Table of Contents
Moms inevitably end up carrying a ton of stuff when headed to the pool or beach with kids — snacks, towels, sunscreen, toys, and more. A good beach bag is critical. But if you’re a mom you know: We don’t have time to sift through a thousand reviews to find our beach bag match.
I’ve traveled to more than a dozen Caribbean islands in the last two years, often with kids in tow. At home during the summer, we’re often on boats or at the neighborhood pool with the kids.
Needless to say, I’ve formed (probably too many) opinions about about what family beach bags are worth my money.
And of course there’s a huge difference between the best family pool bag to use at home during the summer — when you’re walking or driving to the pool — and the best beach bag for family trips abroad when suitcase space is limited.
In other words, a mom who loves beach travel needs more than one great beach bag in her collection! Some women buy shoes…
That makes a new beach bag a fantastic holiday gift for moms who travel.
Best Packable Beach Bag – Aloha Collection Day Tripper
Best Waterproof Beach Bag – Bogg Bag
Best Large But Sleek Beach Bag For Moms – Canvelle Beach Tote
Best Beach Totes for Mom Traveling Sans Kids – Able Mandrell Cabana Canvas Tote
Best Beach Backpack (Hands Free) – SeaBags Recycled Sail Convertible Bucket Bag
Best Mesh Beach Bag for Sand Toys – Dejaroo Mesh Sand Free Bag
Best Budget Beach Bag for Moms – Esvaan Large Beach Bag
Best Flat Bottom Open Tote Beach Bag – Scout Large Utility Tote
Best Extra Large Family Beach Bag – Bang & Carsen Hard Bottom Tote
The perfect beach bag to pack in a suitcase
Best Packable Beach Bag for Moms
The Aloha Day Tripper is hands down the best beach bag for travel. It’s my go-to beach bag for Caribbean trips and gets the Mango Tree stamp of approval.
I realized last year that I hate unpacking and repacking my carry-on backpack to double as a daybag at the beach. Having a separate tote bag to use on the trip makes a huge difference in my overall happiness and organization.
So now I always pack a packable beach bag with me when taking an international beach trip. For our Caribbean travel, we like a beach bag that folds down into a suitcase. That’s less important, of course, for day-to-day summer use.
An expandable zipper creates maximum space, while three small zipper pockets keep phones, pacifiers, and sunglasses safe and to hand.
The material is waterproof and is very easy to wipe clean, critical for moving hotels and re-using during travel days.
Aloha was formed by two friends and former roommates, Rachael and Heather, as a Kickstarter campaign in 2014.
They’ve gone on to create a huge range of bags and pouches available online and in their Honolulu and California stores.
Designed by women for women, the Aloha has an entire page dedicated to moms, breaking down what you can expect to fit in each size beach tote.
Made from the brand’s own bespoke splash-proof fabric, we can’t get enough of Aloha’s tropical designs. The hardest part will be choosing the one you like best.
The interior of the bag is a single compartment. Our top tip? Buy a few Aloha Collection pouches to keep your beach gear organized. If you mix and match, this also means you get to try more than one pattern! The pouches also make lovely gifts for traveling moms.
Aloha’s entire collection of beach gear gets our stamp of approval. We love supporting women-owned-businesses and products designed by women for women. The Aloha Collection Day Tripper is our overall winner for the best mom beach bag.
Price at time of publish: $72
the family pool bag that went viral
No roundup of the best family pools bags would be complete without the Bogg Bag. The social media buzz around this product has been vast — and for good reason.
The Bogg Bag is incredibly practical: It won’t tip over, it holds a TON, and you can spray it off when you’re done. It’s so durable, and I can’t even express how nice it is to have a bag that you can just plop down quickly confident your things won’t fall out. It makes for a great pool bag to use on a boat when it’s important to keep things contained.
At first, it didn’t seem like my style, but the Carolina Blue option jumped out at me and was a nice throw back to my college days. The custom options are super fun.
For a mom trying to get out of the house quickly, and make the clean up from pool days easy on herself when she gets home, the Bogg Bag would be a gread addition to her family pool bag collection.
Price at time of publish: $72
Best Large Beach Bag For Moms That Looks Sleek
Top Family Pool Bag For Moms who love neutrals
Canvelle (previously Logan + Lenora) is the pioneer of waterproof, machine-washable travel bags created using recycled plastic bottles. For a high-end beach bag, this one is a great choice.
The sophisticated Canvelle Beach Tote comes in a choice of two sizes with the option to customize with a crossbody strap. Both sizes include a waterproof inner pouch plus two mesh pockets and six exterior pockets.
The classic black and white and neutral prints caught our eye for the stylish mom who wants to keep rocking her classy style and hold all the family goodies while making it look easy.
If we had to name one thing we’d like to change, it’s the lack of a zipper up top. (An older version of the bag had the zipper, and would have been higher on our list, but it was removed in a recent redesign.)
If you can live without a zipper, though, some moms we trust for their style and practicality swear by this as one of the best beach bags for moms. This could be the tote you’ve been looking for.
Price at time of publish: $225
Best Beach Tote for Mom Traveling Sans Kids
The chic bag to take on a girls’ trip
Once you’re a mom, and you get used to lugging around the personal belongings of your entire family, it’s incredible how EASY it feels to head to the beach or pool without kids.
But we spend so much time thinking about the best family pool bags that many moms start packing for the rare and cherished solo beach trip, only to realize they don’t have a small beach bag!
I carried my Able Striped Tote all around southern spain on a recent trip. It was a great travel tote because it adds a pop of color for photos, and works for city and beach outfits.
It’s very durable so will hold up to the kids for sure, but I prefer to grab it when I’m headed out alone.
Price at time of publish: $118
Best Beach Backpack (Hands Free) for Moms
a travel beach bag for moms who want a free hand
“Once a sail, forever a sea bag” is the ethos behind Sea Bags Maine. Sails are repurposed as totes, bucket bags, duffels, crossbody bags, and beyond. Each one is made by hand from recycled sails, with no two products being the same.
The Sea Bags convertible bucket bag can be worn four different ways – across the body, over the shoulder, as a handbag, or as a backpack. The flexibility plus the stylish designs makes for a great beach trip travel bag for moms, as it can be brought to the beach, and then out to dinner.
This bag is worth the splurge for design-conscious moms who love to sail and support sustainable initiatives, and who want a one-of-the-kind beach accessory.
Price at time of publish: $145
Best Mesh Beach Bag for Sand Toys
A NO-FRILLS BEACH BAG TO KEEP THE GEAR ORGANIZED
The Dejaroo Mesh Beach Bag is our pick for the best beach bag for moms on a budget whose kids love sand toys.
The mesh material is great for ventilation when you’re spending a full day poolside or at the beach with your kids and their wet pool gear – it also resists sand well.
The pockets are wonderful, with varying depths to contain your belongings. It’s useful to be able to see through the mesh and keep track of everything too.
We’ll admit that this bag is not our favorite on the style front. But for a no-frills bag that doesn’t crease and can be tossed in the washing machine at the end of the day, it’ll do the trick.
Price at time of publish: $16.95
Best Budget Beach Bag for Moms
A STYLISH CHOICE AT A LOW PRICE
This high capacity Esvan bag can hold a couple of big beach towels plus your other essentials. The lightweight canvas fabric is thick and easy to clean. Sand won’t stick to the outside. Other than the size, we appreciate this bag for its two huge mesh pockets – perfect for stashing water bottles and sunscreen within easy reach.
Our only criticism is that the bag tends to topple over when not weighted properly. It’s not machine washable either, which might be a sticking point for some moms.
Large but not oversized, the Evsan Beach Bag is one of the best pool bags for moms seeking something practical yet pretty at a reasonable priced.
Price at time of publish: $40
Best Flat Bottom Open Tote Beach Bag
A Stable square tote that zips closed
This Breton-esque Scout Utility Tote gets brownie points for its stable, burst-proof bottom and high-level water resistance. This, coupled with its structure, makes it ideal for boat excursions.
Bonus point: The Scout has the zipper closing we want out of all our best beach bags! The last thing you want to fret about is escaping items while on a snorkel or dive trip.
The downsides? The interwoven polypropylene is easy to clean, durable, and maintains its shape, it’s not quite as pleasant to touch as other materials, and it doesn’t fold down as easily for plane travel. For us, the pluses outweigh that, but that’s your call.
A top choice for nautical days out, this is one of the best pool bag for moms traveling to the beach by car rather than plane. A mini-suitcase, this is the bag for moms who like to take plenty of toys, books, and snacks.
Price at time of publish: $56
Best Extra Large Family Beach Bag: Bang and Carsen
THe beach bag that holds everything you own
Finally, with this last bag, you can pack everything but the kitchen sink.
The massive Bang & Carsen Extra Large Utility Tote Bag makes it easy to cart buckets, spades, balls, and snacks aplenty down to the beach. It features one main compartment with a hard base and two reinforced sides. You’ve got one zipped pocket on the front of the exterior and two deep mesh pouches. The waterproof fabric is a bonus.
Despite the size, we’re impressed by how small it packs down once empty.
Price at time of publish: $59.99
How We Picked Our Best Beach Bags For Moms
Let’s quickly go over what to look for when choosing the best mom beach bag for you. Here’s what we considered in pulling together our list based on trial and error.
Size
It goes without saying that the most mom-friendly beach bags are on the larger side. You need to be able to fit toys, water bottles, sunscreen, possibly diapers and extra clothes, and enough snacks to keep everyone happy.
That said, avoid grabbing the largest bag just for the sake of it. You’ll just be tempted to overstuff your bag with toys your kids simply won’t need once their toes touch the sand. If you’re traveling with toddlers, our toddler beach vacation packing list will help you stay on point.
Material
The beach bag of your dreams will be water-resistant, sand-proof, easy to clean, and lightweight.
The material you choose might depend on how you intend to use your bag. If you envision a bag that will mostly be full of sand toys, wet shoes, and sunscreen, go for one that you can rinse off with a hose! But if you expect to pack diapers, clean clothes, snacks, and a book or two, you’ll want one that can keep things dry.
Compartments
Every pocket brings you a step closer to flawless organization. The best beach bags for women come with a mix of internal and external pockets for stashing your belongings and beach gear — or a set of matching packing cubes to keep you sane.
Structure
As we alluded to above, consider whether you’ll use your beach bag around home, or whether you need a bag that easily packs down in your luggage. On the flip side, consider whether the bag with be robust enough to withstand being plonked on the sand, blustery conditions, and boat excursions.
Style
Last but not least, you’ll want your mom beach bag to capture your own sense of style. Sure, your bag should be practical, sturdy, and keep you organized. But if you go for substance over style, there’s a high chance it’ll end up at the back of your closet.
Life’s too short to carry a beach bag you don’t love.
