What to bring to the beach (Outer Banks, NC)?

I wasn't sure where to ask this, so please forgive me if it's in the wrong spot.

We're going to the Outer Banks this summer and I'm wondering what to buy/bring. I'd love to take photos of the kids on the beach and some landscapes and sunrise/sets. For the kids, I was thinking of picking up a 24-105L. I've always wanted one in general and thought it might be good to use. I worry it might not be wide enough for landscapes though. I don't really ever shoot landscapes but I'm thinking of maybe picking up a 17-50 Tamron or something cheap to try. If the 24-105 would work okay though, that would be ideal.

Also accessories... I have a tripod, but not a good one. Was thinking a good one would go a long way, plus maybe an ND filter, polarizer? Anything else?

What would you recommend? Any ideas on good things to shoot too? Thanks!

Copious amounts of booze.

I believe that your bodies in your sig are both "crop" bodies, meaning that the smaller sensor willj "crop out" a fair portion of the images delivered by the 24-105. I myself got some good use with the Canon EF-S 10-22 lens as well as the EF-S 17-55 on my "old" 30D.

Don't get me wrong, people deliver some very nice shots using the 24-105 on a crop body, you just have to realize that you'll be limited as to "wide"!

^^^ What Tony says.

It is sometimes said that the EF-S 15-85 is the equivalent lens (on a crop sensor camera) to the 24-105 on a full frame - it covers a similar focal length range (a bit longer on the long end) with similar image quality, but at the expense of a stop in aperture at the long end. If you are looking for a good walk around lens for a crop sensor body, then you should consider the 15-85.

A 4-wheel drive.

A can of compressed air to remove all of the sand from your equipment.

In my experience, the 24-105 might not be long enough to catch candid shots of the kids. I take my 70-210/3.5-4.5 to the beach. The reach is great, it's light, and it's inexpensive in case there is sand damage.

ND and CPL filters are a definite. My mom lives there full time and I'm down several times a year. You'll appreciate a good telephoto, if you travel up to Corolla you may get the chance to photo the wild horses. Lighthouses galore in the area, always a crowd favorite. They have schedules 4x4 trips to get relatively close, but a nice zoom helps.

The Wright Memorial is pretty neat to check out, as well at the sand dunes. Something wide for both of those. I believe Boeing uses the dunes to simulate desert backgrounds when doing photo shoots for aircraft ... so I was told by one of the Park Rangers. For "sand dunes" in the Mid Atlantic region they are massive. Lots of water, so a good tripod for longer shutter times is also a good idea.

Good luck and enjoy!