TALLAHASSEE, Florida — There it was: A Starbucks cup with Christmas decorations on it.

It was barely past Halloween.

No respect for Thanksgiving given.

Heartbreaking for the turkey folk like me, who just want to give Thanksgiving its proper due.

Alas, Christmas present buying season is upon us, and as always, we have our Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide for the upcoming season.

Without further adieu, enjoy our 2026 Ultimate Beach Volleyball Gift Guide.

Best Volleyball for Beach Volleyball 

The ball used by the AVP for as long as I’ve been in the game, this has been the go-to for Americans. Get 20 percent off using the code TRIANDTRAVIS26

We love Mikasa, our new sponsor at SANDCAST and the official ball of Florida State. Get 25 percent off AND free shipping with SANDCAST.

Best Sunglasses for beach volleyball

Maybe I’m the only one who loves Roka as much as I love Roka, but it continues its tour de force as my No. 1 for four consecutive years. I’ve tried every type on the market, and Roka is still No. 1. The SR-1X remains my favorite 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 difficult to scratch, and they’re durable, as they should be with an admittedly large price tag. Roka’s been my favorite brand since they sponsored p1440 in 2018. A half-decade of dominance for me.

Annual bonus perk reminder: Roka also makes prescription sunglasses. Lee Feinswog, the owner of the erstwhile VolleyballMag, now of 900 Square Feet, 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.

Last fall, I did a little collab with WileyX for a pair of shades that I have worn essentially every single day since. I freaking love them. Cannot recommend them more, and it’s why they made a huge leap to No. 2 on my sunglasses power rankings this year.

Tri Bourne was sponsored by 100 percent in his penultimate year as a professional, and he passed a pair of shades off to me. To my own surprise, I absolutely love them. I didn’t expect to, to tell you the truth, but the lenses are clear, difficult to scratch, and surprisingly light. I’d put these above Oakley, which is why 100 Percent has come in at my No. 3 this year.

Oakley is still the name brand in sunglasses, even though, I’ll be real, I don’t really like them. I’m the outlier though. 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. Most cannot go wrong with Oakley, especially with the Radar EV Path, which comes in a variety of sweet colors and designs.

I first discovered Goodr when they sponsored the Road to Paris series we did on SANDCAST. They sent a few shades and I legitimately loved them, not only because they were solid sunglasses with fun and whimsical names — but because they were also so cheap! Goodr is the best value on the market.

Blenders continues to make a huge push in this space. Sparked by the media savvy of Deion Sanders, every beach I go to now has more Blenders than arguably any other brand I see, even Oakleys. I still have yet to wear a pair, so I can’t give a personal testimonial, but it’s hard to argue with the sheer volume of people wearing them.

Best radio for beach volleyball

No practices without music is a firm rule of mine. Radios are an absolute must. We have a massive one at FSU, which I wouldn’t recommend for the average individual bringing a portable one to the beach, so below are my recommends.

Good sound, good price, good brand, good reviews, durable — can’t go wrong with any in the JBL Flip series. I’ve had a few (I lose things) and can veritably say: This one is a winner.

It’s more expensive, sure, but Bose is a reliable brand in this space. Plus, it’s Amazon’s choice in the portable outdoor speaker category, and I trust that kind of social proofing.

Best Headphones for Workouts

I went on a long, long search for headphones that wouldn’t break throughout all of my workouts on the sand, which also include sweat and more saltwater than most headphones are built to stand. These are the only headphones that have stood the test. The sound is AWESOME and you never have to worry about them falling out. Cannot recommend enough. I’ve had mine for three years now and they haven’t broken or needed replacing. Excellent, excellent headphones.

Best workout 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.

Best board shorts for beach volleyball players

My boy Chris Reames has created a legitimate cult, in a good kind of way, in volleyball. Not just beach anymore, either, but indoor. Custom Slunks are all the rage, and you should see the prices they’re fetching on the secondary market! Goodness gracious gosh alive! Cultishness aside, Slunks has been my favorite brand for years and years: fun designs, four-way stretch on the shorts, and an inseam that lets the quads see the light of day.

Lost Traveler, a bit like Blenders sunglasses, continues its ascent up the rankings. At first, they were a cute East Coast boutique board short company, worn by a few, known by less. Now? They’re the shorts being worn by Taylor Crabb. The Bug himself! That’s big company to be in, and it’s no accident. Lost Traveler is legit — I have a few pairs and they are in my starting rotation — and it has been fun to see them become contenders in the board short space.

Best sand socks for beach volleyball players

Per usual, my annual caveat: TuffSox absolutely suck to put on. They’re the worst. Budget in 20 minutes to slip them on each individual toe. But once you go through the pain of getting them on? They have no peers in the sand sock space. They’re the best, without question, living up to their name as Tuff, as I have yet to burn or wear through a single pair.

These are the sand socks that will get the job done, period. Similar to how a Top Flite golf ball will get you through a round of golf, these socks won’t let your feet get blistered. Are they as good as TuffSox? No, but they’re fine. They work. They’ll suffice for the few times per year you’ll need them.

Best recovery tools for beach volleyball players

The absolute best way to make watching NFL and college football and Netflix or just cozying up with a book and some hot chocolate a legitimately productive endeavor: Hop in the Puffy Pants, as my trainer, Nathan Michaels, calls them, and let them get to work. These are, honestly, so awesome. A massage for your legs in the comfort of your own home, whenever you need them.

This remains, to me, the best recovery tool on the market: 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 longer day at a tournament — as I did at the Hermosa Open last September — charge it up, and then go through another full charge the next Sunday watching football or listening to podcasts (which I also did). This is an absolute must-have.

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.

My most recent book, Volleyball for Dummies, written with the legendary Gabby Reece, would make for an AWESOME gift to the average volleyball fan and player. I’m biased, obviously, but it’s legitimately perfect for anyone getting into the game, be it beach or indoor.

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!). T.Z. Layton also added a fiction story to the mix with his new book, Doubles. 

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.

Best Water Bottles for Beach Volleyball

I’ve used the same 40 ounce Hydroflask for seven years. Seven years! It’s traveled the world with me and been to legitimately hundreds of beach volleyball tournaments — and it’s as good as ever. Need a cold drink? Hydroflask has got it. Hot drink? got that, too. Best brand in the game.

My wife has a ton of trouble drinking enough water, her being a mother of two toddlers. The hack? We got her an Owala, which is vogue amongst my Florida State players, and viola, she’s crushing at least two 40-ounce bottles a day now. The mouth makes it super easy to drink, and it keeps everything cold. Plus, you look awesome drinking it. Even my toddlers are on the Owala train.

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. Still don’t have AVP League jerseys though…
  • Volleyball World
    • Custom jerseys, custom balls, sweat shirts, towels, hats, you name it. Recommend.
  • 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

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 five years. 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 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. This is the one we use at Florida State.

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 five 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 last year and I’m sold. Still use it every single morning, and when we take trips for Florida State, this is the electrolyte mix we use.

I try to get as much of my calories and protein from whole foods, but sometimes you have to supplement. My trainer recommended Dymatize, which is a blend of clean ingredients and affordability.

I’ve recently hopped all aboard the creatine train, and this is the one I use. A tablespoon of this mixed in with AG1 in the morning and I’m dialed for the rest of the day.

Timeline reached out not too long ago and offered a sample of their product, which supports cell renewal, namely mitochondria which, as every sixth grader knows, are the powerhouse of the cell. Holy moly it works. Maybe correlation, maybe causation, but I’ve had more energy and clarity since I had kids. Big, big fan.

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.

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 SANDCAST10 (case-sensitive) to get 10 percent off. With the Olympics coming up, you’re not going to want to miss international action.

Mark Burik and Brandon Joyner have built one of my favorite businesses in beach volleyball, a comprehensive training business that also hosts camps all around the country, even the world now. Use our discount code, SANDCAST, to get a 10 percent discount on all Better at Beach products.