The main difference between beach towels and bath towels tends to be the size. Beach towels are much longer than bath towels.
Your standard bath towel measure 27 inches by 52 inches or 30 inches by 58. However, your typical beach towel is about a foot longer at about 30 inches by 70 or even larger.
What’s the difference between a Beach Towel and a Bath Towel?
Size:
The size of a beach towel is often a lot larger than a bath towel. This allows you to comfortably lounge/lie on them when you’re at the beach or a pool. They also cover you up more than the average bath towel due to their size.
Bath towels tend to range from 27-30 inches by 52-58 inches. Beach towels tend to be around a foot longer, at around 30 inches by 70 inches, but they can come in oversized larger versions.
Thickness:
Thickness is another important difference between beach towels and bath towels. Bath towels on average are a lot thicker than beach towels. This allows them to absorb more as they tend to be exposed to water more than your typical beach towel.
This dries you faster but also means the towel will take longer to dry. Beach towels tend to be thinner so the towel can dry faster. They are used more as a break between wet skin and sand, or the concrete sides of most pools. The thinness allows them to dry quicker in the sun.
Design and Appearance:
One other key difference between bath towels and beach towels is their design and appearance. Beach towels tend to be more brightly colored and often contain graphic designs on them, like cartoons or sunsets. Bath towels tend to be solid colors and are usually bought to match or complement the design of other bathroom accessories or decor.
A small thing that you may not know is that some beach towels aren’t the same on both sides. This is because they serve different functions. One side is used for drying and is made to be more absorbent than the other.
The other side is designed to slightly repel water and is tighter weaved to avoid getting clogged up with sand. This is achieved by having the terry loops shaved down, which whilst leaving the towel feeling very soft, makes it less absorbent and much better at repelling particulates.
Dimensions and Ideal Size Of a Beach Towel
The size of the beach towel is the foremost difference that separates it from a bath towel. Ideally, the beach towel is slightly wider and longer than the regular size towels. It is extremely very important to cover your body and to protect you from the hot beach sand.
The beach towel’s perfect standard size dimension ranges from 27 inches x 52 inches to 30 inches x 58 inches. However, the average dimension of the beach towel is 31 inches x 63 inches. Some oversize beach towels are also available, which may range above 100 x 180 cm.
These extra-large size towels are designed for specific beach purposes. Apart from this, these stylish extra-large size beach towels allow you to wrap your body from head to toe. Moreover, these wide-size towels also help cover your lounge chair on the beach so that you can relax on your lounge without worrying about foot burn.
In other words, the beach towel gives you more coverage than the regular size bath towel. It also helps to dry off your body quickly by absorbing the water. Technically, the beach towel’s generous measurement has double sides, which ensure to have complete comfort.
Types of Beach Towels and their features
Cotton beach towels:
Cotton towels are probably the most common type of beach towel you will find. Terry cloth towels are what most people picture when they think of a classical beach towel. They are highly absorbent and have a natural and comfortable feel to them. They also have very fast drying times. They come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes as well as designs making them highly versatile.
Another choice you can make for cotton beach towels that will be extra smooth on your skin is Turkish cotton. You can find loads of 100% Turkish cotton towels out there to suit your style and needs perfectly.
If you’re looking for a beach towel that is durable and fade-resistant, then yarn-dyed velour might be a better choice for you. The double stitching along the sides helps to increase the longevity of your beach towel. And it’s also better at retaining its color, meaning it’s less likely to wear and fade in the sun.
Microfiber beach towel:
The microfiber towel boasts an impressively short drying time. They are quickly gaining popularity due to their easy packaging, short drying time, and low cost. There are multiple other options you can choose from.
Sand-free microfibre towels are perfect for the beach. After being in the ocean and walking your way back up the beach the last thing you want is a towel with sand trapped in it ready to stick to your skin.
Sand-free microfiber fabric is made from a polyester fabric, where the weaves are looser so sand can fall through the weaving as opposed to getting trapped inside of it. It’s also incredibly easy to brush down the towel before you use it and remove any trapped sand you can see.
Quick-dry microfiber towels are fantastic if you need your towel to dry off in a pinch. If you want to avoid having a soggy towel that traps all of the sand in your beach bag, then this is the perfect towel for you.
It’s a great choice if you’re a regular dipper or surfer ( changing poncho for a surfer ) and don’t like coming back out of the water to a soaking wet towel. It’s also good for when the sun dips in for half an hour and you need a little more cover. It will allow you to bask in the sun reading a book or take a nap without any problems. They are generally sand resistant too.
Hands-free beach towel:
If you’re looking for ease of use and hate lugging your towel in an overfilled bag or under your arm to the waterside, then a hands-free beach towel may be perfect for you. And If you’re somebody who enjoys having plenty of room on a beach towel, and dreads having a wet limb slip off the side into the sand then consider one of these.
They generally come with a strap so you can roll it up and stick it straight on your shoulder. Some also come with an inbuilt bag, making the transportation of other items a lot easier. If you’re looking for a large towel that you and possibly others can lie on, with enough room for snacks and other items then this is the ideal towel for you.
Eco-friendly beach towels:
If you are environmentally conscious and are looking for ways to protect the planet, you might want to consider an eco-friendly beach towel. They are made from sustainable cotton resources.
The Better Cotton Initiative is a non-profit organization that focuses on making the production of cotton safer, more environmentally friendly, and more sustainable for the future. They use organic dyes to avoid any toxicity in their products. They come in a wide range, quick-drying, sand repelling, and super soft.
Either way, you can rest assured that both will do the job, but if you have the large one for the beach, and can come in rather handy!