Turkish towels are big but pack down small
For me, the biggest (literally) selling point of these Turkish towels for me is they are large, but they are not bulky. The Huckberry Mediterranean Turkish Towel is one of the largest of our beach-towel picks; the company says it’s 40 by 70 inches.
We found they actually vary in size — anywhere from 37½ by 69½ inches to 30½ inches by 72 inches — but that didn’t affect their effectiveness overall, and it’s definitely not a dealbreaker. The good news is that we didn’t see much, if any, shrinkage from washing.
Despite their size, these Turkish towels pack down small, to about 9 by 3½ inches. By comparison, our pick for classic beach towel, the L.L.Bean Seaside Beach Towel, comes in at 36 by 68 inches and packs down to about 19 by 3½ inches.
I no longer have to bring a separate beach bag just for towels, and that significantly reduces the mental and physical strain of schlepping all of our stuff on what’s intended to be a day of fun. Less schlepping = a happier family.
They dry quickly
Because this towel is thin and made of cotton, it dries quickly in various environments: slung over a beach chair, hung on the railing of a summer camp cabin, or tossed on a chain-link pool fence. But unlike some other Turkish-style towels that annoyingly seem to just rub moisture around on your skin, the Huckberry towels are actually absorbent.
These towels are also Oeko-Tex certified, so they should be free of potentially harmful substances, such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, and plasticizers. And unlike terry towels, which can feel like sandpaper straight from the clothesline, these towels always feel soft and pliable.
The Huckberry towel is the lightest of all our picks. The Coyuchi Mediterranean Organic Towel — another Turkish towel we love — is nearly the same size, at 39 by 71 inches. But it’s also about double the weight and double the price.
It comes in many patterns and colors
Personally, I barely notice the tassled edging, but it does make a pretty visual, and it allows the towel to double as a breezy, casual cover-up.
“Because they’re so light and come in such lovely colors, you can wrap one around you like a sarong if you head to a beachside bar or restaurant,” Holly said.
This is a good point. If you try to do that with a terry towel, it gives more of a “the smoke alarm went off while I was in the shower” vibe.
I bought four distinctive patterns of the Huckberry towel, so each family member gets one, and there’s no confusion (or sibling bickering) about whose towel is whose. Although many other inexpensive Turkish towels can feel a bit chintzy, the Huckberry ones look a lot more expensive than they are — especially if you buy them on sale.
But if you don’t take care of them, the fabric will pill
I wouldn’t call these towels divas, exactly, but they can be a little persnickety, similar to that slightly high-maintenance best friend you always want to hang out with because they bring such a good time.
The care instructions for Turkish towels are specific:
- Soak in cold water for several hours before the first use.
- Wash on a gentle cycle in cold water with little detergent and no fabric softener.
- Air-dry (or, if you must, dry on a very cool setting).
Though I completely ignored the advice to first soak the towels in water (this is supposed to help open up the fibers and make them softer), I did heed the gentle-wash-on-cold instructions. I don’t wash these towels after every use, and I’ve never put them in the dryer. I’ve owned mine for a year, and Holly has had hers for two, and our towels have not pilled.
However, senior editor Kalee Thompson said hers started to pill after just a few washes. “I’ve been washing them in with everything else and putting them in the dryer. So their care instructions are meaningful because I’d say mine are slightly pilly after fewer than half a dozen washes,” she said.
Everyone I spoke with said they’d buy these towels again — even Kalee, whose slightly pilled towels still work great for beach, bath, and hot tub sessions. That’s because they’re inexpensive, light, and durable enough to not be too precious.
This article was edited by Alex Aciman and Christine Cyr Clisset.
