How to Pack for the Beach: The Complete UAE Checklist
A good beach day starts the night before. In the UAE, the sun, heat and sand are stronger than most packing lists assume, so here is a checklist built for our beaches, from Jumeirah to Al Aqah.
Sun and heat
- Reef-friendly sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, and reapply every two hours and after swimming
- Wide-brimmed hat and polarised sunglasses
- A light long-sleeved cover-up or rash guard for midday
- Shade: a beach umbrella or pop-up tent if your beach has no shaded areas
- Plenty of water: plan at least 500 ml per person per hour in hot weather
The towel question
A large microfiber towel is the single best upgrade for the beach. It packs to a fraction of the size of a cotton towel, sand shakes off it instead of sinking into loops, and it dries fast, so you are not carrying a heavy wet towel home. Take one large towel to lie on and a smaller one for drying off.
Food and drinks
- An insulated cooler bag with ice packs
- Frozen water bottles, which double as ice packs and become cold drinks later
- Snacks that cope with heat: fruit, crackers, wraps, nuts
- Avoid mayonnaise-based salads unless they stay cold
Food safety rule: perishable food shouldn't sit out for more than one hour when it is above 32°C. See our beach picnic guide.
Kids
- Spare swimwear and a full change of clothes
- Sand toys in a mesh bag so sand falls through
- Swim vests or armbands
- Wet wipes and a small first-aid kit
Bits people forget
- A waterproof phone pouch
- A plastic bag or wet pocket for damp swimwear
- Baby powder: rub it on sandy skin and the sand brushes off
- Cash or cards for parking and beach facilities
- A rubbish bag. Leave the beach cleaner than you found it.
How to pack it
Use two bags: a cooler for food and drinks, and a backpack for everything else. A backpack with a separate wet compartment keeps damp towels and swimwear away from dry clothes and electronics on the way home. Our sports mesh backpack has a wet pocket and a shoe compartment for sandy sandals, and the expandable cooler bag grows from 6.15 to 11.88 litres when the whole family comes along.
Best time to go
From October to April, any time of day works. In summer, go early morning or late afternoon, and avoid the hours around midday.
