Best Pool Accessories to Upgrade Your Summer (2026)

This floating tool monitors temperature, pH, and ORP (replacement for free chlorine), giving you a solid picture of your pool’s disinfecting capabilities, and is automatically updated every 15 minutes. While many chemistry monitors require replaceable supplies (very expensive) and regular battery replacement to work, the Iopool solution is solid, requiring no maintenance at all except for storing it outside the pool in the winter months. I used it for two full swimming seasons until it died (at which point it had to be replaced) — and I loved it so much that I dropped its successor into the water for the summer. —Chris Noll

To float with a drink

When our first 90°F day showed up last month, I immediately started looking for a floating beverage cooler that had a canopy to block out the sun and wouldn’t cost a fortune, and ended up purchasing this Funboy from Amazon. It can easily handle a six-pack of cans on a large batch of ice, the canopy is removable, and there is a drink holder on either side so you and a friend can push it back and forth between the floats. The striped design with fringe is that of St. Tropez (or an 80s-era pool umbrella, depending on your age and station), and I ended up liking the vibe so much that I’ve since added the accompanying matching pool rings, which come in 16 colors on Funboy or six on Amazon. I put the rings in my pool a few weeks ago, in direct sunlight, and while I wish they had handles to make it easier to put on and take off, they have held up great. The 48-inch size is large enough for most adults, and it also comes with the required cup holder. However, note that the cup holder’s design is shallow, so if you use thin cans like hard seltzer or Celsius, you may want to stick with the more forgiving holders on the cabana bar.

For the Cannonball soundtrack

No pool party is complete without some tunes, and this is our favorite Bluetooth speaker, which JBL describes as “life-proof.” As someone who has owned one myself, I can confirm that they mean it. Our family’s Flip 7 has been rained on, splashed on, attached to the back of my son’s mountain bike while he was doing jumps, and has survived all sorts of falls and other misadventures. It is completely waterproof and has an IP68 rating, so you don’t have to worry even if it falls into the pool. I haven’t tested this, but JBL says it can survive submersion in about 5 feet of water for 30 minutes.

To never vacuum again

WIRED reviewer Chris Noll has been testing pool cleaning robots for four years, and says this one from Beatbot is the best he’s tried. Not only does it excel at its intended cleaning tasks, its battery charge also takes an exceptional six hours, and it has AI-powered debris detection and a great app. It can also remove the surface of your pool if necessary, and best of all, it floats when you’re done, so you won’t have to retrieve it from the bottom of the pool. (Which is a good thing, he says, because it’s very heavy.)

To win water battles

If your family or neighborhood is participating TRUE For water battles, you need an advanced water weapon, and nothing hits quite like the Spyra. Literally, this thing is strong enough to impact cans. My son received the SpyraTwo ($200) as a gift several years ago, and found it fun to practice shooting even when there was no water combat involved. I like that they automatically absorb water, so I don’t have to worry about improper filling. SpyraFour is the latest version of Spyra, which offers a more detailed screen and special game modes such as Ultra Rapid Fire and Scattershot. In fact, WIRED’s Trade Director, Martin Cizmar, called it the best new water pistol ever.

For Peak Margarita Szn

You haven’t celebrated properly until you’re languishing in your floats on a hot day with a frozen margarita. Or a cup of frosé, frozen lemonade, or anything else you can think of—it’s likely to be mixed in one of our favorite slushie machines. High-sugar drinks work best, but you can also cut back on diet drinks by adding allulose. If you want to stick with two drinks at once, Ninja has just released a dual-tank version, which WIRED reviewer Matthew Korfhage is currently testing. It can automatically adjust temperatures to ensure that drinks of different textures are ready at the same time.

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