I never go to the beach without these 4 gadgets

Apply some SPF, slip into your swimsuit and pack your favorite drink in an insulated container. Yeti Yours. We’re going to the beach!

While I maintain that the beach is best when you leave your electronics behind or, like Lorde, throw your cell phone in the water, there are a few gadgets you can pack to elevate the relaxing experience. When you head to the beach for the 4th of July to soak up some sun and relax, I encourage you to bring a few of my favorite gadgets.

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From portable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker to listen to a beach playlist electric fan Just in case it gets too hot, I’ve rounded up a few of the gadgets I’m taking to the beach this summer — and I highly recommend you follow suit. Read on to find out more.

Let’s talk music: This Sony speaker is my favorite for listening to at the beach, in the park, or at home in my bedroom. I’ve used the speaker to play music at parties, and even with a group of 15 friends sitting around a table, the sound was clear and powerful. It gets loud and delivers crystal-clear sound. It’s also waterproof, dustproof, and rustproof, so you can splash water or kick sand around it without a problem. The speaker comes with a handy little strap for maximum portability, and it has a 12-hour battery life that should last you a full day of water-side antics.

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What I also like about this speaker is the quality that Sony has put into an affordable Bluetooth speaker that delivers great sound. For $130 you get a high-quality speaker that punches well above its price tag. For summer days at the beach, I can’t recommend the Ult Field 1 enough, and I can’t wait to play my favorite songs on it while I spend time in the sand this season.

If the ocean breeze isn’t doing the trick and you need some extra cool air on your face, this handy mini fan is your new best friend. My friend who took it to the beach last summer to cool off told me she still carries it with her everywhere, thanks to its compact size and portability. What’s even better: it’s not just a fan, it’s also a flashlight and a power bank, so you can plug in your charger to charge your phone at the end of the day.

This mini fan has over 50,000 reviews on Amazon, with customers praising its cute design and functionality. It’s great for any windless, hot summer day, whether it’s at the beach, a crowded outdoor concert, waiting in line at an amusement park, or a sweaty subway.

If you don’t have room for a book in your beach bag anymore, might I suggest a Kindle instead? I know an e-reader is not the same as a paperback book, but in some cases an e-reader like the Kindle Paperwhite simply works better than a physical book.

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The beach is one such case for a few reasons: First, the Kindle is waterproof and will survive splashes and sand, unlike a soggy paperback. Second, its slim design and portability — you don’t have to choose between titles with a Kindle; instead, take them all to the beach and save space in your beach bag. The Paperwhite offers adjustable warm light and a glare-free display, so you can read e-books in direct sunlight without a problem. If you have a long list of books to read this summer and plan on reading a few of them while lounging on the beach, this Kindle can help you keep your reading goals on track.

Spending all day at the beach will certainly drain the batteries of your various devices. Bring a portable charger like this Anker PowerCore to keep them charged. This PowerCore charger is lightweight, small enough to throw in your bag, and has USB-A and USB-C ports. ZDNET’s Adrian Kingsley Hughes says he uses them all the time to power his action cameras and devices on the go. While the chargers aren’t disposable, Kingsley-Hughes says he likes how affordable they are, making them easy to replace if they get lost. “If they get damaged, lost (or, like one of them, falls off a cliff), I don’t lose that much money,” he writes.

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When I was thinking about the best gadgets to take to the beach, I kept two main things in mind: utility and portability. I tried to choose tech gadgets that the average person would actually use and enjoy while spending a day by the water. If you’re like me and the nearest beach is a 50-minute subway ride away, you know that the beach bag you’re lugging around can get heavy quickly. I tried to choose products that would lighten the load on your beach bag or help you get out of the heat. I test and report on tech products for a living, so I chose products that my colleagues and I can vouch for, and many of them we’ve reviewed ourselves.

High temperatures can quickly drain your phone’s battery. This happens because heat speeds up the chemical reactions in the battery. To keep my phone battery healthy when I’m at the beach, I like to wrap it in a towel and hide it from direct sunlight. I also try to only use it when necessary.

The set includes classic beach bag essentials like a beach towel (I like to bring one towel for sitting on and another for drying off), sunscreen, sunglasses, a water bottle and a cooler of drinks and snacks. I also love bringing earbuds with me so I don’t disturb my friends while they’re listening to their favorite tunes on the water.

Other beach-friendly technologies

These Nothing Ear (a) headphones have become my favorite travel listening accessory lately. They’re clear and easy to find in my book bag, and they strike a great balance of clear sound and decent noise cancellation. I’ll be taking them to the beach and traveling all summer long.

Take your battery with you to the beach and look chic while doing so with the Casely Power Pod. You can fit the MagSafe battery to the Casely phone case, so the bulky battery blends seamlessly with your phone and doesn’t look like a brick.