Travis Mewhirter’s 2023 Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide
THE NORTH POLE — In the space between our final Thanksgiving plate being cleaned, the overwhelming urge to take a fat and happy nap surging to the forefront, and pies of all varieties being dished onto the kitchen island — sweet potato, chocolate, apple, all with the potential of a heavy dose of ice cream lopped on top — we flipped the channel from the Dallas Cowboys’ decimation of the Washington Commanders to It’s A Wonderful Life.
Christmas season was officially here.
On the beach, our music of choice has been flipped from Big Bootie Mixes to Country Christmas. Nearby, the Hermosa Beach Christmas tree now stands guard, a towering sentinel, reminding us that, yes, winter does arrive in 70-degree weather. With the music and the trees and the movies comes, of course, presents. Lots of presents.
Below, as we did in 2022, we have the ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide, breaking down everything from the best sunglasses to the best beach volleyballs, radios, water bottles, warm up bands, recovery tools, board shorts, sand socks, and everything else you might need, from pumps to bags. If we missed a category for which you’d like our recommendation, please let us know in the comments, or just message me on Instagram (@trammew), and I’ll happily add it.
Without further adieu, enjoy our Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide.
Roberto Nickson photo
Best Sunglasses for beach volleyball
Roka was my No. 1 last year, and they remain my No. 1 this year, although this is a different model. The SR-1X is my favorite type of model — lightweight, not too garish, functional, with the same lightweight frames that keep blockers from getting too cut up when smashed in the face (or defenders when you get blown up as well). The lenses are so difficult to scratch, and they’re durable, as they should be with that price tag. Roka’s been my favorite brand since they sponsored p1440 in 2018. A half-decade of dominance for me.
BONUS: Roka also makes prescription sunglasses. Lee Feinswog, the editor of this website, called me one day to ask if there were any companies who make prescription sunglasses for sports. I immediately sent him to Roka, and now we have another Roka loyalist in his wife, Brenda, an outstanding pickleball player (Editor’s note: True story).
Oakley is still the name brand in sunglasses. It’s sort of like the Colgate commercial, where 9 out of 10 dentists recommend Colgate; roughly 9 out of 10 beach volleyball players would recommend Oakley, too. You cannot go wrong with Oakley, especially with the Radar EV Path, which comes in a variety of sweet colors and designs.
TYR Vatcher Performance Sunglasses
It was only recently that TYR entered the sunglasses game. They sponsored me at the end of the 2022 season, shipping a variety of shades. I settled on the Vatchers, and they’re still the ones I use today in practice, rotating between black and the blue versions.
Blenders took a massive leap this year in the sunglasses space, though that had little to do with volleyball and everything to do with a man named Prime over in Boulder, Colorado. Deion Sanders and his swashbuckling ways in his first year as the head coach of the Colorado football team turned into the savviest marketing Blenders has ever had. A number of beach players rock Blenders, including AVP champ Geena Urango, so while I have never actually worn a pair, I would be remiss to leave them out.
Toni Rodriguez/Mark Rigney photo
Best radio for beach volleyball
I refuse to practice without music. Can’t do it. Kyle Friend has my nomination as No. 1 practice DJ on the beach. But if you don’t have a Friend but still have friends? You need a radio. Below are my recommends.
If you don’t trust me, trust the 115,175 reviews with a 4.8 star rating.
Little pricier, but also a little better sound.
Best workout and warmup bands for beach volleyball players
You will not attend a single beach volleyball tournament without seeing players warming up, legs tethered together by a plethora of colorful mini bands. Literally everyone uses them, and for good reason: They’re phenomenal for warm-ups and activating the muscles, both on the beach and in the sand. Perform Better is the only brand I buy. I’ve accidentally bought Fit Simplify before, which is also a common brand, but they’re just not as good: The resistance isn’t much, even for the strongest bands, and they’re too wide to provide resistance in certain positions. Fit Simplify is good enough.  if you didn’t know any better, but because of this Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide, you do know better! And Perform Better is the only way to go.
Andy Benesh blocks a ball wearing Slunks at AVP America Nationals/Michael Gomez photo
Best board shorts for beach volleyball players
Slunks remains virtually synonymous with professional beach volleyball board shorts. Chris Reames has created — and sustained — a fun and retro brand that is at once ubiquitous at AVP stops and something of a collector’s item for the indoor club scene. He also offers custom designs for teams, players, and even a bachelor party in Tennessee, and I now have some Maryland-specific Slunks with a Corgi on the back pocket. Lovely.
One of my favorite parts about being Tri Bourne’s friend and business partner is that I also get all of his hand-me-downs when he splits with a sponsor. Legends was his apparel partner in 2022, so when he switched to Laird Apparel this year — more on them below — I got all the Legends I wanted, which was awesome. They are lightweight and more functional than eye-catching, excellent if you just want shorts that get the job done without the pizazz and flair of, say, a Slunky bottom.
A small, local business on the East Coast, Lost Traveler has picked up momentum this year. Those suits Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft wore at the World Championships? Lost Traveler. Like Slunks, they offer all sorts of fun and custom designs, and they feel similar, though they come a bit longer than Slunks’ smaller cuts. It’s a fun brand worth looking into if you haven’t yet taken a peek. I once saw a Gyarados on a pair of shorts. Yes, please!
Laird, the eponymous brand of big wave surfer Laird Hamilton, made a quiet appearance on the scene in 2022 when it sponsored Chaim Schalk and Theo Brunner. This year, they added Tri Bourne and Trevor Crabb, and did photo shoots with Avery Drost and Miles Evans and a few others. I am, personally, an enormous fan of Laird and Gabby Reece, tremendous stewards for humanity, and they also happen to make comfortable, stretchy, water-resistant board shorts that I’d recommend to all. They also, I’d like to note, have a sick logo.
Hagen Smith hitting past Tri Bourne in his Laird Apparel shorts/Andy J. Gordon photo
Best sand socks for beach volleyball players
I feel obligated to mention that TuffSox are a pain in the a– to put on. Took me 30 minutes, and even then, I had to play with the toes sort of dangling off because I hadn’t threaded them into the toe holes. It looked ridiculous, and Savvy Simo was rolling with laughter. And yet: I’m not wearing sand socks for the aesthetics. They all look absurd. I’m wearing them to not have my feet roasted into blisters, and they’re the best on the market without question. But, if you’re looking for second best…
These are by far the most common socks you’ll see on the beach. They’re easy to slip on, as opposed to TuffSox, which are a hassle I deem worth it. They work well enough, and they’re about five bucks cheaper than TuffSox. If you need a sock that will do the job, but not much more, this is the one. It’s not the most comfortable option out there, but you won’t burn your feet, which is the most important aspect of wearing sand socks in the first place.
Best recovery tools for beach volleyball players
I get so much joy and pleasure wearing the Puffy Pants, as my trainer, Nathan Michaels, calls them. These are absolutely amazing. Just put them on while watching TV, or reading or working from home and bam: You’re recovering! It’s like getting paid to read and watch TV and work from home. They’re expensive, yes, but you’ll find them in USA Volleyball’s gym, in constant use, for a reason: they work.
There is no playing beach volleyball without owning a Hypervolt. I stand by what I wrote in 2022: It’s a sin against the sport itself. It’s by far the best recovery tool out there: extremely effective at loosening up your muscles before play, helping them cool down afterwards, and breaking them up when you’re tight and sore. I’ll go through an entire battery charge’s worth of Hypervolt during a CBVA, charge it up, and then go through another full charge the next Sunday watching football or listening to podcasts. This is an absolute must-have, and like all technologies, with age, the price has come down to a relatively affordable $160.
Like the compression pants, both of the above “recovery ball” options are very similar. I don’t actually own either, but I’ve used both, and people swear by the Peanut, which is excellent for rolling out your feet, hands, forearms, and psoas. Tim Ferriss swears by the Rubz Ball, which is good for your feet and forearms as well, and if he swears by it, it’s gotta be good for something.
Best books on beach volleyball
I’d describe all of these books, but they all have descriptions of their own on Amazon, which I’ve linked to for each. Obviously, I’d love it if you bought any of my four on this list — or all of them! — but I’ve also vetted every book below, and can vouch for their quality.
If you’re looking for a fun read, any of my four, and Ryan Doherty’s, will do.
If you want your kid to have a fun read, Volleyball for Milkshakes is an easy one (also a fun one for adults; it made Kent Steffes cry!).
For coaching, training, and mindset advice, Billy Allen and John Mayer’s Coach Your Brains Out and Aaron Wexler’s Inspired Athlete are the way to go.
For a fun history on Misty May, as well as some fine writing — she paired with a former Sports Illustrated writer when Sports Illustrated was still king — Misty’s book will do the trick.
I cheated a bit with If Gold is our Destiny, since that’s not beach, but you’ll notice a bunch of beach names in there, and the 1984 Olympics were actually a seminal moment in the history of beach volleyball, which you’ll note if you pair that book with Kings of Summer.
For anything you’d want, my book with Tri Bourne, Playbook of Champions, whittles down 6 years of podcasting wisdom, from all of our guests, in a Tools of Titans style encyclopedia that has become something of a collector’s item.
We Were Kings, by Travis Mewhirter
Volleyball for Milkshakes, by Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter
Kings of Summer: The Rise of Beach Volleyball, by Kent Steffes and Travis Mewhirter
Coach Your Brains Out, by Billy Allen and John Mayer
Misty: My Journey Through Volleyball and Life
The Mindful Athlete, by Aaron Wexler
Avatar’s Guide to Beach Volleyball, by Ryan Doherty
If Gold is Our Destiny, by Sean P. Murray
Playbook of Champions, by Tri Bourne and Travis Mewhirter
Travis Mewhirter at the AVP Manhattan Beach Open/Steve Gentry photo
Best Volleyball for Beach Volleyball
Wilson remains king. If you’re playing beach volleyball in the United States, this is the ball you’re using — and that’s a good thing! It’s the best ball on the market, folks!
Transparency note: I’m sponsored by Wilson, so I have a stake in the game here. But my thoughts above are genuine, and if you want an extra bonus, you can use our discount code, Sandcast-20, to get 20 percent off.Â
Where Wilson owns the domestic market, Mikasa owns the international. It has a fun new design this year, too, with dimples and a red splash that, to me, made it a much better-looking ball. If you want to feel like a Beach Pro Tour player, this is the ball for you.
Best Water Bottles for Beach Volleyball
One of the funniest little anecdotes of this season was that Miles Partain would refill the same plastic water bottle over and over and over again — for months! His partner, Andy Benesh, grew so sickened by this that he bought Partain — what else? — a Hydroflask. Why Hydroflask? Because it’s the best on the market. There is no second place, no runner-up, no bridesmaid. It’s Hydroflask only.
Want your water or drink cold? Hydroflask keeps it cold. Want it warm? It’ll stay warm. Want those ice cubes to stay ice cubes? They’ll stay frozen. Plus, I’m not sure you could break this thing if you tried, so if you’re like me, and you drop your water bottles, if you leave them on the roof of your car, if you drop dumbbells and weights on them, this will hold up to all of your clumsiness and forgetfulness and just have a few dents for character.
There is no other option for a water bottle. Get a Hydroflask. Make it custom, or not. But you have to get one.
Best Merch, Apparel for Beach Volleyball
Merch is something that is strangely amiss, for the most part, in our sport. But there are a few outlets you can get some specific merch.
AVP Merchandise
If you want something with an AVP logo, be it a hat, sweatshirt, t-shirt, sweatpants, tank-tops, you name it, this is the place to go
Life is Beachy
A fun little shop on Amazon that Larry Wang, a regular South of The Border vacationer, Laguna Open regular, and all-around All-American man sent me. They have some good stuff in here.
Beach Volleyball Merch
Want anything Beach Volley Vikings related? How about Swedish Jumpsetters? This is your store. I personally own two items from the Vikings store, and can vouch for the quality.
SANDCAST Merch
Yes, you can support your favorite podcast in the whole wide world by buying some of our branded material!
Best Beach Chair
Our two King Camps — black for me, blue for Delaney — are some of the best purchases we’ve made for the beach in the past year or so. These are AWESOME! So comfortable, so durable (I also used mine on an elk hunt in Colorado and it held up just fine), and so easy to transport. They’ll fit easily into the trunk and they’re easy to hold if you’re walking. Easy to pack up and easy to set up. Recommend.
Best Ball Pump for Beach Volleyball
Watching players physically pump up their volleyballs — Wilson, please — is akin to watching someone physically roll down a window: You just shouldn’t see it all that often anymore. For one, the pumps where you physically pump break all the time. I don’t know how, but they just do. Second, everyone pumps it to their own personal preference — some come in squishy, some come in pingy, rarely do they get pumped just right. You can solve all of those problems with the Morpilot Electric Pump — the Mercedes of ball pumps, as Cody Caldwell dubbed it on our trip to Cape Town last year.
Best Supplements for Beach Volleyball
If you listen to enough SANDCAST, you’ll know that Tri Bourne and I are Athletic Greens junkies. I’ve probably taken Athletic Greens every day for three years in a row. Yes, we’re sponsored by Athletic Greens, but I was drinking this stuff daily well before they paid us to tell people we drink it daily. It’s the best supplement out there, good for travel, and keeps you so healthy. Plus, if you use that link above, you get a free year’s supply of Vitamin D!
I hopped on the LMNT train this year and I’m sold. The McKibbin Brothers, too, are on the LMNT train.
I’ll lose up to 20 pounds over the course of the season, and while I would prefer to not have to use supplements, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. My trainer recommended Dymatize, which is a blend of clean ingredients and affordability. It helped me maintain my fighting weight at 200 pounds and is just such an easy (and delicious) way to keep your protein intake where it should be.
Addy Mae photo
Other trinkets, gifts, and stocking stuffers for beach volleyball
Tired of your husband dragging sand onto your tile floors and never sweeping? (Delaney knows nothing of this…) Save yourself some trouble and get a sand brush, keep it by your front door, and voila, no more — or at least less — sand in the house.
Some beaches and facilities already have lines and anchors in, some don’t. Get yourself some AVP regulation lines, with four solid anchors, so you’ll never be without lines again.
Best in the business right here. High quality, durable, and easy to set up without falling down all the time.
These come highly recommended by readers and listeners of SANDCAST. I pretty much only use whatever towels the AVP gives us at events, but evidently the Sand Cloud Towels are awesome.
If you want to watch international beach volleyball, you have to subscribe to Volleyball TV. I’m biased, because I commentate for Volleyball TV, but it’s an excellent product, with a quality stream, coverage of both indoor and beach. You can use our discount code SANDCAST20 (case-sensitive) to get 20 percent off. With the Olympics coming up, you’re not going to want to miss international action.
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