I know, I know, it is barely out of the 30s here in Chicago and there are still winter storm warnings being touted throughout the area. Let’s think positive, shall we? At least the sun is shining and bathing suits are replacing down coats on the retail racks.
A good chunk of us are planning for Spring Break in a few weeks. My kiddos actually have TWO WEEKS off- yay for them, WTF for me…as in WTF am I going to do with a 4 and 6 year old in 30-degree weather. Cabin fever much?
I decided to travel cross country and visit family in San Diego, which pretty much has the optimal temperature year ’round. I rented a VRBO home on the beach- the property is called the Dollhouse, and I am already in love with the vaulted ceilings, charming 1930s style, and a secret loft for my son to sleep. Oh, and did I mention it is a 30 second walk to Mission Beach?
As I dug out all of my beach gear from 2017, I realized that I was missing a great beach bag. Last year I used an adorable straw bag that, although SO on trend, it fell apart with the first use. The pom poms popped off, the color actually rubbed off on my cute kaftan, and the stitching on the bottom came loose. I went on a hunt for a beach bag that was durable, would withstand the sun, sand and occasional rock collection tossed in the bottom. Oh, and it still had to be stylish!
I received a Scout Plus 1 Foldable Travel Bag for review prior to my Caribbean adventure with my husband. Since the location we visited, Montepellier Plantation on Nevis, was so remote, we had to take 2 planes to a taxi to a boat to another taxi just to arrive at our final destination. It was definitely worth it, more on this in another post, but I put the Scout bag to the ultimate travel test on this trip.
This bag held everything throughout our vaca: from 6-packs of Carib and bottles of bubbly to a wardrobe and shoe change for our zip line adventure to poolside reading materials and bottles upon bottles of SPF 50 (we are a pale, pale family!).
The Plus 1 has some fabulous features that are necessary for a travel bag:
- Available in 9 colorful patterns
- Quilted and high quality stitching for extra durability
- Zippered top to keep everything secure
- Comes with a removable pouch that snaps in place inside the bag or can be attached with clip
- Foldable- the bag folds to store inside the pouch
- Lightweight
Since this was a work trip, my husband and I had a lunch meeting one afternoon. I left my beach bag by the pool and removed the pouch which contained my room key, money, credit cards and other valuables and used this as a clutch. Brilliant.
I can’t wait to take this beach bag to the gorgeous shores of San Diego- I have finally found the perfect travel tote that doubles as a beach bag! The price tag is quite sweet as well- $39.50, and you can add a monogram for $12. You can bet this bag will be on my Mother’s Day Gift Guide. Here are all of the styles available:
Scout Bags has a variety of options, patterns and configurations- I can personally attest to the quality, all you need to pick out is your personal fave!
Cheers to hitting the beach in style this spring and summer season!
Disclosure: I received a Scout Bag for review purposes; all opinions are honest and my own as always.
