There’s no worse feeling than getting to the beach, waxing up your board, zipping up your wetsuit, and realizing you’ve forgotten your towel.
Nobody wants to get out of the water after a tiring surf session with a parched mouth from the salt water and arms feeling like noodles, and then have to stand there freezing cold, subject to the biting offshore winds.
Aside from what you bring in the water with you, the most important piece of fabric you pack for a surf session is your towel. So which one should you bring?
What Should You Look For in a Beach Towel?
Everyone has an old beach towel lying around their house, maybe you have a whole closet of them.
And of course, any one will do the trick if need be, but a good beach towel can make all the difference.
As a surfer and a lifeguard, I use a beach towel almost every single day in the summer.
Some days I’d grab one that stayed wet for hours, or one that just never actually dried me off, some that were way too tiny, and some just weren’t comfortable.
In a perfect world, a beach towel is durable, comfortable, absorbent, quick-drying, stylish, and cost friendly. It’s a tall order. Let’s take a look at the top ten beach towels that meet all or most of these needs.
The 10 Best Beach Towels Today
#1: Slowtide
Our top pick for the best beach towel option out there is the Slowtide Botanical Waves Beach Towel. Slowtide’s towels are absorbent and versatile, keeping you dry and comfortable.
The beach towel has a non-printed looped terry 400 GSM back, which absorbs moisture quickly and effectively. It also includes a drawcord loop for quick drying, so you can hang it up between sessions and it’ll be dry by the time you get out again.
Slowtide offers a wide range of towel designs, so there’s something for everyone, and they are 100% sustainable.
#2: Nomadix
In second place, we have Nomadix’s The Only Towel You Need, It’s a high performance towel great for beach, travel, yoga, and whatever else you can imagine.
It was designed specifically to be versatile to fit all your towel needs, and is sand, funk, and pet hair resistant. Its absorption is 4x its water weight.
Its microterry technology uses 30 plastic water bottles for every one towel, making it not only functional, but also very sustainable. It comes in 50 different styles.
#3: Sandcloud
Sandcloud’s Luna towel comes in at number three on our list. Sandcloud’s towels are super lightweight and can be easily stored. They are famously sand resistant and quick-drying which makes them easy to clean and bring home, but they are not very thick, and therefore not very warm. They are a great option if you're surfing or swimming in warm weather, but you may want a thicker option for cold weather surfing.
#4: Backcountry
Backcountry’s Oversized Jacquard Towels are both functional and stylish. They are made of 100% cotton velour, making them incredibly soft and absorbent.
Their seared front offers a fleecy and warm feel against wet skin and their giant size gives you great coverage for cold weather surfing or changing out of your wetsuit.
#5: Weezie
Weezie’s Beach Towel is an oversized beach towel with a resort-feel, and comes in five different chic, classy designs, if you’re going for style points. It is ultra absorbent, yet cut close to avoid picking up sand. You can customize it with embroidery to add a personal touch. These fashionable towels are sure to get you compliments on the beach!
#6: Patagonia
Patagonia’s Organic Cotton Towel is a buttery soft, 100% organic cotton beach towel, with a velour side for comfort and a an absorbent terry cloth side for quick drying. It’s great quality, made for functionalism, and does its job well. It hits all the basic necessities of a great beach towel.
#7: Dock and Bay
Dock & Bay’s Quick Dry Towel is an affordable, quality towel that you can buy by itself or in sets of four, five, or six for a discount.
They are fast-drying, sand-repellent, sustainable, and fresh-smelling, and even come with a small pouch for storage.
They also offer a variety of designs and XL and XXL options. Every year, the company partners with a street artist to inspire a new, limited edition collection, so keep your eye out for the latest drop.
#8: Tesalate
Tesalate’s Bora Bora Towels are made with AbsorbLite™ fabric, which is purpose-engineered for sand to easily slip off. They retain up to 1 liter of water and can dry in half the time of a regular towel. Their advanced fabric technology makes for a compact, lightweight towel that fits easily in your bag.
#9: L.L. Bean
L.L. Bean’s Seaside Beach Towel is your traditional terry cloth beach towel. You can’t go wrong with this classic. Tried and true, L.L. Bean’s beach towels are plush, warm, comfortable, budget-friendly, and you can even monogram them if you’d like.
#10: T&C
Last but not least, we have T&C’s Surf Tropic Paint Microfiber Towel. A luxury towel designed for the beach, gym, and shower, T&C’s towels are comfortable, stylish, lightweight and compact. They also offer larger towel-blankets and comfortable and convenient surf ponchos.
The Bottom Line: Best Beach Towels
There are plenty of great beach towel options out there, so find one that best suits your needs and preferences, and send it!
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