Have you ever really considered how to choose the right beach towel for the beach? With all the different factors, such as water, sand, and wind, you want to get a towel that will give you the best benefits for visiting the beachfront.
When choosing the right beach towel, it’s essential to consider the material type, absorbency, drying capability, cost, size, and color. Beach towel choice comes down to individual preferences and what you think is a priority. For example, consider the absorbency of the towel a priority meaning you would have to choose a thicker towel with a high thread count. Or you may want a towel that dries faster. Then there is the factor of whether or not it’s sand resistant.
Going to the shops or shopping online will provide you with a vast choice of beach towels with different patterns, materials, colors, thread count, size, style, and cost that can make choosing the perfect beach towel more problematic than it should be. We simplify it and offer guidance in selecting the best beach towel for a fun summer visit to the beach.
How To Choose A Beach Towel
The most critical aspect of choosing the right beach towel is that it is comfortable and not too bulky. Beach towels can take up a lot of bag space, and having a beach towel that is too cumbersome to carry can make things uncomfortable on your way to the sandy strip of golden sand and azure sea.
Tips For Choosing A Beach Towel
We have some tips for the next time you hunt for the perfect beach towel that will make your decision easier and hopefully save you some time.
Tip # 1: Choosing The Right Size
Size does matter. You want a towel that will be long and wide enough for you to sit or lay comfortably on when you’re tanning or just relaxing taking in the views.
You may want a single towel big enough for you or a more oversized towel, like a blanket for those couples that want to cuddle or for the whole family to share a shady spot under the umbrella.
The average beach towel size is 30″ by 60”, but you can find them in different sizes. A good option is to find a beach towel that is as long as you are.
Tip # 2: Choosing The Material
Towels come in different materials and will have different qualities.
Cotton is the most popular, and you can choose from different GSM (grams per square meter). The higher the GSM, the heavier, thicker, fluffier, and more absorbent the towel will be. However, with the good comes the bad; the higher the GSM counts, the longer the towel will take to dry.
A good count for a beach towel is a 400 GSM towel which will still be absorbent, with a lovely soft, comfortable plush feel that will be a bit quicker to dry.
Terry cloth beach towels are another option that can be made from cotton or a mix of cotton and polyester. This is made from woven loops; the longer and thick the loops, the more absorbent the towel is.
Terry cloth has similar qualities to cotton towels. Wicking away moisture efficiently, but due to its textured surface, can also be a disadvantage as it holds onto the sand, making it a gritty experience when you want to dry yourself off. However, this type of towel is a more affordable towel.
Turkish cotton is another popular fabric that is often used for the beach. Also known as peshtemal towels, Peshtemal towels are lightweight, cotton towels traditionally used in Turkish baths. It is hand-made in Turkey from long, flat woven fibers of 100% Turkish cotton. It provides high absorbency, they are also known as hammam or fouta towels and are used in Turkish baths both to cover the body during bathing and to dry off afterward and since it’s thinner than beach towels, it dries very quickly.
They take up less space and are highly durable, becoming softer with each use. Another benefit of these towels is they don’t accumulate sand, so you can use them to dry off and lay down on the beach without getting a sandy layer sticking to you when drying off.
Microfiber beach towels have become increasingly popular. These are made from synthetic fibers and will dry quickly. Although absorbent, they are slightly less effective in wicking moisture away from the body than 100% cotton.
They are much lighter than cotton beach towels, and the fibers keep the sand on the towel’s surface, making shaking sand out of the towel easy. Microfiber towels fall in a more cost-effective range.
However, as they are synthetic, they can have a static feel to them and sometimes create a scratch feel on the skin.
Tip #3: Fitting Into Your Budget
Although we want the best towel out there that gives us all the advantages, finding a towel that falls within our budget is just as crucial as the towel.
This is a balancing act of finding a towel that meets the criteria and falls within the budget but is durable at the same time.
They need to withstand a lot of abuse from the sun’s harsh rays, and while exposed to salt or chlorine water, they dry over and over without rinsing. They will be stood on, used as a blanket, and exposed to the harsh, gritty sand.
Consider this: if your budget is low, your beach towel may be of inferior quality. Even if it absorbs moisture and dries reasonably quickly, it may not be resilient enough to endure the punishment a beach towel takes.
You may find that you will replace a cheaper towel two or three times in the season, costing you more in the long run.
Tip #4: Choosing Dyed Over Printed
When it comes to patterns and colors, it’s best to choose dyed yarns over printed towels. Towels that are yarn dyed are reversible. They are also more colorfast than printed towels that can quickly fade due to sun and chlorine damage.
Tip #5: Choosing The Right Color
Beach towels come in a vast spectrum of colors and patterns. Dark colors retain heat, making your trip to the beach hotter than it should be. Opting for lighter colors is also not ideal, as they can stain easily with sun lotions.
Choose a brightly colored towel that suits your personality and that you can easily spot from the water. This is a personal choice, and the right color is the one that makes you happy and appeals to your tastes.
Difference Between A Beach And Bath Towel
What’s the big fuss between a beach towel and a bath towel? Surely, they both absorb water, so why can’t you use a bath towel instead of a beach towel?
Technically nothing is stopping you from using a bath towel for a day at the beach. Still, there are a few differences between a beach and a bath towel that can make your day more enjoyable.
While the purpose of both towels is to absorb water and dry you off, bath towels have a higher GSM, generally around 650 GSM making them thicker and plusher.
Bath towels are highly efficient at absorbing water once you come out of the bath or shower, but they take longer to dry as they are thicker.
These towels will also be heavier, and all the water they have absorbed will make them weighty to lug around in your beach bag or your waist.
Beach towels are slightly thinner while still being adsorbent. However, being somewhat thinner with a GSM of around 400, they have a quicker drying time.
Bath towels don’t need to be extra long, so an average size is 27” by 52″, which is often too short to be used as a beach towel.
Beach towels are much longer so that you can lie comfortably on the towel without having your legs hanging over the edge, collecting sand particles that become more of an exfoliant experience when you apply sun cream.
Most beach towels will average about 30” by 60,” but you can also get longer ones for taller people. Then there are the oversized beach towels that are perfect for the family or make a great makeshift picnic blanket to avoid a sandy mess between everyone’s towels.
What Is The Best Fiber For A Beach Towel?
The cotton beach towel is a classic choice for the beach. Still, with innovation, microfiber towels are becoming the optimal towels for the beach, said to be absorbent, quick drying, and sand free.
Microfiber Beach Towel Vs. Cotton Beach Towel
Cotton beach towels versus microfiber beach towels which is the best? Again, it all comes down to a personal choice, and whichever you feel makes you happiest is the best towel, but if you are undecided, here are some comparisons that may make your decision easier.
Microfiber towels are the rage at the moment, so you may question if this is the better towel to use at the beach.
Microfiber towels are made from synthetic materials:
⦁ Polyester
⦁ Polyamide
⦁ Nylon
⦁ Or a combination of the above.
They are designed in a net-like pattern that makes them highly adsorbent.
Microfiber towels are much thinner, providing a lightweight and compact towel compared to cotton towels, and dry in half the time of a cotton beach towel.
The main benefit of microfiber towels is that they are sand repellent, you will still have sand on your towel if it’s a windy day, but a quick shake of the towel will get rid of all those tiny sand particles that tend to get into the fibers and weaves of cotton towels.
However, if you want that chunky soft fluffy feel from a cotton towel, you won’t find that in a microfiber towel. Yes, they are soft, but that depends on the GSM count of the microfiber towel as well.
Just like cotton towels that are cheap and nasty, you will find the same applies to microfiber beach towels.
Although wrapping a microfiber towel around your waist is less cumbersome than a cotton towel, they do not fare as well on a windy beach, taking flight at the slightest breeze due to their lightweight.
There is no winner or loser here. The best beach towel is the one that suits your criteria and comes down to personal preference and your priorities.
What Is The Average Size Of A Beach Towel?
Beach towels are larger than bath towels, so most people can comfortably lay on the towel without touching the sand.
The average size for a beach towel is about 30″ by 60″, which is perfect for drying off. However, it can be on the short side if you want to lie down on it.
What Is The Best Turkish Beach Towel?
There are hundreds of different Turkish beach towels out there, so finding the best one is challenging.
We found that the WETCAT Turkish Beach towel is the best option. It’s the largest average-sized Turkish beach towel, with the standard size being 38″ by 71″.
It’s made from 100% Turkish cotton, sand-free for the dual purpose of drying and using it as a blanket. Lightweight, it’s easy to travel with and can be used in multiple ways.
It has been prewashed, so once you get it, you can immediately use it and experience its absorbency.
Although you don’t have a lot of choice in the pattern, it comes in 24 different colors, from neutral to vibrant, colorful hues that are OEKO-TEX certified natural dyed yarn, which makes it environmentally and body friendly.
It still comes in at an affordable mid-range price and will last years of use if you care correctly for it.
What Is The Best Size Of Beach Towel?
The best beach towel size depends on what you intend to do with it.
Are you using the towel to lay on, or do you need a towel to dry off after a dip in the ocean?
Do you want a towel just to lay on, or are you looking for something larger for two people or the whole family?
Again, it comes down to personal preference, but if you want a towel to dry off, a less cumbersome towel of 30″ by 60″ would be ideal.
If you want something that can provide a dual purpose to avoid carrying multiple towels, then a 35″ by 70″ does the trick.
Sometimes it’s best to get an oversized beach towel for the family to lie on, like a 74″ by 74″ square, and get smaller beach towels to dry off with.
What Is A Beach Towel Clip?
The beach towel clip is a 100% British innovative solution from a frustrated man, just like us, about our beach towels constantly whipping up and spraying sand all over us from windy beaches.
The clip was designed to grip and hold your towel down on all four corners to prevent the towel from blowing away down the beach with you inelegantly running after it and trying not to plant yourself face-first into the sand.
It’s a beach bag essential, a plastic beach towel clip, and clips open at a 90° angle. The longer side is pushed into the sand with your palm or the sole of your foot, while the shorter side with the teeth grip on four corners of the towel and secure your towel, preventing your towel from taking a magic carpet ride down the coastline.
Conclusion
Beach towels can be overwhelming when it comes to choosing the right one. The vast selection of material, sizes, colors, patterns, thread count, and prices becomes confusing, but it is a personal preference. The best beach towel is always absorbent without being overly heavy and can dry quickly; the rest is up to you.