing dry to wear? Or they want to stay the night with a friend you met up with but you don't have anything for them to wear or sleep in?
Our go-bag lets my girls go from pool to friend's house or free outdoor concert to ice cream to pool. It ensures they always have something dry to put on and somewhere to store their wet bathing suits. We always have snacks and sunscreen and bug spray so we can be outside for hours. It's brilliant!
What do you keep at the ready for summer?
