What I'm Packing for Cape Cod

Time for a summer outfit report!

It’s been a minute since I’ve done an Outfit Report newsletter for you, mostly because it’s hot and sweaty and I’ve been living in the same things I’ve already told you about: this giant red dress, this comfiest jumpsuit, and then the tank top Corinne and I both love, plus whatever drawstring shorts are clean.

But we’re headed to Cape Cod for a week of beach and family time soon. I can’t wait but also family vacation mental load is real! In addition to packing myself, I will be at least lightly supervising the packing of two children and one dog, plus remembering our swim goggles, beach stuff, books, board games, screens, chargers…and that’s before I even start to think about food! (On the food front, I loved Julia Turshen’s recent newsletter about cooking on a trip in a rental house. We’ll be rotating dinner duty with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law, so I’m not actually worried about that part — but keeping my kids fed when we travel is always an extra project. Time for ALL THE SNACKSSS.)

So this newsletter is mostly just me making some of my packing lists…and sharing it with you. But it’s also always weirdly fascinating to see what people bring on trips? OK, here’s we go!

What I’m Packing for the Beach

1. I’ve been testing out Lands’ End new allegedly tugless midkinis and I’ve gotta say: Indeed, I am not tugging! Other high waist bottoms sometimes unexpectedly roll down or get saggy once you get wet. These are pretty bare bones, aesthetically, but have great coverage and stay put —perfect for a family beach trip. (Here’s the blue top and bottom.)

2. Love a big button down as a beach coverup, because you can also wear it with shorts for a regular outfit. (Mine is two years old, from a store I’m not linking anymore but I promise this is a very good dupe.)

3. Yes this is one of my beloved reusable grocery bags, but obvs the lobster print has to come to New England. And this one is their biggest size, which is actually massive and will fit towels, water bottles, swim goggles (oh god, remind me not to forget the swim goggles!) etc, etc.

4. These flipflops have been my house shoes all summer but they are getting promoted to beach service because the arch support is legit.

5. Hat (sorry, an Evil A link, I bought it last year before I quit and can’t find another source, but I’m not affiliate-ing it) and sunscreen, self-explanatory. I’ve been loving this one for my face and this one for body, all summer.

What I’m Packing To Wear When Not Wet

1. It’s 91 degrees as I write this but the beach will be cooler right? At night anyway? Am optimistically packing one cozy sweatshirt and these Sora pants which are the pants version of my beloved jumpsuit and like wearing actual butter. (This link gets you $15 off!)

2. Otherwise I’ll have a bunch of my favorite tank tops (maybe I don’t need all four pictured here? But kinda depends on stains and sweat?), and two pairs of elastic waist shorts, one red linen and one chambray. This equals eight outfits so arguably I need to pack nothing else but… I will.

3. Like this striped long-sleeve tee that also goes with the shorts or the pants, so why not.

4. Of course I am bringing the jumpsuit! (I have the Hana 2.0) I figure I’ll wear this is we go anywhere “nice” but it’s also the comfiest thing to throw on after that post-beach shower.

5. Also bringing the red dress because it can do double duty as an extra beach coverup or be an outfit.

6. Old Navy sells this striped t-shirt as a dress but I’m wearing it as a nightshirt this summer, so throwing that in as PJs.

7. OK there is a real case to be made for doing the whole week just in Birkenstocks (with the flip flops above for getting wet), but I still feel compelled to add my “nice” sandals. Maybe? They don’t slip on, but they are very, very comfortable.

8. Not pictured: My go-to bra (will prob wear one, pack one) plus the red bra (too old to link) that I wear with the red dress (wait, does the fact that it requires its own bra mean it’s too high maintenance for this trip?), plus underwear.

Other Miscellaneous Things On My List

1. I’ve tried a lot of luggage situations over the years, and the combination I now always stick to is this suitcase, these compression packing cubes, and — sorry, sorry, this is VERY bougie, but they really do last forever—the overpriced Cadence capsules for toiletries and their coordinating clear magnetic storage bags. I use one for my toiletries and one for all our medications.

2. For a car trip, I will also pull out our two oversized Boat and Tote bags (sorry, again, New England cliche). Great for cramming in groceries, pet supplies, and all the miscellaneous things that don’t fit easily into suitcases.

3. I *think* our rental house will have towels but I may pack a few of these quick dry towels anyway because they fold up tiny and yet come in a generous 78” size, so are also good to have in case the house towels are not size-inclusive.

4. And last, a few low-key activities that are good for intergenerational group bonding: Giant coloring sheet and markers, this board game, and my new favorite word game (Jack’s parents got me hooked, now planning to convert my family!).

What did I forget? Which item of clothing do you think I’ll pack but never actually wear?

And: If you’re a Cape Cod regular, I’d love your tips! We’ll have 3 generations spread over two houses in Truro, ages 1 to 75, so my biggest anxiety is how to most efficiently get groceries to feed everyone (is bringing them from home the answer).

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One Quick Housekeeping Note:

As this travel-oriented newsletter might suggest, Burnt Toast will be taking our annual August hiatus starting this week. We have an awesome slate of reruns planned for you, and we’ll be back right after Labor Day. (My apologies to those of you in states where school starts in July or August, but here in New York, August is the hardest childcare month of the year!)

Thanks to paid subscribers, I’ll be continuing to pay Corinne, Tommy, and myself during this time off—which feels pretty amazing because PTO is a concept that never existed when I was freelancing for mainstream media. If you're investing in this work, we trust that means you’re happy to invest in good working conditions for the people who make it for you, and understand that includes us figuring out the most sustainable publishing schedule.

If you haven’t joined us yet, subscribing now will help make this break possible for us. It’s also an investment in all of the great reporting, writing and audio we’ll be bringing your way come September.

Subscriptions start at just $7 per month. There are two tiers of access (regular and Extra Butter!) so you can choose whichever is best for you.

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And the Usual Note About Affiliate Links:

I include affiliate links in these posts because we’re often asked where we got something, and finding/adding all those links is labor—so using links that also earn Burnt Toast a small commission feels like a fair trade. (This doesn’t raise the price for you at all.) But I remain committed to keeping Burnt Toast and ad- and sponsor-free space, so you’re only ever going to see clothes that I’ve purchased (or stole from my mom). I don’t accept free merchandise from brands unless I already shop from them, and I don’t do sponsored content. More on how I think about affiliates here.

You can find everything I’m packing for Cape Cod here. And if you ever want to track down something else you’ve seen me wear, it’s likely saved in the Burnt Toast LTK Shop or on the Burnt Toast ShopMy page. You can see all the past Outfit Reports right here.