The Best Beach Towels to Pack for Your Next Vacation

Chronic over-packers, rejoice! We tracked down the ultimate travel-friendly beach towel to keep your checked bags within the weight limit. The gingham travel towel from The Beach People weighs 1.5 pounds while simultaneously measuring 60-by-60 inches. You have plenty of space to enjoy a seaside picnic with your fam and, most importantly? You have some wiggle room in your luggage to pack those extra sundresses before hitting that sweet spot that requires you to unzip and consolidate all your belongings into carry-ons when checking your bag.

Escape the sun for lunch or lounge on your vacay from the comfort of this savvy under-umbrella beach towel from Business & Pleasure. The retro-style towel measures 66-by-66 inches, offering ample sand-free space for your entire family to catch some shade. The best part is that each towel comes with a hole at the center to accommodate your beach umbrella, avoiding all the messy bunching and awkward gaps between standard towels. Grab the vintage yellow stripe color to start each beach day aglow, or snag one of the seven additional finishes to suit your style.

Parents, you need to add this cozy kids’ poncho beach towel to your cart. These plush ponchos are hand-loomed with absorbent Turkish cotton and come in four classic hues: navy, blush, pale blue or yellow. And be sure to take advantage of the optional embroidered personalization and add their name as an extra-special touch.

If laying around in a wet swimsuit gives you the icks, this terry cloth towel from the Artist Series collection at Brooklinen is the way to go. The imaginative beach towel collection includes three unique and lively motifs inspired by New York City. Each towel features a velvety velour front and an ultra-absorbent terry cloth backing designed to get you cozy and dry in no time.

If you're hunting for a top-rated — but budget-friendly — beach towel bundle for your family, you found it. The Great Bay Home's cabana stripe beach towel set from Amazon includes four ultra-soft beach towels in your choice of pale blue, gold or light gray finish. The lightweight towels measure 30-by-60 inches to comfortably bundle up between swims. Plus, the bundle has rows and rows of glowing reviews stating how well the towels wear after washing and the enduring quality of the design.

Love the ocean but hate the sand? While we can't eliminate that issue for you, we can share our secret to combatting the grains on our beach excursions: Sand Cloud. The pros at Sand Cloud make beach days as sand-free as possible with their top-rated Turkish cotton beach towels. The unique sand-resistant beach towel will keep you comfortable while soaking up the sun or eating a picnic lunch after a quick morning dip. Plus, we gave the Sand Cloud towel an in-depth review to give you even more information before taking the plunge on this purchase. Check out our review on several Sand Cloud beach towels.

Never met a monogram you didn’t like? Go ahead and add this classic coastal-stripe beach towel to your cart ASAP. The buttery-soft Turkish cotton towel features hand-knotted tassel trim on each end and a mix of wide and narrow white stripes against one of six beachy colors: orchid, red, turquoise, navy, sky blue or yellow. Give your beach towel a personal touch with your pick of 19 unique monogram designs and seven personalization styles.

The top-rated Bay Laurel Turkish towel is tried-and-true with over 3,700 rave reviews with a 4.6-star rating. In other words, it's the beach towel of your dreams. The oversized towel measures 39-by-71 inches to provide generous space to lounge about on your beach day. Plus, it's quick-drying, sand proof and includes a travel-ready drawstring bag so you can throw it in a carry-on before you head out the door. Snag a Turkish towel for your next beach trip in your choice of 40 unique color and stripe finishes.

Think outside the box (er, rectangle) when searching for your perfect beach towel. This organic and oversized beach towel from West Elm breaks the norm with a unique round silhouette. Each towel features a terry cloth backing to provide unmatched absorption after splashing around during the day. Another plus? Its fiery stripes make the round beach towel easy to spot in a crowd — even after a few piña coladas at lunch.

The Amazon Basics Cabana Stripe Beach Towel pack is our top pick for anyone and on any budget. The two-pack cabana stripe towel set has more than 8,000 positive reviews, with 74-percent of those customers giving this product a perfect rating. Sure, we could gush about the towel set’s ultra-plush material, top-quality construction and the chic stripe motif but let’s face it, the five-star customer ratings speak for themselves. Snag your pair in charcoal, navy or gold stripes.