Playing Beach Bag Roulette

My family has an old saying (well, it goes back to the 1970s when my Mom and Dad got married): fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice and I deserve it. So the first time I lost all of our possessions on the beach, I was angry at the world. The second time … shame is probably a better word. And I vowed there would be no fourth time.

We all love the beach. As often as my husband and I can, we pack up the kids and get into the sun, slathered in sunscreen and carrying multiple bags filled with snacks, more sunscreen, backup sunscreen, books, magazines, more snacks, and even more sunscreen. When you come from a long line of pale, freckled people and have children, sunscreen by the drum full is an absolute must. When you have kids of any shade snacks are just as essential. As any Mom will tell you, children sans snacks are like gremlins sent to torment you.

So, we hit the beach, find an empty spot (sometimes requiring negotiation with people who have no idea what the phrase shared resource means) and enjoy ourselves. I’ve gotten good at that part. The part where we shake out the sand and wearily gather up our things, not so much, because twice I picked up someone else’s bags and carried someone else’s damp towels, juices, and trashy novels home. The bags weren’t identical, but were close enough to my sun-tired eyes.

My family, filled with comedians, were not kind to me about these events.

The solution was a lot easier than I would have thought: I went searching for beach-appropriate baggage and found the clear Large Tote Bag from The Clear Bag Store. These bags are tough, waterproof, and completely clear. Those three things mean they can withstand the less-than-gentle treatment they get from my family (and, if I’m being honest, from me), they can handle a soaking when you’re spending your whole day sitting inches from the water, and when the time comes to stand up, bleary-eyed and covered in dried salt and pack up for home, a quick glance tells you immediately if you’re gathering your son’s collection of beach debris, or some other child’s collection of slightly different beach debris.

Even better? When you get home and leave the bags in the mud room for a week so they can get as gamy and crusty as possible, cleaning them is a simple matter of dumping their contents into the washer or garbage as appropriate and hosing them out in the yard. I will never launder a canvas tote bag again and that is a very good thing.

Since making the big Clear Bag Switchover, I haven’t lost a single item at the beach, and I no longer fear the day after as Clean the Sand Out of Your Shorts Day.