Top 10 Gear Picks for Summer Cruising

Doga Towels

We have several ‘turkish’ style towels onboard Bloom and the Doga Towels are by far our absolute favorite! Although they are also the most expensive ($65), we feel they are absolutely worth it. They are big, luxurious and soft, take up hardly any space, are extremely absorbent and dry quickly! They even have antimicrobial properties and never stink. 100% handmade and organic, you cannot go wrong. They wash up really well also. Each Bloom crew member has their own Doga and they are in constant use. Get your own Doga Towel here.

SafeRingz

Hearing about a lot of fellow cruisers catching fingers and rings in winches, hatches etc. we were worried about being at sea and having an ‘incident’ and not being able to remove our wedding rings in an emergency. In comes ‘SafeRingz‘. A silicon wedding band that looks great! We each have a metallic-looking one that looks very authentic, but stretches when needed and is extremely comfortable. These rings are a great option when you want to wear your wedding bands but don’t want to worry! Get your SafeRingz here.

Reusable ‘Paper’ Towels

These Not-Paper Towels  are useful for SO many things onboard! They can be used as napkins during mealtime, mop-up spills and messes, for cleaning, put them in a ziploc with your freshly-washed produce before putting in the fridge to soak up some water, as a dish drying mat…. I could go on. They wash up really well and just snap right back on to the roll- plus you can pick a design you like and jazz up your galley! The other advantage is that they produce zero waste and are totally environmentally friendly. The only paper towels we buy now are shop towels for the engine and other grimy stuff. Order your own, custom Not-Paper Towels on Amazon, here!

Hydroflask

If you are looking for a fantastic thermos that keeps drinks really cold OR really hot- look no further. The Hydro Flask Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle is wonderful! We like this one as it holds 64 ounces, so is great for 2-3 people to share. We use this on every night crossing we do, as we can fill it up with hot, freshly-brewed tea and it stays hot all night-up to 12 hours! Great to keep you warm in the cockpit if you don’t have a full canvas enclosure. You can also fill it with your fave cold bevy and put it in the fridge or fill with ice and it will stay cold for up to 24 hours. They also make smaller, 24 oz Water Bottles and an in-between 40 oz Wide Mouth Size.

Aquabot

Another extremely versatile tool to have on a boat! The  Aquabot is a high pressure multi-purpose water bottle with a personal mister, shower & water gun. Perfect for cleaning off, cooling off, water fights and hydrating. Super fun & functional. It has a million uses onboard: washing off the dog’s paws, rinsing soap and/or salt off dishes, water fights, personal mister to cool off, ‘hosing’ the deck, misting off salty dodger windows, rinsing fruit and vegetables- even a quick, mini-shower! The aquabot is a huge fresh-water saver and features two settings- jet stream or fine mist spray. Simply fill it with fresh water, pump the handle a few times to build up the pressure and spray to your heart’s content!

Spinlock Deckvest Cento Junior

Available in blue or pink, this light and easy-wearing life vest is the only inflatable of its kind available for juniors. No more bulky, thick foam life vests that get complaints! This automatic inflatable life vest is designed for ages 8 through to 15 and is very comfortable to wear. With a built-in harness and crotch strap, we felt this would be the safest option for our son (age 10) as it would allow him to be tethered to the boat while also providing buoyancy in the water, should he somehow go overboard. This life vest also has a 5 year warranty and is available at West Marine.

Packable Backpacks

We absolutely love these collapsible backpacks! Each crew member has got one. Super handy for throwing in a bag and then expanding when you need it. (Think going to shore and visiting the local market!) They are extremely lightweight, but hold 25 liters of stuff and are comfortable too! The ones we bought were bargain-priced at less than $15 each and are the Mountaintop 25L Foldable Daypack/Lightweight Packable Backpack available on Amazon. We got a different colour for each crew member.

Hydeaway Collapsible Water bottles

We love these light HYDAWAY Collapsible Pocket-sized Travel Water Bottles! They shrink down to nothing and have been nicknamed our ‘adult sippy cups’ onboard. Fill them with whatever you like and when you are done, you just squish them down flat. If you’ve got a clip handy, you can easily attach them to a backpack and bring them along anywhere.

Weather Station

We keep this AcuRite Weather Station in an easy-to-see area of the boat, facing the dinette. It features moon phases, the time, date, inside and outside temperature, inside and outside humidity levels as well as a barometer with predicted weather. Some really handy information to have on a boat, and it runs for a very long time on batteries (you can also plug in to AC if you like.) We highly recommend these units!

Road ID Bracelets

These Road ID Bracelets are a must-have if you travel. Even if you don’t! Living on a boat usually means no fixed address, so it’s good to have some ID on you at all times in case of emergencies that links you to your boat and your loved ones. These bracelets are easily adjusted to fit adults as well as children and they are silicon and stainless- so totally fine to wear in the water and in a marine environment. There are lots of colours to choose from as well! Each of the Bloom Crew wears one at all times and it includes our full names, boat name, city of origin and emergency contact information. You can even include medical info and/or allergies!