Beach towels and sand

[flob]

Does anyone have a hack for something to sit on at the beach so your towel doesn’t end up covered in sand?  We frequently like the quiet beaches where there are no chairs. I’ve thought about asking for extra towels but thought I’d put the question out there for other ideas. 
Thanks in advance, I’m looking forward to some unique ideas!  

[Flatbush Flyer]

26 minutes ago, flob said:

Does anyone have a hack for something to sit on at the beach so your towel doesn’t end up covered in sand?  We frequently like the quiet beaches where there are no chairs. I’ve thought about asking for extra towels but thought I’d put the question out there for other ideas. 
Thanks in advance, I’m looking forward to some unique ideas!  

Neither unique nor a "hack":

Just pick up some cheap/lightweight/disposable Tatami mats at any variety store with beach goods or order on Amazon. Easy to pack and shake clear of sand. At under $5, just toss them when done.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[bonsai3s]

Flatbush Flyer...you beat me to it.  We have a few of those that we purchased in Waikiki...ABC stores at every corner.

We have Tatami mats that are folded into squares instead of rolled...lightweight and easier to pack.

Also, what about an extra large plastic garbage bag?...lightweight, easy to pack, and will keep sand away from your towel. 😊

[mom says]

??? Have I been doing it wrong all these years? Pick up the offending towel. Take a few steps away. Shake it out, then lay it back down. 30 seconds max. What am I missing?

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, mom says said:

??? Have I been doing it wrong all these years? Pick up the offending towel. Take a few steps away. Shake it out, then lay it back down. 30 seconds max. What am I missing?

Wet, weighty (when wet) and often requires separate towel to dry off.

Tatami. No muss, no fuss.

 

[slidergirl]

Wherever I go, I can usually find a Tatami mat or something similar.  Cheap.  Roll up my towel and use it as my pillow.

 

If you want to go high-tech, there are "sand shedding" beach blankets/towels.  Just look around the Internet!

[hancock]

Buy a cheap shower curtain liner.

[ducklite]

Turkish towels are very pretty,  lightweight, and the sand doesn't stick to them. They dry super quick and that way you aren't just piling more junk into landfills.

[aknguyen]

I have a set of microfiber towels that work well for this. They fold up into a pouch with a carabineer and are about 6" x 8" x 1". Sand doesn't stick and they dry very quickly. We use them for beach days, pool days, even if we pushed laundry day too far and are out of clean fluffy towels.

[evandbob]

Never had an issue with wet sandy towels since I usually rent a lounger {or it's included in excursion cost} and don't lay directly on the sand.  Just easier on my back that way after spinal fusion surgery.

Edited December 30, 2019 by evandbob

[Hlitner]

You might also want to consider a "Neat Sheet" which you can google if interested.  We have one of those that is over 10 years old (and been used over 500 times) and it is terrific.  We generally use it with loungers but it works fine with towels.  Very light weight, easy to pack, and you can toss it into the washing machine between trips.

 

Hank

[flob]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You might also want to consider a "Neat Sheet" which you can google if interested.  We have one of those that is over 10 years old (and been used over 500 times) and it is terrific.  We generally use it with loungers but it works fine with towels.  Very light weight, easy to pack, and you can toss it into the washing machine between trips.

 

Hank

This is great!  I went straight to amazon and found it, and it even folds up into a small bag. I’ll probably get two- one for the camper and one for the motorcycle!

 

Thank you all for the ideas, the shower curtain idea was good too!

 

lois

[SRF]

This is the type I like.  It folds in thirds then rolls, so smaller for packing - 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Folding-Straw-Beach-Handles-Yoga/dp/B073QX9YYW

 

Or, carry 3 towels for two people.  Two to lay on, one for drying.  I only dry face and hands.

[ducklite]

15 hours ago, evandbob said:

Never had an issue with wet sandy towels since I usually rent a lounger {or it's included in excursion cost} and don't lay directly on the sand.  Just easier on my back that way after spinal fusion surgery.

They aren't available on some beaches.

[mjkacmom]

We go to the beach a lot in the summer, adults have chairs but the kids just have towels. The get out on the ocean and lay on the towels. When we leave they shake out the towels. On cruises we take the ship towels and just return them.

[donaldsc]

18 hours ago, evandbob said:

Never had an issue with wet sandy towels since I usually rent a lounger {or it's included in excursion cost} and don't lay directly on the sand.  Just easier on my back that way after spinal fusion surgery.

 

The OP clearly said that they like to go to quiet beaches where no chairs are offered.  

 

DON

[cb at sea]

You can get more than 1 towel per person.

[MicCanberra]

Going to a beach in England solves the sand issues.

[Slugsta]

7 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Going to a beach in England solves the sand issues.

 

 

 Not where we live, we have 7 miles of beautiful sand 🙂

[evandbob]

22 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

The OP clearly said that they like to go to quiet beaches where no chairs are offered.  

 

DON

Thanks for the clarification on the OP's question. 

 

We too prefer quiet beaches, and have found many on various isles that do have local vendors renting lounges.  Secret Sands in St. Thomas and Viggies Beach in St Lucia come immediately to mind.  Even when we land stayed on some islands and just drove around to explore, we found quiet, isolated beaches far from the cruise crowds like Karakter Beach in Sint Marteen and Darkwood Beach in Antigua that had lounges for rent by locals.  None of these are usual cruise excursions, and I can recall others quite similar.  We like independent local vendors and will support them over ship based excursions whenever we can.

 

.  Capitalism rules!

[Hlitner]

55 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Thanks for the clarification on the OP's question. 

 

We too prefer quiet beaches, and have found many on various isles that do have local vendors renting lounges.  Secret Sands in St. Thomas and Viggies Beach in St Lucia come immediately to mind.  Even when we land stayed on some islands and just drove around to explore, we found quiet, isolated beaches far from the cruise crowds like Karakter Beach in Sint Marteen and Darkwood Beach in Antigua that had lounges for rent by locals.  None of these are usual cruise excursions, and I can recall others quite similar.  We like independent local vendors and will support them over ship based excursions whenever we can.

 

.  Capitalism rules!

We have our favorite beaches on most Caribbean islands and they all have one thing in common, no cruise line excursions :).  Not only do we prefer to avoid taking excursions (anywhere) but we also do our best to avoid running into those large groups. Had to smile at the reference to Darkwood where we have spent many nice days.  We usually take the island buses to that beach which has become increasingly popular with cruisers....but fortunately has no excursion groups.  On Sint Marteen (where we have vacationed in condos) we once spent a couple of days driving around the island and stopped at every beach :).  One favorite where it is unlikely to find any cruisers (from excursions or otherwise) is the rather remote beach on Happy Bay.  This place is best accessed by hiking-in (through a jungle) from another nearby beach.  Since there are usually no vendors and sometimes nudists we have never seen a cruiser on this beach.

 

The thing about Sint Maarten is we have learned to vary our beach going depending on the prevailing winds and sea conditions.  When beaches on one side of the island might be too windy with rough seas there is usually another beach on the opposite side that will have near perfect conditions :).  It is one of our favorite Caribbean Islands and we are happy that they have finally recovered from much of the hurricane damage.

 

Hank

[MicCanberra]

If you can find some discarded plastic bags, perhaps you could lay your towel on them and it will help clean up the area.

[mom says]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

If you can find some discarded plastic bags, perhaps you could lay your towel on them and it will help clean up the area.

If there are that many plastic bags blowing around, it's probably not a beach I would be inclined to stay on.

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, mom says said:

If there are that many plastic bags blowing around, it's probably not a beach I would be inclined to stay on.

I suppose you could always pick them up and then they wouldn't be blowing around anymore but I get your point.

[evandbob]

21 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We have our favorite beaches on most Caribbean islands and they all have one thing in common, no cruise line excursions :).  Not only do we prefer to avoid taking excursions (anywhere) but we also do our best to avoid running into those large groups. Had to smile at the reference to Darkwood where we have spent many nice days.  We usually take the island buses to that beach which has become increasingly popular with cruisers....but fortunately has no excursion groups.  On Sint Marteen (where we have vacationed in condos) we once spent a couple of days driving around the island and stopped at every beach :).  One favorite where it is unlikely to find any cruisers (from excursions or otherwise) is the rather remote beach on Happy Bay.  This place is best accessed by hiking-in (through a jungle) from another nearby beach.  Since there are usually no vendors and sometimes nudists we have never seen a cruiser on this beach.

 

The thing about Sint Maarten is we have learned to vary our beach going depending on the prevailing winds and sea conditions.  When beaches on one side of the island might be too windy with rough seas there is usually another beach on the opposite side that will have near perfect conditions :).  It is one of our favorite Caribbean Islands and we are happy that they have finally recovered from much of the hurricane damage.

 

Hank

 

 

Isn't it amazing how one's mindset changes when doing a land vacation?  We too try to avoid those pesky crowds of cruisers when staying on an island.  Infinity Bay in Roatan is adjacent to cruisers' Tabayana Beach and when we were there we couldn't wait for the cruisers to leave "our beach".  We went to Little French Key on a Sunday when no ships docked and perhaps only 20 others were present.

 

We too have done a driving circle of Sint Maarten and visited every beach we could find and access, it was a very full day!  Thanks for pointing out that sea conditions can vary from day to day and from one side of an isle to the other.  On many, there are winter to summer seasonal reversals as well.