Dirt-Cheap Summer: 16 Awesome Items Helping Us Survive the Season

Made of ethically sourced, Fair Trade natural rubber farmed in Thailand and Vietnam, these flip-flops come in a variety of two-tone colorways, support local artisans, and are perfect for a chill day at the beach or around the house.

What’s better than iced coffee? Ice cream that tastes like Vietnamese iced coffee, naturally. Two Bay Area purveyors with rabid followings—Blue Bottle Coffee and Humphrey Slocombe ice cream—have teamed up to produce a rich, deeply flavored frozen treat that’s just the refreshing, energizing thing you need on a summer afternoon. 

Sure, there are better-sounding, cooler-looking Bluetooth speakers with longer battery lives. But are they this cheap and this beloved and this, shall we say, low-stress? If you’re looking for a portable speaker to bring some breezy tunes to the beach or park, this is one you can crank up and leave on the towel while you take a dip.

Masks and wraps can be so impersonal, but not when you use yours to tell the world a little something about your dog-loving/cat-crazy self. Send Pop Your Pup a photo of your pet, and they’ll send back a customized neck gaiter with the furry one’s image all over it. It’s made of a lightweight material that breathes better and cooler than many masks and makes a great socially distanced conversation-starter. We also just find that it’s comforting to have an image of our little floof with us when we go out into the scary, potentially lethal world—and right now, that’s everything.

French knife maker Opinel has been in the business of cheap and cheerful cutlery for ages, and its colorful variations on the classic wood-handled folding knife are as appealing as the original. The low price will allow you to buy and few and deploy them—color-coded!—for different tasks. (We’re partial to the green for gardening.) The leather strap rounds out the charm.

The trick to making the most of a paella pan is to recognize that it’s better at so much more than just making paella (though its shallow depth and thin build guarantee textbook-crunchy bomba rice every time). Use it on the grill to cook vegetables without having them fall through the grates, roast meats in the oven without busting out an entire sheet pan, or just stick it on the wall and look at those cute red handles and dream of an Iberian vacation.

Whether you call this wood-and-wire tool a wok strainer or a spider strainer, it’s the unsung multipurpose workhorse of many a chef (and Sunset editor): Use it to safely flip and fry food from afar, strain pasta right over the boiling water before transferring straight into your saucepan, or as a makeshift colander for small portions of fruit and veg and herbs. And you don’t need to be precious with it: Run it through the dishwasher. The bamboo handle can take it.

If you’re lighting more candles with all this additional stay-at-home time, it’s time to splurge on yourself—and your candles—with a wick dipper. It’ll cut down the smoke you get after blowing out a candle by letting you put out the flame with the wax instead of air, which can also help with your home air quality. Might also be smart to invest in a wick snipper, too, to slice off that charred wick before you start burning. Both help make candles last longer, too.

Ethical, sustainable, and smelling of nature and the woods and everything good about California and the great outdoors, this unisex deodorant in handsome packaging makes feeling fresh look good.

I got hooked on these years ago (we had bowls of them at my last job). They’re jam-packed with 1,000 mg of Vitamin C and 1,000 mg of Essential Phospholipids per packet, so as soon as I feel a tickle in my throat I mix one packet with warm water and pray I don’t get sick and ruin my summer.

Whether it’s a journal, a new WFH notepad, or a place to jot down an idea for your novel, this sweet little notebook is super versatile and chic for all your writing needs.

Not only are these pens aesthetically pleasing, but they’re also always on point. I’ve had many pens explode in fancy bags or bleed ink all over the pages of my notebooks, but not Poppin. Sometimes it’s the little joys in life.  

Make keeping track of cooking utensils in the backcountry much easier with Gerber’s spatula, fork, spoon, tongs, and 4-function multi-tool combo. A friendly design allows each item to fit snugly together to maximize space in your pack and get you back on the trail.

If you’re looking for a handsome, basic black, washable, and low-key face mask that’s made in America, pick up a five-pack from Buck Mason, the L.A. menswear brand. Feel-good bonus: They’re aiming to donate 1 million masks to folks in need.

Not many items are more important on a camping trip than a trusty headlamp. Black Diamond’s waterproof Spot 325 LED light will keep you oriented on the trail and at your campsite during those late-night setups. Dependability of multiple light modes, light-enhancing optics, and a battery life indicator make this a must-pack commodity.

A packing list for any successful camping excursion calls for a reliable, do-it-all blade. This 3-inch, all purpose folding knife can meet any challenge, and at under $22, won’t be forcing you to break the bank any time soon.

From car-top campers and high-design firepits to leather sofas and a robot lawnmower, these are the extravagant items we dream about.