Everyone has different priorities when it comes to the best beach towels: Some tourists choose ones that fold up into almost nothing, while others prefer ones that keep them sand-free. Families, on the other hand, may emphasize size over anything else. Nevertheless, there are basic requirements that every excellent towel should meet, regardless of what kind of trip you’re packing for (or if you’re only going to your backyard).
After toweling off, you want it to be soft, comfy, and spacious enough to lay out on and wrap about yourself. But, of course, there’s lots of diversity beyond that, so we put some of the best towels on the market to the test to see which ones are worth spending your money on—and packing in your suitcase.
Check out these best beach towels on the market right now, including an oversized family-friendly towel, quick-drying alternatives, and one that begs to be the hero of your holiday photos.
BEST BEACH TOWELS
BEST BEACH TOWELS- BUYING GUIDE
What to Look for When Buying a Beach Towel
Material
Cotton, in general, reigns supreme in terms of absorbency and overall feel. While polyester and cotton blends offer a velvety texture, they don’t absorb as much moisture as cotton. Turkish cotton, in particular, excels in terms of absorbency and speed of drying. Turkish cotton towels are also thinner (as opposed to velour-like textures) in order to improve their functionality.
Construction
Here, too, construction matters: the shorter the woven loops, the faster the towel will dry. In addition, densely woven fibres can resist more wear and tear in terms of durability. Towels with selvedge edges, which are tightly stitched around the outside of the towel to avoid stretching and fraying, are the most durable.
Weight
Wrapping yourself in a fluffy towel after a swim in cold water is incredibly relaxing, but heavier materials take longer to dry. Thinner towels, on the other hand, don’t have the same blanket-like feel as thicker towels (though top-quality ones are still buttery smooth), but they’re more likely to air out in time for you to towel off after a second swim. It’s simply a matter of personal preference. A towel’s weight is expressed in GSM or grams per square meter. So the GSM of a towel determines how light and thin it is.
Portability
If you plan on spending the entire day at the beach, a luxurious, super-sized towel that can accommodate two or more people might suffice (or just you and all your stuff). On the other hand, you’ll want to choose a more portable choice if you’re planning on wading in the surf for a few hours before traveling to your next adventure—or if you’re going on vacation and want to carry light. (This is especially true if you’re transporting a large stack of towels in a single beach bag.)
Choose lightweight, standard-size towels (about 30-ish x 60-ish inches) or a thin family-sized beach blanket that may easily be rolled up and stored in a bag in the latter scenario. Thinner structure also has the advantage of drying faster. Tesalate towels are a terrific choice for mobility, and some of the varieties on this list even come with their carrying case. If sand in your automobile is your worst nightmare, some towel fabrics will even repel it.
