I like going to the beach, though my girlfriend would say otherwise as I always complain about getting sand in the car, on the towels, on the beach chairs, in my shoes and in the beach bags. Sand is part of the fun of going to the beach, but when I look around, I constantly see people shaking sand out of their blankets and towels.
There’s a solution: the CGear Sand-Free Mat. Yes, you can go to the beach or to a campsite and not get sand and dirt in everything you own.
According to the manufacturer, the sand-free mat was designed for the U.S. military as a deployable helimat. A large CGear Sand-Free Mat would be placed over the sand and staked down so that when helicopters approach and land, the sand doesn’t get blown into the rotors or sucked into the air intake, which can cause engine failure, premature rotor wear and other issues.
The sand-free mat uses patented multi-weave technology. Sand and dirt fall straight through the mat and don’t come back up, ensuring a sand-free day at the beach. The mat comes in a variety of styles, colors and sizes. Besides the beach, you can use the mat at campsites, soccer games, picnics or anywhere you want to stay clean. With built-in ultraviolet protection, the mat can also be rigged as a sunshade using the attached D-rings.
We took the mat to Fort Lauderdale Beach and spread it out just like any other beach blanket. When I walked on it, the sand from my feet fell off and disappeared. It was like magic! I set my beach chair on top of the mat, and we had a wonderful sand-free time. It was a windy day at the beach, but the sand disappeared just as quickly as it blew onto the mat. After swimming, my feet were coated with sticky wet sand; a few minutes later, the wet sand was gone. Again, like magic! I didn’t have to brush off sand or shake out the mat all day.
CGear has three collections of mats: Original, Comfort and Sand-Lite. The Original collection comes with solid D-rings for staking down the mat. The Comfort collection, touted as being softer and more comfortable to sit directly on, comes in more stylish colors and various sizes. The Sand-Lite collection is thinner, lighter, softer and more compact than the other two but just as effective.
CGear also offers other sand-free accessories: bags/totes, carts, beach chairs and footwear. If they perform as well as the mat, they’ll make a great addition to your beach or camping trip.
Craig Grosby is a member of the Coral Ridge Sail & Power Squadron/8. You might catch him at Fort Lauderdale Beach, but it’s more likely you’ll see him out on South Florida’s waterways aboard Inevitable, a 38-foot Sea Ray Sundancer.
