By Vanessa Pratley
Investigative Journalist | Kaipūrongo Whakatewhatewha
Sand-repellent beach towels promise you can visit the beach without taking home a ton of sand. Not only that, but many claim to be ultra-absorbent and quick drying too.
We bought the cheapest and the most expensive sand-free towels available in New Zealand and gave them a whirl. We found the budget buy performed just as well as the top-of-the-line towel.
How we trialled
We trialled each towel three different ways.
We covered each towel in sand (dry and wet) and observed how the towel repelled it. After, we wet the towels and observed their performance again.
We weighed each towel when it was dry, then measured how much water it could hold in millilitres. We also weighed the towels when they were saturated, to see how many grams of water they could hold.
Then, we let the wet towels air dry indoors at a comfortable room temperature for 5 hours, and then weighed them to see how much water had evaporated from each.
Rumpl Everywhere Towel, $89.99
Rumpl Everywhere Travel Towel Set - Glacier Rays
Not only does this towel claim to repel sand, but Rumple also says the towel is ultra-absorbent, quick-drying and packable.
It’s made from a “microsuede” material, which contains polyester and spandex, with an “anti-microbial finish” to keep the towel cleaner for longer.
The Everything Towel is available in a range of different colours and patterns, and measures 75cmx183cm. You can order directly from Rumpl, but we bought ours from Torpedo 7.
The towel itself is quite thin. It would be easy to pack down into a bag but won’t offer you a cushy drying experience. It comes with a loop in one corner for easy hanging and a quality guarantee from Rumpl. The guarantee doesn’t seem to offer much that you’re not entitled to under the Consumer Guarantees Act, so don't let that sway your decision making.
Sand repelling
Sand glides off this towel when both the sand and the towel are dry. We tried rubbing the sand into the fibres to see if it would stick, but there was nothing a quick shake couldn’t fix.
Wet sand was also no trouble. Again, all it took to clear the sand from the fabric was a shake.
The toweI’s sand-repellent properties change once it’s wet, however. The sand stuck to the fabric and wouldn’t come off, even with an aggressive shake.
Absorbency and drying time
The Rumpl towel absorbed 558ml (approximately 573g) of water until it was completely saturated.
We calculated approximately 414.96g of water then evaporated after 5 hours of drying. The towel still felt quite damp, however.
The towel was completely dry after 24 hours.
Kmart sand free towel, $22
Kmart Sand Free Beach Towel - Mosaic
This mosaic blue offering from Kmart was less than a third of the price of the Rumpl towel.
It’s a rougher texture than the Rumpl towel and has slightly smaller dimensions (86cmx160cm). It’s made from polyester and nylon and feels like microfibre.
When we purchased it, the towel was only available in one colour and one size. At the time of writing, a sand-repellent beach blanket (160cmx160cm) is now also available.
Sand repelling
This towel performed similarly to the Rumpl towel. Dry, it didn’t take any effort to get the dry sand off. After rubbing the sand into the towel, a shake was all it took to remove the sand from the fibres.
Wet sand was also repelled by the towel effectively.
Like the Rumple towel, the Kmart towel lost its sand-repelling capabilities once it was wet.
Absorbency and drying time
The Kmart towel absorbed 1,030ml (approximately 1,033.4g) of water until it was completely saturated.
We calculated that approximately 440g of water evaporated after 5 hours drying. Though the two towels had a similar evaporation rate, the Kmart towel still felt quite wet rather than damp after the initial drying time. This could be because it absorbed more water overall.
The towel was completely dry after 24 hours.
The verdict
We think the Kmart budget-buy stacks up to the top-of-the-line Rumpl Everything Towel.
If you’re after something lighter and more compact, it could be worth shelling out for the Rumpl towel. For most uses, though, the Kmart towel will do the trick.
Even though it’s smaller and a bit bulkier, it absorbs more water, dries at a similar rate and repels sand just as well.
It’s worth keeping in mind that neither towel was effective at repelling sand when wet.
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