Some Tips for Choosing the Perfect Beach Towels

Every towel is designed for a specific purpose, and it’s crucial to choose the right one for the job. Hand towels are perfect for small tasks like drying your hands after you wash them. A bath towel is intended to try you off once or twice a day and then hang on the rack to dry. A beach towel has multiple jobs: besides drying you off numerous times in an afternoon, it should protect you from the sand and serve as a comfortable seat on the beach.

At Threadwell, we know that both form and function matter, especially for a beach towel. Beachgoers need to consider a beach towel’s quality in addition to its appearance when they make their selection. That’s why our oversized beach towels are made of terry velour with personalized embroidery to make them uniquely yours. Before your next beach trip, consider these characteristics to help you find a towel you’ll want to use for every beach day.

Consider its Water Absorption
This is the most significant difference between a beach towel and a bath towel. A bath towel is made to dry off once you get out of the shower, and then you’re done with it until the next time you bathe. As a result, it’s not great at absorbing water and takes time to dry out.

The best beach towels for water absorption tend to be made from cotton or a terry cloth mix. However, some companies make microfiber beach towels that dry even faster than the typical beach towel, even if they feel a little different against your skin.

How Comfortable is it?
A bath towel only needs to be comfortable for a few minutes; you dry yourself off and then hang it back up for the day. On the other hand, a beach towel needs to do double duty and serve as a comfortable surface to sit on while you’re drying in the sun beside the water.

To avoid sitting on a sandy beach, most people will lay out their towels to lie on while enjoying a snack or lounging with a book. The beach towel, whether it’s placed directly on the beach or a beach chair, serves as an added barrier between your skin and the sand. Not only do you avoid getting sand where you don’t want it, but it also keeps your skin protected from the heat of the sand or the hardness of a beach chair. A rolled beach towel can also serve as a pillow if the soothing waves of the beach and the sultry sun wears you out. The softest beach towels usually consist of cotton or terry cloth materials. The type of cotton you get determines the softness, with bamboo cotton being the softest and most absorbent option.

Thickness: Convenience vs. Comfort
If you’re traveling to the beach or pool, you’re probably bringing snacks and beverages, plus sand toys for the kids, some extra sunscreen and reading material, an oversize beach umbrella, and some chairs. That’s a lot to pack into your beach tote, and if you’ve invested in a personalized, monogrammed tote for the summer with your initials or a fun quote on the front, you won’t want to damage the bag by overpacking it. While towels are lighter than most of what you’ll be carrying, thicker towels will take up more room in the bag.

When choosing a beach towel, consider how thick it is and how you will get it to the beach. Will it roll up small enough to fit in your beach bag with other supplies, or will it need a bag of its own? This consideration is even more critical if you are traveling; you don’t want half your suitcase taken up with beach towels if you have to pay to check your bags on a flight.

While you might assume thickness correlates to comfort, that’s not always true. Thicker towels often don’t dry as fast, and they tend to store sand more than a thinner towel. However, a towel that’s too thin can be just as uncomfortable if you need it to cushion you against grains of sand and the harsh edges of a beach chair. To select the perfect beach towel, you need to strike a balance between comfort and convenience. Look for a plush and soft towel made of a material that allows you to roll it tightly.

What Size Do You Need?
The standard bath towel is 28”x 54” which works great for its purpose, but it’s too small for a practical beach towel.

There’s nothing worse than going to stretch out on the beach to get a little sun, only to find out your lower legs and feet are on the scorching hot sand. Studies show that on a sunny day when it’s 90ºF, sand can reach 120ºF, hot enough to cause severe burns. If you have children, you want a larger surface for the entire family to sit on instead of trying to overlap individual towels.

That’s why beach towels are typically 30”x 58”, giving you more space to relax comfortably. You may also want to consider investing in a beach blanket for maximum space when hanging out as a group on the beach.

Sand Repellant
Look specifically for a sand repellent towel to prevent those tiny grains from rubbing against your skin when you dry yourself after lying on the beach. Beachgoers are more commonly opting for microfiber towels because they don’t hold sand like cotton or terry cloth towels.

Color and Appearance
Only after you’ve considered all the other qualities of a towel should you even think about the way it looks. Water absorption, comfort, thickness, size, and sand repellant account for the quality of the towel, which is the most crucial consideration. However, color and appearance are the most fun part of the selection process.

When picking a beach towel, it’s essential to consider that hundreds of other towels will surround yours, so you want to get something that stands out. Ideally, you should be able to spot your towel from the water so you can keep an eye on your belongings when you’re not sitting next to them. Bright colors and bold patterns are a great way to ensure your towel is easy to spot, but if you’re selecting a popular color or style, chances are someone on the beach will have the same one as you.

Personalized beach towels are also a cute way to differentiate your towels from those of your friends and those lounging near you. To ensure the monogram you select for your towel can endure the elements, choose an embroidered style rather than a vinyl pressing. Custom, hand-sewn embroidery is a unique way to make your towel stand out while simultaneously adding sentimental value. Even something as simple as adding your child’s initials to their towel can help you keep track of what belongs to who when they go to swimming lessons. You’ll also want to consider that dark colors tend to absorb more heat than lighter colors, so a dark-colored beach towel might make you too warm while you sunbathe.

Quality Towels
Whatever towel you go with, quality is paramount. Though it may require an initial investment to get a towel that checks all the boxes, it’s well worth it when you’re lounging at the beach feeling dry and comfortable.

For personalized beach towels, shop monogrammed towels from Threadwell. You can choose from five vibrant towel colors and customize your selection with a logo, initials, or a 16 character phrase and your choice of font and motif. Create a beach towel of your own for the perfect day in the sun.