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With more beautiful summer days on the horizon, more and more people are heading to their local lakes for fun days on the water.
For some people, this is something they have done every summer weekend since childhood, but yet for some, this could be their first time going for a lake day!
Knowing what to bring could seem daunting for someone who has never gone to the lake before, so I have compiled a list of the most important things to remember on your visit!
Life Jacket
I don't know about every state and country there is out there, but I know that here in Georgia they are very strict on their laws revolving around wearing a life jacket.
So please make sure to check your local guide for where ever you live before heading out for a day on the lake.
Sunscreen
SPF is so important.
Please always remember to wear SPF when you are at the lake because even though you may think you are fine, sunburns can sneak up on you, and get very dangerous very fast! For body sunscreen, I really like the target brand of spray-on sunscreen in SPF 30.
This is the sunscreen I use on my face!
repeat after me...
DO NOT. FORGET. YOUR SUNSCREEN!
Change Of Clothes (or swimsuit)
Ironically, this is one of the things I always forget to bring and really shouldn't forget.
When I am fishing, normally I can always stay dry, but when I paddleboard of course water gets everywhere! And of course, those are the times I don't bring a change of clothes with me, so please bring them if you plan on getting in the water.
Because you don't want to have to experience the soggy car ride home I have had too many times!
Shoes (for wearing in the water!)
Now, this one may just be a personal preference but any time I swim or walk in a lake, I always like to have on shoes.
Maybe it's because there is always a possibility of fishing hooks below my feet.
Maybe it's so I don't have to feel the lake grass under me.
Either way. I always have them on in the water (at the lake AND ocean, but not pools lol) and if you know me, then you know I am obsessed with chacos!
I got my first pair in high school and spent all of my Christmas money on them and my dad was so annoyed I spent that much on "plastic and straps" as he called them. But that pair lasted five whole years of almost everyday wear.
I wear them to work, the lake, traveling, around the yard, literally everywhere.
They are one of my two pairs of staple shoes I can not live without!
Water!!!
Hydration is such an important part of daily life in general.
But when out on or in the water, in the summer heat. It is easy to forget to stay hydrated, but it is so crucial to remember to bring water to drink throughout the day.
So you must bring some kind of water with you, if not then you will surely end up regretting it later on.
I am one of those people, where I have broken or lost every single water bottle I have ever owned. In 2020 I was working full-time at a school and needed a bottle I could take with me that was larger than a normal bottle.
I got a Takeya from target because it was on sale when I went, and I was so worried because it was the most expensive bottle I had ever bought, but it was SO worth it.
I have taken my Takeya on hikes, planes, trains, paddleboards, and ocean kayaks. It goes EVERYwhere with me, and it does not leak!
And keep this in mind too, I work at a school, so I have dropped my bottle a hundred times at work alone, and it may be a little bit dented now. But it is NOT cracked OR broken at all. This makes me owning the same bottle I bought TWO years ago without losing or breaking it a new record, which makes it so worth owning!
Snacks and/or Lunch
You should ALWAYS have some kind of food with you when you are out at the lake. Hunger is another thing that can sneak up fast, and no one wants to be hungry and frustrated on the water.
My family uses portable lunch bags like these, and we put our snacks, food and drinks in them!
We don't really get ice for our food coolers, my family saves old water bottles and fills them up with water to make ice packs to bring.
You would be shocked at how long a frozen Gatorade bottle of water will stay frozen when it is one hundred degrees outside, and then you don't have to worry about it leaking everywhere. All they do is produce condensation just like any other cold drink would!
Here is a bag similar to the one we use!
Reusable Baggies
If there is one thing I am sure we all hate, it is seeing trash out in nature when it should have been picked up by the people who left it there.
One of my goals for this year is to produce less waste, and one way of doing that on these lake days is by bringing my snacks in reusable baggies.
Towel
If you are planning to get into or on the water this season, it is always good to have a towel with you that you don't mind getting a little dirty.
I wouldn't recommend bringing a super nice luxurious towel, because lakes are...well, dirty!
Stuff happens, and sometimes even if you don't plan on getting in the water, life has a way to prove you wrong.
because of that having a towel with you is never a bad idea, even if you don't think you will need it!
Here are two of the towels I have that I use! The Wet Cat brand is a good cute towel to use for pool days, or if you are at a beach on the lake.
The pack towel is good for trips, as well as paddle boarding!
The list above is everything that you really NEED to remember to bring with you on your lake trips!
Of course, you can switch up the list as needed to fit your personal goals, but for someone who may have never gone to the lake before, this list is a good start!