The Ultimate Boat Day Packing List: Everything You Need & 5 Things You'll Forget

There are two kinds of people on boat day:

The person who packed everything the night before.

And the person standing at the dock saying, “Did anybody bring sunscreen?”

Whether you're heading out for a few hours, spending the day at the sandbar, or planning an entire weekend on the water, forgetting one little thing can become a really big deal once you've left the dock.

So before somebody has to make the dreaded run back to shore, here's the BoatDaddy Boat Day Packing List.

☀️ The Boat Day Basics

Let's start with the things you think you're going to remember.

Pack:

• Sunscreen

• Sunglasses

• Hats

• Towels

• Water

• Phone

• Wallet/ID

• Swimsuit

• Change of clothes

• Flip-flops or water shoes

BoatDaddy Rule: Bring more sunscreen than you think you'll need.

There is always somebody who announces:

“I don't burn.”

That person will be approximately the color of a lobster by dinner.

🧊 The Cooler

Arguably the most important passenger on the boat.

Your cooler needs:

• Plenty of water

• Ice

• Snacks

• Sandwiches or easy lunches

• Fruit

• Sports/electrolyte drinks

• Your favorite boat beverages

• More ice

Seriously.

More ice.

Nothing ruins a perfectly good afternoon faster than opening the cooler at 2:00 and discovering everything is floating in lukewarm water.

BoatDaddy Tip

Freeze a few bottles of water the night before.

They'll help keep the cooler cold and give you extra cold water later in the day.

That's called planning ahead.

We occasionally do that.

🔊 The Entertainment Department

A boat without music is basically transportation.

Bring:

• Bluetooth speaker if your boat doesn't have a sound system

• Downloaded playlist

• Portable charger/power bank

• Charging cables

• Waterproof phone pouch

Most importantly, download your playlist before leaving.

Because discovering you have one bar of service right when the perfect song needs to play is a lake-day tragedy nobody deserves.

🏖️ Sandbar & Swimming Gear

Planning to anchor and hang out?

Add:

• Floating chairs

• Inflatable floats

• Floating cooler

• Goggles

• Waterproof bag

• Rope for floats

• Beach towels

• Water toys

And remember:

Anything inflatable that isn't tied down eventually becomes someone else's inflatable.

🧴 The “We're Responsible Adults” Bag

It's not exciting, but you'll be happy somebody packed it.

Bring:

• First-aid kit

• Bug spray

• Hand sanitizer

• Wet wipes

• Trash bags

• Motion-sickness medication if needed

• Any personal medications

• Extra sunscreen

And, of course, make sure the boat itself has all required safety equipment and properly fitting life jackets before heading out.

Responsible boating is always cool.

Mostly because responsible boating means you get to keep boating.

🤦 5 Things Everyone Forgets

Now for the important part.

These are the things nobody thinks about until the boat is already away from the dock.

1. A Trash Bag

Everyone remembers the cooler.

Nobody remembers where all those empty cans, wrappers and snack bags are supposed to go.

Bring several.

Your boat—and the lake—will thank you.

2. A Dry Bag

Phones.

Wallets.

Keys.

Clothes.

There are a surprising number of things we bring onto the water that absolutely hate water.

A small waterproof dry bag can save the day.

3. A Portable Phone Charger

Photos.

Music.

Maps.

Texts.

Weather.

Social media.

Your phone is doing overtime on boat day.

Don't wait until you're at 4% battery to discover nobody brought a charger.

4. A Sweatshirt

At noon:

“Why would I need a sweatshirt? It's 90 degrees.”

At 8:47:

“Does anybody have a sweatshirt?”

Trust us.

Bring one.

5. Extra Sunglasses

Lake Rule #347:

If you bring expensive sunglasses onto a boat, the lake immediately begins plotting against them.

Bring a backup pair.

Preferably something you won't mourn when they disappear into 30 feet of water.

👕 Don't Forget the Lake-Day Uniform

You've got the cooler.

You've got the sunscreen.

You've got the playlist.

Now there's only one question:

What are you wearing?

Boat days aren't exactly formal occasions—which is precisely why they're great.

Throw on something comfortable, grab your favorite hat and wear something that lets everyone know you'd rather be on the water.

Whether you're the captain, the Passenger Princess, the unofficial cooler manager or the person contributing absolutely nothing except good vibes, there's a place for you aboard.

And probably a BoatDaddy shirt for it.

🚤 The Ultimate BoatDaddy Checklist

Before you pull away from the dock:

☐ Cooler packed ☐ Water packed

☐ Ice packed ☐ Sunscreen packed

☐ Towels packed ☐ Sunglasses packed

☐ Phone charged ☐ Portable charger packed

☐ Playlist downloaded ☐ Dry bag packed

☐ Trash bags packed ☐ Safety gear checked

☐ Life jackets aboard ☐ BoatDaddy gear on

☐ Questionable decisions kept reasonably responsible

Looks like you're ready.

One Last BoatDaddy Rule

A perfect boat day doesn't require perfect weather, the biggest boat on the lake or the fanciest equipment.

It requires good people, good music and enough time on the water to completely forget what day it is.

Pack smart.

Boat responsibly.

Have fun.

And if BoatDaddy says “We're leaving at 5:00”...

You might want to pack that sweatshirt.

Because we all know it's probably going to be 8:47.