The Best Beach Towels, According to Our Editors
A beautiful, personalized beach towel, Kaufman has covered with their super soft, 100% cotton oversized beach towel. Qinqinamu 2 pack microfiber oversized beach towel is a great choice for 2 persons or couples to enjoy the beach every time you hit the sand. If you prefer a smaller, lightweight beach towel, the Coyuchi Mediterranean Organic Towel is a luxurious option—and it’s great for travel. Also, as long as you lay it down with the fluffy side up (as you would most beach towels), it sheds sand with ease when you need to pack up. Made of 100% cotton, this slightly oversized towel is built to withstand beach and pool wear without fading. You can choose from eight colorful prints that the whole family will love, and there's a standard-sized beach towel available in over 25 prints as well. It's also lightweight and folds into a compact size, so you'll have plenty of leftover space in your beach bag. The extra-large towel from Dock & Bay impressed us during our Lab evaluations, proving to be sand-resistant and truly quick-drying. It’s quick to dry and easy to pack up—it even comes with a mesh bag for carrying (though getting the towel back in the bag can be challenging). Meanwhile, traditional cotton towels have that classic plush, cozy feel you already know and love. If you're after a towel that resists sand clinging to it every time, microfiber and Turkish cotton are your best bet—they shake off grains with hardly any effort. While most beach towels are only available in stripes, this one is sold in over 25 patterns (which are all reversible). Made from microfiber material, the towels are quick to dry and feature a corner loop for convenient hanging. Because the material is on the thinner side, it won't feel as plush as a cotton terrycloth towel, but it is ultra-lightweight and easy to roll into its included carrying pouch for easy packing. Space in your luggage is limited, so a lightweight, packable towel is a must. When you're ready to head home, the towel rolls into a small carrying case, so any lingering sand won't escape into your bag or car. There are two pieces of material woven with small gaps, so when sand inevitably makes its way onto your towel, it can easily pass through the gaps, keeping the surface and you sand-free. The smooth microfiber material keeps sand on the fabric's surface, making it simple to shake the sand loose when you're ready to pack up. They're made with cotton terrycloth for a cozy feel, but we did find they're not as soft as pricier styles. When evaluating this towel, we were immediately impressed with its soft, plush feel with finished ends for a luxe look. Laguna Beach Textile Co. striped cabana beach towel is a luxurious thick towel pick for extra comfort. WETCAT Turkish beach towel will provide you with a cozy and stylish experience. Seaview 180 beach towel is a practically perfect and green product. Dock & Bay beach towel is our 1st beach vacation travel companion. A lot of colorful designs and luxurious plush textures to easily pick the best beach towel fits your style for having great fun on the beach. A good beach towel is essential for ultimate beach relaxation and fun. Our earliest testing took place on the beaches of Northern California; since then we’ve done additional testing on Oahu, Hawaii, as well as in Maine and New Jersey. And the semirigid sides help to create a decent sand barrier, without being so stiff that someone might get hurt if they fall on one. The Huckberry towel, which measures 40 by 70 inches, has the lowest GSM rating of our picks, at 155 GSM. This Huckberry towel is also Oeko-Tex–certified, which means it should be free of potentially harmful substances, such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, and plasticizers. It costs less than half the price—sometimes lower when it’s on sale—and it looks a lot more expensive than it is. However, if you don’t follow the laundry instructions, it may pill. The smooth microfiber surface also makes it easy to brush sand away. When we tried this towel from CGear, we were blown away by how easy it was to remove sand from the surface. It's available in more than 30 striped patterns and a few solid colors and comes in four sizes if you prefer something smaller. These towels are even woven with shorter loops to prevent snagging and have flat-woven edges to reduce pulling threads. bridal shower gift to consider when purchasing a beach towel, much like anything else, is what you will predominantly be using them for. Some users have reported that the towels tend to retain moisture, leading to a less efficient drying experience and buildup of odor-causing bacteria. If you’re looking for something super lightweight and soft on a budget, this is a great towel for you. The Rainleaf Microfiber Towel is a budget-friendly, multipurpose towel that comes in a variety of sizes and colors for your next trip to the beach or the Bikram studio. These big, airy towels pack down quite small and only weigh about 11oz, making them a great staple for your car, gym bag, or beach tote. These towels are surprisingly absorbent for how thin they are, thanks to the long, 100% cotton threads, which actually get more absorbent with use. Jasmine Grant is a senior editor at Travel + Leisure and a frequent beachgoer. We also like that they’re more sand-resistant since they don’t have small loops that trap in particles. We’ll continue testing to see how they hold up after regular use at the beach. If they were used in sand, we observed how easy it was to shake or brush off excess sand before packing up. After washing them according to their care instructions in between uses, we kept our eyes peeled for any fading, shrinking, and unraveling of any fibers. Because of its luxurious look and feel, we wouldn’t hesitate to put it on a registry or give it as a gift. We thought this towel was even cozy enough to keep in our car in case of emergencies. However, we didn’t experience any loose fuzz again after the initial wash. We didn’t notice any snags or loose threads, but found a good amount of shedding in our dryer post cycle. It soaked up moisture well and never felt too wet, and its large size made it easy to wrap around ourselves and a toddler while sitting comfortably on a lounge chair. Multi-tasker beach towel designed for lounging on the beach, yoga mat, picnic blanket and much more. Sand Cloud extra large Turkish beach towel with 62″ x 76″ big enough to fit your whole beach buddies. Enjoy a relaxing day on the beach or by the pool with your own soft and large towel. A perfect choice to enjoy a luxury beach towel experience.