I have spent more beach days than I care to admit shaking sand out of regular towels, peeling grit off my kids' sandwiches, and finding granules in my car for a week afterward. That is exactly why I started using sand free beach mats. These are not regular blankets with a sand-resistant finish. They use […]

Last summer, my kids and I spent more hours shooting hoops in our pool than actually swimming. That little realization sent our team on a six-week hunt for the best pool basketball hoops on the market. We tested eight popular models across three pools, weighed in feedback from real buyers, and even pulled tips from […]

When the summer heat hits and the kids are bouncing off the walls, the best inflatable family pools turn any backyard into a private water park without the cost of an in-ground install. I spent the last few months testing inflatable family pools with my own family and a handful of neighbors. We filled them, […]

Few things match the feeling of catching a clean wave on a well-built boogie board. Whether you are heading to the beach for the first time or upgrading from a worn-out rental, finding the best boogie boards for your skill level and body type makes every session more fun. Our team spent weeks comparing construction […]

After spending three months testing eight different skimboards along the Gulf Coast and the Pacific shore, our team put together this guide to the best skimboards you can buy right now. We rode them in shallow sand, on shorebreak, and on small summer waves, and we tracked how each board handled flatland tricks versus actual […]

I spent the last three summers testing pool floats so you don't have to waste money on ones that sag, fade, or pop after two weekends. Our team sank hours into real-world testing of inflatables, foam mats, and hybrid loungers across pools and lakes. Finding the best pool floats for adults in comes down to […]

I spent the last three months testing pool loungers at my own home and at a friend's rental property to figure out which ones actually hold up to splashing kids, salt water, and full-sun afternoons. After evaluating 10 different models, I narrowed down the list to the best luxury pool loungers worth your money in […]

Nothing beats the sound of kids laughing and splashing in the pool on a hot summer afternoon. But after the first 20 minutes, the novelty of jumping in wears off and parents start hearing "I'm bored" more than they would like. That is exactly why having the best pool games for families ready to go […]

I spent six weekends this spring chasing pollen, leaves, and bugs across my in-ground pool with eight different skimmer nets. By the end of my testing, my water stayed noticeably clearer with two of them, and one replaced my old net permanently. If you want the best pool skimmer nets for without wasting money on […]

Nothing transforms a backyard pool into a party zone faster than a good game of water volleyball. I have spent the last several months testing, assembling, splashing around with, and sometimes fighting with 10 of the most popular pool volleyball sets on the market. Some impressed me so much that I bought extras for family […]