Our whole family is excited that Spring is here and Summer is quickly approaching! We have already loaded up our car THREE times with our favorite things to pack on a trip to the lake!!
The sunshine and warm weather is our favorite.
We plan to take advantage of the gorgeous weather down here in Texas and spend as much time as possible at the lake and beach. When you have a large family like ours you quickly realize that there are some essentials to pack every single trip to the lake. This is a new area to us, so we are exploring new places each trip. The first lake trip ended a little abruptly after one of the girls fell and hit the back of her head. We ended up at the ER with two little stitches.
I have to say that I am pretty amazed to tell you that this is our first ER trip for stitches! Being a mom for almost 9 years and six VERY active children I am thankful we haven’t had any other accidents. And for that… I am soooooo thankful! (**knocks on wood.) The second and third trip to the lake and beach were very successful with LOTS of fun (and No ER trips!). We found a lake stocked with fish that is free to get into! It’s not a far drive into the country either. There will definitely be more trips to that lake for fishing.
My husband and I are excited to teach our kids to fish this year. Even though they are young, it’s never too early to teach them outdoor skills like fishing, swimming, and gardening. Hopefully, we will be able to catch something big enough to cook! So far, Justin’s little fishing rod has been the only one to catch anything… and they were too small to keep.
Our trip to the beach was amazing. It was the most gorgeous day and we were one of the first families to arrive at the park that day. So we had the beach almost to ourselves for most of the morning. If you can plan ahead and get on the road early you will beat most of the crowds!
I try to gather together as much as I can the night before our trip to the lake, so I am ready first thing in the morning to load up and start an adventurous day with the family. Each time we load up it is a little easier because I know exactly what we are taking and how everything will fit.
These are my essential things to pack on a trip the Lake.
Cooler
Obviously, if you are going to stay hydrated and nourished on a trip to the lake you need a cooler to store your food and keep your drinks cool.
We recently invested in an RTIC Cooler and I just can’t get over how the ice didn’t melt for TWO DAYS in the cooler! It was like a refrigerator. I will never buy any other kind of cooler. It is just amazing how it kept everything cold for so long. (And it was in the sun too!)
If you want an easy and delicious recipe for lunch or dinner to throw on the grill, pack these Balsamic Herb Chicken & Sausage Kababs! They are easy to grill and very portable.
Wipes
Besides the obvious (wiping dirty bums) a package of wipes is essential! There are a hundred uses of this amazing product; wiping dirty faces, cleaning off dirt from hands, emergency bathroom trips with no toilet paper and so much more! I keep an extra package in the car at all times!
Extra blankets and towels
Even if you don’t plan on swimming, bring the towels… You never know when a child might “accidentally” jump into the lake on purpose in full clothing and shoes!
I like to have the extra blankets to use as table clothes for picnic benches or tables, on the ground to sit on or if there is a sudden drop in temperature for late night trips (perfect for cuddling in!).
First Aid Kit
As we learned on our first trip to the lake… accidents happen! (Hopefully, they don’t all require a trip to ER!) Fishing hooks and rocks make for easy cuts on little fingers. Bandaids make everything better. I like to be prepared for anything and First Aid Kits are easy to keep in the trunk!
Paper Towels
I no longer bring a stack of regular napkins to the lake. That is one gust of wind away from running around like crazy people trying to collect them all again! (Speaking from unfortunate experience…. ) A roll of paper towels is perfect for distributing on an as needed basis without the risk of the stack blowing away. I have even used paper towels as plates for the kids for dessert!
Bug Spray & Sunscreen
Even on cloudy days you need sunscreen! Better safe than sorry when it comes to protecting your families skin. We try to reapply every couple of hours too. Bug spray is a must for our family. We seem to have blood that smells like candy! The mosquitos LOVE us.
Fishing Gear
Even though we have only caught a couple of tiny fish so far, the kids have really enjoyed fishing. Jon has been patiently instructing them on each step. They especially love grabbing the worms and baiting their hooks!
Toys for kids
Our favorite toys to bring to the lake or beach are sand toys, Kite, bubbles, and a football. There are of course, many options, but be sure to grab a few things for entertainment when everyone needs a break from fishing or swimming.
Grilling gear & folding table
There are not always picnic tables and grills available to use. Plan ahead and be prepared with your own grill set up and table for food prep and serving. We love our portable propane grill. It’s perfect for setting up on the table and grilling burgers or hot dogs. And a small folding table makes it easy to set up a food station if there are no extra picnic tables.
Wagon
Most of the time you have to haul everything from the car to the lake or picnic area and it isn’t a short distance. To prevent having to make multiple trips or killing your back stick a wagon in the back of the car. We love our Collapsible Wagon. We haul the girls, the cooler, towels, and backpacks! It really was the a great investment for us.
I am ready to head back to the Lake or Beach NOW!!! There is just something about being near water that revives my soul. If you don’t have a plan to make a trip to the Lake this spring or summer, you really should! And now you know the essential things to pack for your trip!
Happy Lake Life,
Keikilani
TELL ME: What would you add to this list?
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I love your list, and your photos, and your adventure and goodness I wish I lived near that lake! We have smaller ones here and the Savannah River. We too will be getting out to fish and swim and play outside with our 5 kids. Your list is fantastic, only thing I can think to add would be hats! We sit and fish and out in the Georgia sun, hats are needed!
Hats!!! That is a great one to add!!! I told my husband he needed one last weekend.
Great list. I would say hats to protect from the sun, but also a big trash bag to put all the sandy & wet towels in so it doesn’t get all over the car and then everything is all together to put into the laundry when you get home.
These are all important things to pack. I would definitely have to bring a fishing pole and sunscreen.
I can’t wait for the weather to warm up here in Jersey so we can head to the lake. This is a great list!
I can’t wait for the weather to be a wee bit warmer to head to the lake. We enjoy grilling out and fishing.
I so wish we lived closer to a lake, all the ones here are nasty so we have to actually fly somewhere to get to a nice lake.
And then when we go we end up packing the world. LOL!!
We have a boat and I pack all these when we take it out! Snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses and hats too!
The collapsible wagon is such a great idea because you are so right, how do you get all of that stuff down by the lake! Looks like a fun day and riding to the lake in that beautiful car makes it even better.
These are all great things to bring to the lake. I need to get a RTIC Cooler. I will have to add it to my wish list.
We don’t really take lake trips, but tons of beach trips here in SWFL. And your list is great for that too! I need to look up that cooler.
What a great list. I would have forgotten half of it as I’m not used to spend much time with kids (yet). That cooler does look amazing!
This is the perfect packing list. And that Mazda looks great! Give me a cooler, sunscreen and a hat and I’m good!
Looks like you had so much fun. I bring plastic bags everywhere I go because you never know when someone is going to get wet or really messy. Throw the bags of dirty clothes in the back of the Mazda and keep on having fun!
These are all great items! I hope to take my kids to the lake many times this summer!
Your husband and yourself are special people. God bless you.