Gear for Enjoying Summer on the Water

The Best Beach Umbrellas, Chairs, and Accessories for Enjoying the Sun and Surf Gear for Enjoying Summer on the Water [View this email in your browser]( Wirecutter supports our readers with thousands of hours of reporting and testing to help you find the stuff you need in order to live a better life. You support us through our independently chosen links, which earn us a commission. [Read more about what we do.]( Come on in—the water’s great Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, marking the official opening of beach season. Or lake season. Or pool season. Or [open-hydrant season](. Wherever it is that you go to find sweet, splashy relief when the days become too steamy to bear. (Of course, those of us who live in San Francisco face a different imperative: retaining body heat during [its notoriously frigid summers]( If you’re within reach of a coastline with actual waves and sand and salt water, you might want to take a look at our guide to [surfboards and wetsuits]( because why not make this the summer you finally learn to catch a wave. You’d rather sit comfortably ashore and watch someone else do headers into the surf? No problem. We’ve got suggestions for the [beach umbrellas, folding chairs, and coolers]( to transform your sandy outpost into an oasis. Should your nearest body of water be a tranquil lake, check out our [fishing rod and reel guide]( well as our pick for [life jacket]( because safety first. If a pool is your retreat of choice, we’ve got enough [water guns]( to keep a whole neighborhood’s worth of kids shrieking with joy. (Which reminds me: [earplugs]( As for me, I think it’s time to dig out that piece we did on [puffy blankets]( last fall—they’re probably on sale now! —Christine Ryan, senior editor [The Best Beach Umbrellas, Chairs, and Accessories for Enjoying the Sun and Surf]( Our team of ocean-loving gear testers have spent dozens of hours over the past three summers finding [the best umbrellas, chairs, and accessories]( for a comfortable, relaxing day at the beach. Whether it’s sunscreen, sun shades, or flip-flops, we’ve got you covered. [The Best Sunscreen]( We [tried 28 sunscreens]( and found the fragrance-free [Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen Lotion SPF 70]( (Amazon) to be our favorite for its UVA/UVB protection. [The Best Fishing Rod and Reel]( After [more than 80 hours of testing]( we think that pairing the [Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2]( rod (Walmart) with the [Daiwa BG SW]( spinning reel (Amazon) is optimal for fishing. [The Best Life Jacket for Most Watersports]( We [researched dozens of Type III life jackets]( or personal flotation devices, and found the [NRS Ion PFD]( (Amazon) is the best for kayak, paddleboard, and canoe users. [The Best Surfboard, Wetsuit, and Accessories for Beginners]( Four lifelong surfers spent a month finding [the best surfboard, wetsuit, and other accessories]( for beginners. They have tips on how to get started, too. [The Best Water Gun (No Surprise: It’s a Super Soaker!)]( After doing battle over three summers in backyards and in pools—with an arsenal of more than 13 water guns and [for a total of 40 hours of testing]( team of trigger-happy squirts has settled on a new top pick: [Nerf Super Soaker Squall Surge]( (Amazon). Easy for adults and kids alike to handle, it’s an affordable, sturdy, and effective soaker. Also published this week [What’s the Best Vacuum for Carpets?]( [What's the Best Vacuum for Hardwood Floors?]( [How to Clean Earbuds and Headphones]( [What Is a Smart TV? (And Why Should You Want One?)]( [Everything You Wanted to Know About the Instant Pot]( [The Best Keurig Machine (But We Really Don’t Recommend It)]( [The Best Thunderbolt 2 Docks]( [The Best Thunderbolt 3 Docks]( [The Best Mirrorless Camera for Beginners]( [Modem vs. Router: What’s the Difference?]( [The Best Mattress and Pillow Protectors and Encasements]( [The Best Shower Mat]( [The Best Portable Hard Drive]( Deals We Love Because we think we can make a small difference by being picky, [here are some great deals]( on solid pieces of gear. One of our favorites from this week: [CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with Sunscreen](. Back in stock after briefly disappearing, this deal matches the lowest price we’ve seen this year on the top pick from our [blog post about sunscreen](. There are also some great savings to be had right now on the [LG OLED55B7A]( a variant of our upgrade pick (with a silver bezel and without Atmos decoding) in our guide to [the best TV](. The street price of this 55-inch model is $1,500, but presently this TV is available for $1,300. --------------------------------------------------------------- Updates and other stuff - [LCD/LED TVs]( We’ve swapped out the Sony XBR-X900E for the [X900F]( (Amazon) as our runner-up pick. The newer X900F has a brighter image and offers improved colors and motion quality. We’ve also added some new testing notes about the [Samsung NU8000]( (Walmart). - [Headphones for Running]( After finishing our first round of testing on the [Jabra Elite Active 65t]( (Amazon), we’ve added our initial thoughts to the [What about AirPods and other true wireless headphones?]( section. - [VPN Services]( We did some more research after learning that the new iOS app from [Private Internet Access (aka PIA)]( now includes OpenVPN support. For now, we still don’t recommend PIA based on speed, but we’ll update the [How to use a VPN on iOS]( section with our new findings soon. We’ll also reassess [ProtonVPN]( when we have a chance. - [Apple HomePod]( Now that Apple has released [AirPlay 2]( we’ve updated our guide to include the highly anticipated multiroom speaker capabilities for the [HomePod]( (Apple). - [360-Degree Cameras]( After testing the [Rylo]( (Amazon) and [GoPro Fusion]( (GoPro) cameras, we’ve decided not to recommend them. We’ve added our thoughts to the [Competition]( section. Let’s be friends! [Like us on Facebook ]( [Follow us on Twitter]( [Follow us on Pinterest]( [Follow us on Instagram]( [YouTube]( Getting this email for the first time? [Subscribe to receive it weekly.]( Copyright © 2018 Wirecutter, Inc., all rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the Wirecutter Weekly mailing list. You are free to unsubscribe at any time. Our mailing address is: Wirecutter, Inc. 620 Eighth AvenueNew York, NY 10018 [Add us to your address book](//thewirecutter.us5.list-manage.com/vcard?u=570aa9140d54361ad5a594320&id=bb5d08fe40) [Unsubscribe from this list]( | [Update subscription preferences](