Pool Tote - The Summer Tote Project

There's nothing worse than scurrying around the house trying to pull all the necessary items together for a simple trip to the park or pool. So each summer I try to create some pre-packed totes that sit on a hook and are ready for walking out the door.

This summer we're going to need a Pool Tote, a Tennis Tote and a Park Tote. Plus, a slightly-more jam-packed Mom Bag. Let's start with the Pool ...

My Pool Tote - Minus the Towels

Town Pool Tote
This tote is the MOST important because we love the town pool. And, because we have a membership, we can wander in and stay however long we want. There's no pre-planning or spending "at least 4 hours to make it worth it."

Here's the list of Pool Tote items, in priority:

• Goggles - two, of course
• Pool diving toys 
• Several large pool towels
• Spray sunscreen and a sunscreen stick for faces 
• A baseball hat to keep the sun off little faces  
• Magazine, this week it's Magnolia Journal
• Water bottle that need to be filled
• Snacks! Here's a few I recommend ... 
• Granola bars, I like the Trader Joe's organic for the girls and Two Mom's Soul Sprout bar for me
• Clementines and grapes are easy to pack 
• Pistachios or mixed nuts, I get the large bins from Costco that are unsalted 
• Aussie Bites, also from Costco 
• Dried fruit leather because they don't melt and are sweet
• Gummy bears or Jelly Beans because they are my current guilty pleasures, don't tell my dentist 
• Small bottle of hand sanitizer 
• Deck of cards/Uno because our pool declares 15 minute safety breaks and the kids have to remain out of the pool. That wait can be an eternity
• Extra small bag for wet thing in case we need to head somewhere afterwards or are coming from camp and need to store dry clothes.
• A few sand toys, though the girls have been less inclined to play in the sand area this year
• Small change for the concession stand
• A small toiletry bag of lotion, lip stuff, brush and hair elastics for small emergencies

It seems like a lot of stuff, but once it's all sitting in the bag, it's not that much. And the water and snacks are usually tossed in on the way out the door. 

This year I invested in a NEW Land's End bag I found on sale for around $20. I prefer the Land's End to LL Bean canvas bag for one simple reason -- the Land's End bags have interior pockets. Lots of them. And a key strap. And they're slightly easier to clean AND they have better color choices.

What's in your pool tote?



Related Posts
Getting our summer underway
Our FIRST trip to the pool
100 things to do in the summer
All Summer-related posts