Green Toys Sand Play Set, available at Amazon, $21.55
The Green Toys Sand Play Set is small and doesn't come with a whole lot, but it probably has the best chance of lasting a season out of any plastic beach toy set we could find, and these are, after all, the essentials.
Really, apart from maybe a Kindle, what else does a child or an adult really need for entertainment at the beach? Made from BPA-free recycled plastics, the kit includes a bucket with a sturdy rope handle that won't break, a shovel, a rake, and a sand castle mold, which is all it takes to build the beach fortress of your wildest dreams.