Lake House Essentials: Items to Make Hosting Easier
If you own a cabin or lake home, you know how fun (and stressful) it is to be the default host for any summer gathering. And it’s often a thankless job. Somewhere between hosting Fourth of July and that bachelorette party, your house became full of soggy towels, forgotten flip-flops, half-deflated floaties, and empty beer cans.
While we can’t fire your most high-maintenance family members, we can recommend a few items that’ll make hosting easier next summer.
1. Add space to your shoreline
If everyone is always showing up to swim and hang out on the water, an inflatable water mat is the easiest way to add more space to your shoreline. Each of our REEF mats inflate in minutes, stay stable above the surface, and will quickly become the hangout spot your guests migrate to.
If you frequently have kids stopping by, go for the REEF Splash. If you want all-purpose lounging, go with the original, flat REEF mat. If you have a pontoon, we love the REEF Deck, which adds extra square footage to the front of your boat. And if you have lots of guests all the time, go with the REEF Lounge.
2. Relax at the sandbar
If tying up at the sandbar is a weekend tradition at your lake place, the TITAN Bumper from MISSION is the one piece of gear you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. It keeps boats from bumping, scraping, or doing that slow, nerve-wracking drift toward each other when the wind shifts.
Inflate it on the boat, drop it between hulls, and suddenly everyone’s more relaxed… especially you.
3. Give guests a place to unwind
There’s always one guest who quietly sneaks away for a mid-afternoon recharge… and this boat hammock will become their new happy place. It hangs right off your boat’s bimini, giving people a comfortable spot to float, relax, and escape the chaos for a few minutes.
It’s simple to set up, surprisingly sturdy, and guaranteed to become the most fought-over “seat” on the water.
4. Fast-drying towels for your guests
If you’ve ever hosted a full weekend at your lakehouse, you know towels have a way of multiplying… and disappearing. TUKO Towels fix that. They dry fast, take up almost no space, and (best of all) come in different colors so no one “accidentally” grabs yours after a swim.
They’re soft, lightweight, and perfect for handing out to guests as they head down to the water.
Pro tip: Keep a few extras rolled in a CASSI Tote by the door. You’ll feel like the world’s most prepared host. Which brings us to our next recommendation…
5. Versatile totes built for the water
When you’re hosting at the cabin, you can never have too many CASSI bags. Truly. You’ll use every single one.
We love CASSI bags for storing all the miscellaneous boating essentials: hats, sunscreen, snacks, extra towels… Leave a few laying around out so people can grab one and head down to the beach without worrying about getting their own everyday bags wet and sandy.
They stand upright, wipe clean, and fold flat when you’re done. Simple, sturdy, and insanely helpful when your weekend crew multiplies.
6. Easiest way to dock with guests
When guests want to help but don’t actually know how, things can get… awkward. DREADKNOT Dock Lines solve that. Even if someone’s never tied a knot in their life, these lines make docking fool-proof.
They’re easy to grab, simple to use, and give first-time helpers the confidence to jump in (literally and figuratively) without stressing about messing something up.
For lakehouse hosts, it’s one less thing to explain, and one more thing guests can actually do to help.
7. Keep a sun protection basket by the door
There will always be at least one guest who forgets a hat, sunglasses, or a cover-up (usually the same guest who insists they “don’t burn”). A simple sun protection basket near the door solves all of that.
Stock it with a few loaner hats, cheap sunglasses, and some old oversized t-shirts guests can use as quick swim cover-ups. Or, if you want to spoil your crew a little, keep a couple of MISSION cover-ups and crewnecks on hand.
It’s one of those small hosting touches that makes your lake place feel thoughtful without any extra effort from you.
8. Coolers and koozies: Because good hosts care about cold drinks
Crisp, cold drinks make a good lake day even better, and the right gear keeps everything cold, easy, and within reach.
Koozies are one of those tiny touches guests weirdly love. For some reason, everyone thinks we make the best koozies (maybe we do?). If you want to grab a few for your cabin stash, here they are.
And when it comes to coolers, you don’t need to haul around a $500 beast built to keep ice cold for a year. A simple waterproof cooler is perfect for a day by the water. We sell a cooler on our site for less than $200, and it’s exactly the right size for tossing in drinks, fruit, and a few cold snacks before heading out. The best part is: it floats!
9. Planning for chaos: other lake house items to think about
Being the “best host ever” is all about anticipating tiny emergencies and preventing them with the right stash of “extras.” So here are a few other random things worth keeping on hand:
Bug spray: Because we’re based out of Minnesota, we (unfortunately) know our way around the best bug sprays. Bug soother is one of our favorites, especially if you’re looking for a clean-ingredient option.
Portable waterproof Bluetooth speakers: So the music can follow the crew from the deck to the dock without anyone arguing over whose phone gets wet. We love Bose speakers for long, lazy days out on REEF mats.
Just-in-case items: A small bag of spare toothbrushes, deodorant, contact solution, over-the-counter painkillers, disposable razors, bandaids, and travel-size soaps saves the day every single weekend. (Pro tip: store it all in one of our CASSI bags).
S’mores kit: You’ll never regret having grahams, chocolate, and marshmallows stocked for last-minute bonfires. Don’t forget a serving tray so your DSH (Designated S’more Holder) can keep the ingredients on their lap without getting too sticky.
A foot-washing tub: A simple plastic bin by the door keeps sand outside, where it belongs!
MISSION is here for the moments you (and your guests) will always remember
Yes, hosting everyone is work… sometimes a lot of work. But it’s also where the best memories happen. The laughter echoing off the water. The kids running down the dock and jumping off the REEF without hesitation. The quiet moments at sunset when everyone’s tied up, talking, snacking, and soaking it all in.
These are the moments that make lake life worth it.
And with a little preparation (and the right gear), you can actually enjoy being the host, without feeling like the housekeeping staff.
