How to Choose a Beach Towel That Will Last
Your beach towel can make or break your beach experience, so picking the right option is crucial to enjoying your day in the sand and surf. The wrong beach towel can hold sand that irritates your skin or fails to dry you off after swimming in the ocean. It can also fall apart after just a few beach excursions, causing you to spend extra money on replacing it.
Finding a stylish beach towel that holds up against salt and sand can be challenging. Learn how to choose a beach towel that will last and how adding an embroidered monogram can add an extra touch of class.
Beach towels must be highly absorbent to remove water from your skin and swimwear quickly. However, if the towel retains water but doesn’t dry quickly, it is vulnerable to damage; fabric fibers are fragile when wet. Absorbent yet fast-drying towels are typically the longest lasting.
Cotton or blended terry cloth towels are ideal. Cotton is naturally absorbent, holding up to 25 times its weight in water. However, the fine yarn allows water to evaporate quickly. Terry cloth is often made from a cotton/polyester blend but woven in loops that provide more surface area for better absorption and faster evaporation.
Avoid Very Thick Towels
When purchasing a beach towel, you need to consider the GSM (grams per square meter), which equates to the towel’s thickness. The higher the GSM, the more absorbent the towel is, but the longer it takes to dry out.
However, low GSM towels tend to abrade more easily. Opt for a beach towel with a GSM between 400 and 500 for a long-lasting, quick-drying towel.
Go for the Bigger Towels
While a standard size bath towel (27” W x 52” L) may be easier to pack in your beach tote, a larger towel means a broader drying surface. This means you are less likely to saturate your towel and cause excessive friction damage from rubbing your body dry.
An average-sized beach towel measures approximately 68” long by 28” wide and suits most beachgoers. However, if you are taller or larger than average, consider an oversized towel (40”W x 70”L) or invest in a beach blanket.
A beach blanket is an excellent choice for families or couples lounging poolside or on the sand. Using a beach blanket as a space to relax rather than placing your beach towel directly on the ground can also help your beach towels last longer.
Strike a Balance Between High Quality and Low Price
When searching for the perfect beach towel, strike a balance between high-quality and low price. Typically, lower-priced beach towels are made of less durable fabrics or use chemicals and dyes that don’t hold up against rough sand, salty water, or UV rays from the sun. These elements can break down the fibers of cheap towel options and cause you to buy a new towel each year.
While extremely affordable options aren’t the best, neither are excessively expensive towels. If you pay too much for your beach towel, you may not want to take it out into the elements for fear of ruining it, which doesn’t add to a laid-back, fun beach-going attitude.
Opt for a mid-priced beach towel made of durable fabric for the perfect compromise. Threadwell’s king-size cotton beach towel is built to last but not so expensive that you are hesitant to take it to the beach. 
Make Sure It’s Comfortable
While the towel’s thickness impacts the comfort level, you also need to consider the fibers in the fabric. Short, coarse fibers can make your beach feel itchy. These types of fabrics also tend to wear down faster than others.
Choose beach towels made from long-staple (long fiber) cotton using a single-ply yarn. Single-ply yarn is simply one strand of twisted yarn which creates a strong yet plush weave that remains durable wash after wash.
Turkish cotton beach towels have the longest cotton fibers of any towel style. They feature an extra-warp loop pile integrated into the twill weave, giving them an ultra-soft yet extremely quick-drying feel. They are also highly absorbent and lightweight, perfect for traveling.
Choose Light-Reflecting Colors
When choosing a beach towel, opt for a color that reflects light rather than absorbing it. Darker hues take in more light, which can cause the color to fade and weaken the fabric over time.
Hues that take in the most light are black, dark blue, and deep purple. Colors that reflect more light are white, orange, yellow, red, and green. Opt for these light-reflecting hues or pastel versions of your favorite darker colors whenever possible.
Personalize Your Beach Towel
When you find a beach towel that will last, consider adding a monogram or personalized embroidered design. Adding an embroidered monogram adds a touch of classic elegance to your towel and marks it as an important and worthwhile addition to your beach-going ensemble.
You can find a high-quality, king-size beach towel with Threadwell. Our towels come in various light-reflecting colors like red, orange, bright green, neon pink, and cerulean blue. They are 36” by 72”, providing you with ample coverage and fabric for sunbathing or drying off after splashing in the water.
Choose from our wide selection of monogram styles, thread colors, and fonts to personalize your towel. We’ll embroider your design on your beach towel to help you express your personal style or show your school pride.
Add a Touch of Class With Threadwell
It is important to find a beach towel that will last you several years to improve your beachgoing experience. With Threadwell, you can add a touch of class and elegance to your favorite beach towel by adding an embroidered monogram to the towel. Choose from our colorful selection of king-size cotton towels, or bring your own, and we’ll add the monogram.
Stop by our Philadelphia in-store location or browse our monogram embroidery options online. If you have any questions or would like help deciding on a design, call us at (267) 385-5206 for assistance.