Summer Must Haves

Summer buying comes down to shade, water and heat. Shade is the one people underrate and regret by midday. This collection has four separate answers to it, from the Quick Opening Sunshade Automatic Outdoor Beach Tent to the Beach Face Tent Umbrella with Air Pillow, which shades your head while you lie face down and leaves the rest of you in the sun on purpose.

Pop up tents open in seconds and fold back with a technique you have to learn, so watch the folding once at home rather than in front of a beach full of people. The UV-protecting Children Waterproof Beach Tent is the one to look at if you have small kids, since shade matters more for them and it doubles as a wind break. The Portable Beach Sun Shade Canopy covers more ground but needs sand or pegs to hold, which makes it a beach and garden item rather than something you throw in a bag for the park.

In the water, match the float to the pool you actually have. The 6 Person Huge Unicorn Pool Float Inflatable Giant Unicorn Swimming Pool Island is a party object that needs a full size pool, a pump and a car with a decent trunk. The Inflatable Three People Floating Swimming Ring and the Inflatable Floating Water Lounger Hammock are the everyday versions of the same idea. Aqua Unisex Breathable Beach Shoes are the boring buy that saves the day, because hot sand and sharp rocks are what actually ruin a beach afternoon.

One safety note that matters more than any product feature. The Anti Fog Full Face Diving Mask is built for floating on the surface and looking down, not for holding your breath and swimming deeper. Use it for calm, shallow snorkeling in company, and get a standard mask and snorkel if you plan to dive down at all. The same thinking applies to the Safety Baby Swimming Ring Float: it is a support, and no float replaces an adult within arm's reach.

For heat away from water, the fans here are personal bubble tools. The Blast Pocket Turbo Cooling Portable Mini Fan and the Creative Astronaut Mini Keychain Fan cool the person holding them and nothing else, which is exactly right in a queue and useless in a hot room. The Remote Control Ceiling Fan Lamp is the fitted answer for the room problem. Smaller things round the page out: a Portable Anti Mosquito Coil Holder for the evening, a Reusable Ice Cream Popsicle Mold Pack for the freezer, and two very different sunglasses, the plain HD Clear Nylon Lens Sunglasses and the Futuristic Cyborg Cosplay Sunglasses for a summer that involves a costume. Every item carries its rating and review count from real buyers, and shipping is free on most orders, which usually leave within a day.