New tech & toys for an ah-maze-zing summer.
Picture it. You’re relaxing on a comfy lilo, drifting across a crystal-clear pool surface as the dulcet tones of <insert your favourite artist here> fill the balmy afternoon air, along with the tantalising smell of barbecued <insert your favourite protein>.
The water temperature is perfect. Not too cold, not soupy, bath-watery warm, just…refreshing. The sky is clear. Your friends are engaged in a friendly-but-actually-kind-of-competitive game of quoits (or potentially just water blasting each other in the face). Your bestie floats past on a majestic inflatable swan. You wait until they get close enough, then push them off - just because you can.
Okay, scratch that last part. But summer is nearly here, which means days like this are almost in reach. Days packed with family and friends, pool parties, picnics, barbecues, and some serious beach action. To help you make the most of it, we’ve researched the best tech, toys, and accessories to help you live your best summer life… no matter the occasion.
Let’s dive in.
Pool Parties
No pool party is complete without sunshine, sweet sounds, and an enormous, inflatable golden swan (or just a super-comfortable lilo, if low key is more your thing).
We can’t 100% guarantee the sunshine (sorry), but we can recommend some sweet waterproof speakers. Try the Sunnylife Splash Speaker, which comes with its very own little suction cup. Stick it to the side of the pool and let your favourite tunes sink in.
If you’re up for some friendly fire (and the strange satisfaction that comes from squirting water in other people’s faces), you can’t go past a classic water blaster. Alternatively - and definitely less combative - try an underwater camera, and capture every moment above and below the surface.
Picnics
A summer picnic is one of those things that - if you’re prepared and the outdoor socialising gods smile upon you - is pretty much unbeatable. What’s not to love about the combination of sunshine, friends, family, more sunshine, soft blankets, and cute baskets full of cheese?
In fact, a good picnic basket is an investment that will serve you for many summers to come. Look for one with built-in insulation to keep that cheese in solid form (unless it’s a fondue picnic…weird), like the Sunnylife Round Cooler Basket. If you’re in the mood for something a bit extra, a folding table takes things to the next level and deters pesky little ant visitors.
Barbecues
Some things just scream ‘Aussie summer’. The hum of cicadas. The whine of mosquitoes. The smell of Aerogard as you douse your entire body, hoping it’s enough to prevent them from taking you whole. But nothing - nothing - says Aussie summer like the drifting scent of delicious barbecue causing your saliva glands to spontaneously explode inside your mouth.
If you’re lucky, it’s your barbecue. If you’re not so lucky… well, you could always try wandering towards the source in the hope of scoring an invite (just wipe the drool off your chin first). A much better plan is to be prepared. Stave off potential barbecue envy with your own solid barbecue setup, complete with everything from tongs (no-brainer) to a mouthwatering meat rub, to a nifty meat thermometer (for getting the meat juuuuust right).
Beach
After several years’ worth of ‘unprecedented times’, we’ve all earned some quality time amongst the sand and surf (preferably without the seaweed, but hey - nature).
Beach days are basically an artform in Australia, and everyone has their strength. There’s the get-in-early-and-nab-a-prime-spot brigade. The bring-everything-you-own-including-an-enormous-cabana crew. And of course, the much more casual I-don’t-even-need-thongs people (you’ll see them doing their high-knee ouchy dance across the sand).
But if there’s something we can all agree on, it’s beach day essentials: a) a cooler filled with icy drinks (extra points if it doubles as a speaker), b) a beach umbrella (and cushion, if you’re feeling fancy), and C) a beach cricket set, because this is Australia and it’s an unwritten law that you must play - or at the very least, watch other people play - cricket at the beach.
