Summer is a great time to hit the beach with family and friends, and soak up some sun while feeling the sand beneath your toes. And just as it’s important to load up on the sunscreen, it’s also important to protect your camera, smartphone, and any other electronics you may be using to document your day of fun. The three biggest challenges your gear will face at the beach are likely to be sand, water, and heat. So here are our best tips for keeping your gear, and your memories, safe and secure.

A photo posted by Animoto (@animoto) on Aug 3, 2015 at 4:12pm PDT

Sand

Sand is great for building sand castles and horrible for….everything else. It gets everywhere, is impossible to clean, and you’re likely to still be finding remnants of it in your shoes or car months down the road. What’s worse is that it can scratch screens and get in the nooks and crannies of your electronics. To quickly and easily sand proof your device, you may not have to look any further than your kitchen drawer. That’s right — resealable sandwich bags are a great option that’s also easy on the wallet. The bags will help keep sand away from your device while you’re not using it, while still allowing you to see it and use the touch screen. If you’re looking for a little more heavy-duty protection, these LokSak bags are weather and waterproof. 

Water

While the options above will help keep your gear safe from sand until you’re ready to use it, they limit your ability to get up close and personal to the surf and shore to capture photos and videos. However, there are some options out there that’ll not only let you get closer to the water, but also under it. GoPro cameras are a popular option for underwater photos and videos, and offer several attachments and accessories that make it easy to document water sports, hands free. You can even use them to hang out with sharks, like in this video GoPro posted to Instagram (although we wouldn’t recommend it!).

A video posted by gopro (@gopro) on Jul 10, 2015 at 11:02am PDT

A more cost-friendly option is to purchase a protective waterproof case for your device. AquaPac has a wide range of products to protect camera gear and cell phones from varying degrees of water exposure. To get the best protection possible, research cases specifically made for your camera or cell phones’ make and model. Read reviews by other customers and check out product videos — like this one from Catalyst.

Heat

While sand and water damage may be obvious dangers to your equipment, heat is one you may not think much about. But have you ever used a smartphone outdoors and seen this screen pop up?

Not only does this temporarily disable your phone, but it can drain your battery and — if it gets too hot — can do some permanent damage to your central processing unit. The same thing can happen to your digital camera, although older models may not warn you. To avoid this from happening, keep your device out of direct sunlight for as much of the day as possible. If there are any extra apps or features running that you don’t need, such as screen brightness, turn them off. If you do see this warning message or your device feels warm to the touch, remove it from its case and place it in a cool, dark area, wrapped in a plastic bag; the inside of a cooler would work, but just make sure it’s not too close to ice.

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to enjoy your day on the beach and capture all the best moments. When you’re back on dry land, make a beach day recap video with a style that was made for just such an occasion — Life’s a Beach.
Got a beach vacation video you love? Share the URL with us below or tweet it at @Animoto on Twitter.

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