What's in Our Summer Tote? Everything You Need for a Slow Pool Day
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A great beach bag isn't about having a lot. It's about having exactly the right things to create a day that will allow you to slow down and enjoy the season. This summer, we've partnered with Resol Beach to create the ultimate pool day packing list. Here's what made it into our summer tote, and why each piece earns its place.
Resol Market Tote
Let's start with the foundation. The Resol Market Tote is the kind of tote that works for pool days, farmers markets, slow weekend errands, and everything in between. It's woven, structured, and genuinely beautiful in a way that most beach bags just aren't. There's something about carrying a beautiful bag that sets the tone for your whole day. It's a small thing, but it's really not.
Barzee Turkish Towel
A good towel is one of those summer essentials people underestimate until they have a great one. The Barzee Turkish Towel is lightweight, quick-drying, and genuinely soft in a way that thick terry towels rarely manage after a few washes. Turkish towels pack down beautifully, so you're not using half your tote on a bulky roll. They double as a wrap, a picnic blanket, a light layer in a cold restaurant. One thing, doing many jobs well.
Moon Valley Organics Lip Balm
Your lips will thank you every single time. Moon Valley Organics lip balm is made with genuinely clean, plant-based ingredients, which matters when you're reapplying all day in the sun. It's the kind of small product that becomes a little habit, something you reach for without thinking, because it just works. If you're trying to simplify your summer beauty routine without overhauling everything at once, this is a good place to start.
Primally Pure Mineral Sunscreen
Primally Pure Sun Cream SPF 30 is one of the few mineral sunscreens that actually feels pleasant to wear. No white cast, no greasy finish. Just solid, reef-safe protection you'll actually want to put on. Sun protection is the one non-negotiable in a summer tote. The Environmental Working Group consistently points to zinc oxide-based mineral formulas as among the safest and most stable options for daily use, and Primally Pure checks that box without the sensory trade-offs that used to make people skip SPF altogether.
Paper Fan
This one might be the most underrated item in the whole tote. A simple paper fan is genuinely useful on a warm afternoon, beautiful in an old-fashioned, low-effort way, and takes up almost no space. It's also just a little joyful to pull out of your bag, which counts for something. There's a slow-living argument to be made for analog solutions: a fan that requires no batteries, no charging, no connection. Just air and your own wrist.
Natural Sandalwood Wooden Comb
Salt water and wind are wonderful. Also a little chaotic for your hair. A natural sandalwood wooden comb glides through tangled post-swim hair more gently than a plastic one, and it smells faintly of sandalwood, which is a small and entirely pleasant detail that makes you feel like someone who has her life together. It's also just a beautiful object to have in your bag. These things matter more than we give them credit for.
Divine Feminine Oracle Deck
Not everyone brings a deck of cards to the pool, and that's completely fine. But if you're someone who likes to sit with a question, to journal, to reflect during those slow stretches when the sun is warm and there's nowhere else to be, the Divine Feminine Oracle Deck is a beautiful companion for exactly that kind of afternoon. Pull a card. See what it stirs up. Let the water do the rest.
The things we choose to bring with us, to a pool day, a weekend away, a long afternoon in the sun, are a small reflection of how we want to feel. Whether that's taken care of, present, or just a little more beautiful than a typical Tuesday.
We spend a lot of time thinking about how to practice intentional living in everyday life, and it turns out that packing your bag thoughtfully is one of the most accessible versions of that. No grand gestures required. Just a few good things, chosen with care. This summer, we hope your tote is one of them.