The 15 Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

This floating gadget monitors temperature, pH, and ORP (a stand-in for free chlorine), together giving you a solid picture of your pool’s disinfection capabilities. It automatically updates every 15 minutes. While many chemistry monitors require replaceable supplies (which is a costly approach) and regular battery replacements to work, Iopool’s solution is solid-state, needing no maintenance at all except for storing it out of the pool in winter months. I used mine for two full swimming seasons until it died (at which point it must be replaced)—and I like it so much I just dropped its successor into the water for the summer. —Christopher Null

Critical Sun Protection

Notice you tend to burn faster when you’re in the pool than hiking or performing activities on land? It’s not your imagination—water acts as a mirror, reflecting a portion of the sun’s UV rays. This means every time you’re in the water or even just hanging out nearby, your UV exposure is compounded from both direct sunlight and the water around you. A wide-brimmed hat can help protect a larger skin surface area, and this one from Solbari sports UPF 50+ nylon-and-cotton fabric as well as a brim that’s larger than typical hats of this style—5 inches in the front and 6 in the back. I tested this hat in the pool on days pushing 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and not only did I not get burned, but I also found the hat itself didn’t feel very hot, especially if I flipped the color side (it comes in navy, pink, ice blue, or green) to the cream side.

Is It Warm Enough to Go In?

My above-ground pool has a wimpy solar-exchange heater, so a pool thermometer is critical for knowing if the water is, in fact, warm enough to swim in. These TempPro models have been reliable in my tests, and I like that there’s a separate display with a magnet on the back, so you don’t need to use an app or even bother with a phone at all. The solar model stays charged and can transmit the temperature from about 150 feet away to my house and through its walls. (The range is supposedly 500 feet.) Note that I compared the TempPro temperature readings with those of a pricier pool thermometer and a probe thermometer—the actual temperature consistently ran a few degrees cooler than all of those readings. But this was easy to keep in mind.

For Floating Around With a Drink

When our first 90-degree-Fahrenheit day popped up on the forecast last month, I immediately started searching for an affordable floating cooler for drinks with a sun-blocking canopy, and I ended up buying this Funboy model off Amazon. It can easily handle a six-pack of cans on a raft of ice, the canopy is removable, and there’s a drink holder on either side so you and your buddy can push it back and forth between your floats. The striped design with the fringe is very St. Tropez (or ’80s-era pool umbrella, depending on your age and station), and I ended up liking the vibe so much that I have since added its companion matching inflatable pool float rings, which come in 16 colors on Funboy’s site or six on Amazon. I’ve had the rings in my pool for over a month now, in direct sun, and while I wish they had handles for easier on-and-off movement, they have held up great. The 48-inch size is big enough for most adult butts, and also comes with the requisite cupholder. However, note that the cupholder design is very small and very shallow, so you may want to stick with the more forgiving holders on the cabana bar.

Never Vacuum Again

Manual pool vacuums are so last century. WIRED reviewer Christopher Null has been testing pool-cleaning robots for four years, and this one from Beatbot, he says, is the best he’s tried. It not only excels at its prescribed cleaning tasks, but its battery charge is also phenomenal at six hours, it has AI-powered debris detection, and its companion app is great. It can also skim your pool’s surface if needed. Best of all, it floats when it’s done, so you don’t have to retrieve it from the bottom of the pool. (Which is good, he says, because it’s quite heavy.)

A More Affordable Robot

If your pool-robot budget is more pool noodle than Portofino, you may want to take a look at Beatbot’s Sora 30. WIRED reviewer Christopher Null found it had outstanding performance for the price and excellent battery life, and, just like its pricier sibling above, floats when it’s done. It doesn’t have a whole lot of smart features, but you’ll still have the option of multiple modes through Beatbot’s app.

A Water Bottle You Won’t Lose

I always have a water bottle at the pool, but it often doesn’t stay cold all day, hold enough liquid, or stand out enough for me to avoid forgetting it when I leave. This one from Dometic, though, hits all three notes. I filled it with ice and water and left the bottle in direct sun during a stretch of 80-degree-Fahrenheit temperatures, and the water stayed cold for three days. You can add your preferred lid and collar (the strap collar shown comes standard, and the sip lid is an extra $15), or go with the standard flip-up lid. I like the yellow for visibility—and to match the brand’s excellent Recon coolers, which I’m always hauling somewhere—but it comes in six other colors if that’s not your thing.

The Best Resort Towels

Any respectable pool day begins and ends with a quality towel, and Cozy Earth’s are the best I’ve ever tried. My favorite from the brand’s lineup is the Seaside Resort Towel. Made from OEKO-TEX–certified 100 percent cotton, it’s perfectly thick and plush and large enough to drape over a chaise. It will lose some fluffiness after about three washes, but most towels do. The Classic Stripe Resort Towel is also solid but slightly less plush, with a cotton-viscose blend but more color options (six, compared with the Seaside’s two). One side also has a low pile, which works well for the beach, as it will trap less sand.

For Peak Margarita Szn

You haven’t properly pool-partied until you’ve languished on your pool float on a hot day with a frozen margarita in hand. Or a cup of frosé, frozen lemonade, or just about anything else you can think of—it will probably slush in one of our favorite slushie machines. High-sugar drinks work best, but you can even slush diet drinks by adding allulose. If you want to keep two drinks going at a time, Ninja has you covered with its just-released dual-reservoir version, which WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage crowned as the best for parties. It can auto-adjust temperatures to ensure drinks with different consistencies are ready at the same time.

Sunglasses That Float

Drop your sunglasses in the pool? (Or lake? Or river? Or ocean?) Typically, that’s the last you’ll see of that pair. But not now! These lightweight, inexpensive frames from no-slip, no-bounce sunglasses giant Goodr will float, so you can easily grab them next time you pass them on your inflatable lounge. They come in five colors (including Seafoam Party Favor, shown) and are great for all kinds of athletic pursuits, from running to paddleboarding and beyond.

A Speaker With Vibes

These Bluetooth speakers are designed to look like tiki torches, with a faux flickering amber flame. You can screw them onto yard stakes (not included), or just set them right next to the pool for ambient effect. They’re cute, festive, and more fun than a typical Bluetooth speaker, but note that they are slightly tinny, novelty-quality speakers, so don’t expect to be bumping any kind of bass. You’ll also likely need two for surround sound. (I have only one, which did not do a great job with multichannel recordings.) Still, one or two make a fun gift or an addition to a summer-themed gift basket.

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