How To Keep Valuables Safe At The Beach?

Any tips on keeping your personal items safe while swimming? I keep hearing that one shouldn't leave anything in the rental car, and I'm wondering about having car keys, towels, a little bit of cash, etc. sitting on the beach.

About 99.9 percent of the time your towels and personal clothes will be no proble. If you're only concerned about keys, phone and small amount of cash, pick up one of the small plastic waterproof cases and wear it in the water. Not a big deal at all. If you're talking cameras and bunches of other 'stuff' so many of us bring to the beach, do yourself a favor and don't. Case closed. No worries. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

We use one of these https://www.vacationvault.com/ - loop it onto our chairs - makes it very hard for someone to run down the beach carrying our chairs!!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Please check out this thread

I use one of these: www.kyssbags.com

Kiss bag is great. Holds a lot and is a beach bag too. Also works as a carry on. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

We purchased and use a beach vault that connects to the beach chairs. http://www.vacationvault.com/
It is big enough to hold my car keys, watch, wallet, cell phones and a small camera.

If my wife and I can't have our kindle / ipad on the beach to read all day then its not much of a vacation for us. Don't like being held hostage by what ifs and .05% chances of something happening.

So that being said, does the vacation vault have enough room for an ipad and kindle?

https://theaquavault.com/?gclid=CIqA65m58cQCFRaTfgodq1wA7g

This product was on Shark Tank last week or so. This can be a good viable way to keep possessions safe while at the beach.

No, the Vacation Vault will not hold an iPad or a Kindle. The Kyss bag would work for those though.

My approach may sound too simple and low tech for many, but, we take a beach bag that zips or snaps closed. We then tie a simple string (really a very small rope) around the bags straps and to our beach chair.

Yes it is true that anyone can untie and run away, but, there are lots of people on the beach. You make friends with your beach mates. No one is going to stop, untie, inspect your bag and then run away with it. The simple fact that there is something to slow down a potential thief is usually good enough.

Next I have a CO hat that has a small zipper pocket. It is just big enough for my drivers lience, reduced copy of passport , credit card and a few dollars. If your keep track of your hat, no worry about stuff disappearing. The beach bag now only has keys, stuff and a reader or two.

Simple, inexpensive and effective in most cases + I have never Seen anyone running down the beach with a beach bag dragging a chair!
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

My approach may sound to simple and low tech for many, but, we take a beach bag that zips or snaps closed. We then tie a simple string (really a very small rope) around the bag and to our beach chair.

Yes it is true that anyone can untie an run away, but, there are lots of people on the beach. You make friends with your beach mates. No one is going to stop, untie, inspect your bag and then run away with it. The simple fact that there is something to slow down a potential thief is usually good enough.

Next I have a CO hat that has a small zipper pocket. It is just big enough for my drivers lience, reduced copy of passport , credit card and a few dollars. If you keep track of your hat, no worry about stuff disappearing. The beach bag now only has keys, stuff and a reader or two.

Simple, inexpensive and effective in most cases + I have never seen anyone running down the beach with a beach bag dragging a chair! ( in SXM or any other beach that we have visited.)

Try the simple approach and " no worries" just be happy!
<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Groovin.gif" alt="" />

Honestly the simple approach works pretty well. Basically, you just need to keep things out of easy sight. My husband and I do have a bag that locks to the chairs but usually we just loop the locking strap without locking it. Most thieves are looking for a quick grab. They aren't going to waste time going through a bag to find something.
we've never really "made friends" with the people next to us on the beach chairs. But I like to think that if someone saw a potential thief digging through a bag clearly not theirs, someone would say something.

<img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" /> We bought one before our last trip, and it was worth every penny. Excellent quality, looks good, and securely attaches to anything that you can wrap the chain around.

Honestly, I bought a chain and combo lock and it works just as good as a Kyss bag, it is also a lot less expensive. We don't bring much to the beach, plus we read the good old fashioned hard cover books, therefore we don't have a Kindle or IPad. As far as a phone we are on vacation and don't carry one with us when we are at the beach. I think you can figure out a less expensive way to keep your valuables safe. I never had a problem for 14 years.

If that is all you take to the beach no wonder. For people that take teck valuables its best to take the best precautions.

Even though I don't use my phone on the beach, I do have it with me when I'm in the car in case of emergency. Since I would never leave anything in my car, I take it with me. And the iPod is a necessity to block out the possible rude, loud people near me. I don't need to use it often, but when I do, and it's a godsend.

I never even thought of bringing my phone for an emergency, thanks Kaye!! I will be bringing it with me on this trip

???? Sarcasm ?????

Happy to help.

i almost "lost" my flip-flops on Orient Beach last December...my wife and i had left our flip-flops by our chairs near Pedro's while we hung out at the Perch...when we came back, my wife's were still there, but mine were gone <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Shocked.gif" alt="" />...as i walked barefoot behind Pedro's going back to our car, we noticed a "local" sitting at a bench/table with some friends with my flip-flops tucked under his leg...we approached him and he said he thought "someone had left them behind" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/duh.gif" alt="" />

Sarcasm? Why would you say that? There was absolutely no sarcasm in my response at all. I never thought of taking my phone for emergencies.

Gracie,

Don't feel bad - I never did either and if it hadn't been for the fact our car was vandalized in a beach parking lot quite a few trips back, I probably still wouldn't take my cell phone to the beach either. I go on vacation to get away from phones, but that incident did teach me a valuable lesson.

And I didn't read any sarcasm in your response either........ <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

I purchased a kyss bag but to be honest it is way to heavy so I didn't bring it. We have never been too concerned of anyone taking our stuff. If you are on a popular beach most people look out for each other. We spent a week on Orient and Baie Rouge and felt completely safe. I live in Florida and would be more concerned here. Have fun and relax

Has anyone bought a Kyss bag recently? Seems they have a 3-4 week lag time in shipping from time of order, which sadly is beyond my trip. Just wondering if anyone had a recent experience thanks.

We've had our Kyss bag for years, and it has served us well. We never take our phone to the beach - if there were an emergency at home, we couldn't leave immediately, anyway. I also prefer a real book, but my wife uses a Kindle & she has to keep tabs on it.

Thanks Pat...I appreciate that very much. I am not that kind of person I would not be sarcastic, Kaye gave me good advice. I have been lucky not to have been vandalized, but I will be more in tune starting this trip. I hope the thieves didn't get anything of value when you were robbed. Thanks again for the kind words

Best,
Grace

We purchased the medium size bag for a trip to Mexico last month. They were very accommodating in shipping it to us in time for our trip. I would contact them before ordering and see if they can meet your shipping needs.

We were happy with our purchase. We took a snorkeling trip in Akumal Bay and chained our bag to shelving while we were in the water. Worked perfectly

Hello GaKaye, I think the Kindle Voyage will fit in the VV. Based on the dimensions on Amazon, it is 7.5" L X 7"W. My wife's Kindle Voyage is 6.4"L X 4.5"L. Unless I'm mistaken, I think it would work. Her older Kindle version is definitely too large.

You could be right. I have the Kindle Paperwhite, and it doesn't fit.

Gracie,

Just to clarify, our car was all locked up as was the sage advice at the time but there was absolutely nothing left in it ergo nothing taken. The sad part was the creeps who damaged our car got nothing from us but their actions served to cause financial harm to the rental agency not to mention lost time and aggravation. Today, at his advice, when we go to the beach we still leave nothing in the trunk or the car itself and we leave the doors unlocked and the windows down a bit, hopefully to discourage the damage that was done that one time.

We've been pretty lucky in experiencing only one incident in all our many years of visiting and our countless trips over those years. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

While this is true, emergencies do happen on the island also. As pat stated, having a car damaged/vandalized while at the beach prompted the need to use the phone.

I did buy one for my granddaughter recently and the wait was 3-4 weeks. I did have her name put on it and that may have taken extra time. I would call them.

..or something as mundane as a flat tire. Often it seems that island rental cars have either no spare tire or no jack..

Exactly! I bring a phone with me whenever we get into the car, just in case. The first thing I do when I pick up my rental phone (which Sharon delivers to my rental car, BTW), is program the rental agency phone number into my phone.

I bought a Kyss bag a couple months ago to take with us in a few weeks, and you are right - it is quite heavy. I've been doing fairly well the past 30 years or so - just taking my books and some $$'s which I put in a waterproof pouch and attach to my hubby's bathing suit pocket, but now with the "devices" I felt maybe a Kyss bag was the way to go. I love my Kindle and it sure saves me dragging all those books with me. I like to read the latest releases so I was usually taking hard covers with me. I can read up to 6 books in a week, so half our luggage was books!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> I generally left them behind for others to read as they were basically brand new. Now, with the kindle; it's so much easier. Of course, my local library misses their monthly book donations.

I like reading REAL books. Guess I'm just behind the times in so many ways! I don't get the time to read except when I'm on vacation, so I go to the local thrift store and buy paperbacks and I can still always find new stuff there. Then if I'm staying at Beachside, I just leave them there..

Carol,

Like you I'm an avid reader, at pool, beach and balcony, and I generally plow through five or six books over a two week island stay.

I used to load my carry-on with four or five good sized books every trip, until the time DH went to place the carry-on in the overhead bin on the plane for me. He complained about the weight of the bag and suggested I might be importing bricks in it and asked, "Why?" <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Yikes.gif" alt="" /> As I was unpacking I put all five books in a pile and lifted them myself and I couldn't believe the extra weight of the books . Since them I'm sold on my kindle, mine being one of the original earliest versions. I appreciate how handy it is, particularly for traveling. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Pat,
I too can manage to read 6-8 books on vacation. I used to bring them in my luggage and the use of a kindle has saved my back a lot of wear and tear. I love reading right on the beach and the kindle is the way to go. If I finish one book, I don't have to wait until I get back to our condo to get another one, I just open it up on the kindle.
We use the Kyss bag and it seems to work fine keeping our stuff safe on the beach.

I bought my husband a kindle e-reader for his birthday. He's fighting me on using it, but it takes him a week to get through one book; so I may bend and bring a "real" book with us.
Faeowyn - do you have the larger Kyss bag? Do you find it heavy?

Quite honestly, while it wouldn't make me particularly happy if I were to lose it, my kindle is so old and so well-traveled that it wouldn't be the end of the world if it was lost and it just might provide me with a good excuse to upgrade to one of the new and shinier versions, not that I need much of an excuse......

But that said, the point of this thread was the safety of bringing things to the beach, and I just want to add - DH and I have been visiting the island every year for 41+ years for anywhere from a week to two and a half weeks a trip and often times, multiple trips in the same year. We generally go to the beach every day at some point, be it for an hour or the day, and we bring our beach bag with the typical cell phone, small cash for the day, my kindle and the associated beach stuff one would typically have. We don't bring a lot of stuff beyond that - but that said, WE HAVE NEVER HAD OUR BELONGINGS BOTHERED IN ALL THOSE YEARS AND ALL THOSE TRIPS. Granted, we don't seek out the lonely beaches these days, but the little waterproof plastic case works well for the phone, keys and a few dollars and beyond that, we don't bring the stuff therefore we don't worry about theft on the beach. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

only once in 25 years on, rouge beach, have we ever been "robbed" ..guess what, we learned and it never ever happened again, what's the saying? "rob me once, shame on you, rob me twice, shame on me" LOL

I know you directed this question to someone else, but I have both sizes of Kyss bags and don't find them particularly heavy. The smaller one is good for your "personal item" on the plane and for short days at the beach. I use the larger one if I want to take my snorkel gear to the beach. I also have a vacation vault and carry it inside the Kyss bag.

We have the larger one and it is not heavy at all. Course, the more you put in it will change all that. But the bag it self is not heavy.

We usually go to Club Orient. I keep money and credit cards in a special compartment in my hat, which I always wear, even in the water. Phone, keys and kindle in beach bag by our chair, even when we walk the beach. Never had a problem. Very unusual for stuff to grow legs as everyone watches for everyone else. Other beaches I just do not let our bag get out of sight.

BobandJeana

Iina
Were you actually robbed, or was something stolen.

Don't forget that if you are staying at Club O, they have a Rec room that has a large amount of books to borrow. We were able to find excellent books by well known authors to read while there. It prevented us from having to carry the extra weight of enough books to read while in SXM. Wifey brought two (for the plane ride there), and left them in the Rec room when we left to return home.
We don't have a Kindle, so we are stuck in the stone age having to read real books.

That's a good point--a lot of places have good lending libraries. Now, I use the one at Beachside Villas all the time and there used to be a big one at La Vista also. I assume there still is.

Yes, La Vista still has a good selection of books in the office.

I do have the large Kyss bag. It is a little heavy, but it holds all my junk I bring to the beach. I have my kindle, my husband's kindle and suntan lotion for the both of us. I can cram my towels inside too. it also has outside pockets for water bottles, etc. There is also an inside zip pocket that keeps the sand out of anything important. You can lock the outside zipper and wrap around your umbrella or chair and it's pretty safe.
I use it as a carry-on on the plane also. Hope this info helps.

NO JANUARY not robbed we both went into the water together, came out, sat around, ready to leave and noticed our money was gone, they actually took the time to go into our bag, and just take just the cash.but now we only go to cupecoy and orient extremely safe there, always just take about 50 bucks and 1 credit card, the guy was sitting around, observing..

Did not like the unscrupulous business tactics of the Kyss bag folks. "We will ship your bag in about a month, but if you pay us $25 we can get it in the mail tomorrow" Found the PacSafe bag on Amazon, while the price is comprable to the Kyss bag including the expidite fee it seems to be more safe to me. Has a wire mesh in the bag material to prevent slash and grabs as well. In case anyone is interested.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E8BJ...rd_i=2530085011

Looks like the top can be gotten into with the lock still secure. With the kyss bag the top is zippered through the lock preventing someone just dipping into the bag to steal contents. I like the Kyss bag as it doubles as a beach bag and the top is securely closed.
I see there is also an online $10.00 Kyss Bag coupon for April 2015.

The pac safe bag is very secure; we've used it as a safe in hotels. You cannot access the top of the bag when it's locked.

You couldn't sneak a fart out the top of this bag when it is closed. I am not knocking the Kyss bag, it is def more pretty but this can also be a beach bag. I am just not a fan of their business practicies, ie pay me $25 so I ship your order sooner than one month from now. This also has a steel mesh in the fabric, no cutting through with a box cutter or knife.

The picture I saw looked like the bag would have open spaces on the top where the cable winds through the holes.

Amazon's pictures aren't great. This is what it looks like locked. I can barely get my finger in the top when it is closed.

http://imgur.com/VPZbSYS

We love the pac safe bag and have used it for years in hotels and other resorts that don't have in room safety deposit boxes. It is extremely secure and very durable.

Where do you see the online coupon?

While you may have seen a picture that looks that way, I own the actual bag, and can say with certainty that you cannot get anything out of the bag when it's locked.

I just Googled Kyss Bag and there was a link to the coupon. Opened it up and the discount code was there for April 2015.
http://couponfollow.com/site/kyssbags.com

The KYSS4MOM coupon code expired about 2 years ago. Searching for coupon codes will give you lots of results, and those results may even show the current month and year, but often it's just coupon sites trying to get hits.