What Is an
Oversized Towel?

What Size Is an Oversized Towel?

There isn't an international towel referee standing next to a ruler deciding when a regular towel officially becomes an oversized towel.

Brands use words like large, XL, extra large and oversized a little differently. That's why the actual measurements matter more than whatever adjective somebody slapped on the package.

If you're talking about full-size beach and outdoor towels, a lot of them land around 30 × 60 inches. That's exactly the size of our Medium towels. It's a proper full-size towel with plenty of room for swimming, showers, travel, pool days, beach days and normal towel behavior.

Our Large towels step up to 36 × 72 inches. That's another six inches of width and a full foot of length. At that point, you're firmly in what plenty of people call oversized, extra-large or XL towel territory.

It's also why you'll see 36 × 72 towels described as oversized beach towels. The beach is one of the places where that extra surface area becomes especially useful, but it isn't the only place.

Is 36 × 72 Considered an Oversized Towel?

Yep.

A 36 × 72 inch towel is commonly described as large, oversized, XL or extra large.

We call ours Large. It's not because we've taken some philosophical stand against the word oversized. We've already got Small, Medium and Large, and three sizes felt like enough nouns for everybody.

So if Google brought you here because you searched oversized towel, oversized beach towel, extra large towel, extra large beach towel, XL towel or some version of "really big towel," you're looking for what we call our Large.

You can see all our 36 × 72 Large towels here.

Oversized Towel vs. Regular Towel

The obvious difference is size.

Outstanding work. We're all learning.

But another six inches of width and twelve inches of length changes the towel more than the numbers make it sound.

A 30 × 60 towel gives you 1,800 square inches of surface area.

A 36 × 72 towel gives you 2,592 square inches.

That's about 44% more towel territory. Which is a pretty big jump for something that's still expected to fit in a bag and dry your ass.

Neither one's automatically better. It really comes down to whether you want easier packing or considerably more real estate.

Who Actually Needs an Oversized Towel?

"Need" might be doing some heavy lifting here.

You technically don't need much beyond food, water, shelter and somebody willing to tell you when you've got sunscreen smeared across your entire forehead.

But there are definitely situations where the extra room of an oversized towel makes a lot of sense.

Are Oversized Towels Too Bulky?

They can be.

That's where material matters almost as much as size.

Take a really large traditional cotton towel, soak it with water and suddenly you're carrying something that feels less like beach gear and more like a damp emotional burden.

A bigger towel means more fabric. More fabric can mean more weight, more drying time and more bulk if the material itself is heavy.

That's one reason we use lightweight microfiber. Our towels are made from 88% recycled polyester and 12% nylon and they're designed to be quick drying, absorbent, lightweight, compact and sand resistant.

If packability matters more to you than maximum coverage, that's where our Medium towels start looking pretty smart.

Oversized Beach Towel vs. Beach Blanket

An oversized beach towel and a beach blanket can overlap, but they don't really have the same job.

A beach blanket's main job is giving you space

You spread it out, sit on it, lie on it, arrange an unreasonable amount of snacks on it and defend it against sand-covered strangers.

A towel still has to towel

It's got to absorb water. Dry your body. Wrap around you. Handle swimming. Survive the trip back to the car. Then dry out so tomorrow doesn't smell like yesterday.

That's where an oversized microfiber beach towel starts making a lot of sense.

You're getting significantly more room than you would with a smaller towel, but you're still carrying something that's actually built to dry you.

When an Oversized Towel Is Too Much Towel

This is the part where a towel company tells you not to buy the biggest towel in every possible situation.

Please alert the marketing department.

Bigger isn't automatically better. The right size really depends on what you're doing with it.

Still arguing with yourself? Check out our complete towel size guide and let the rectangle experts handle it.

What Should You Look for in an Oversized Towel?

Size gets you into oversized territory. It doesn't automatically get you a good towel.

Actual dimensions

Ignore the adjectives for a second and look at the numbers. "Jumbo," "XL," "giant" and "oversized" don't tell you nearly as much as an actual measurement does.

Absorbency

A huge towel that doesn't dry you is basically a disappointing picnic blanket.

Drying speed

More surface area means more wet fabric after you use it, so quick-drying material gets even more useful as the towel gets bigger.

Packability

Ideally, you're getting the extra coverage without needing a separate suitcase just for your towel.

Sand resistance

If you're using your oversized towel at the beach, sand resistance matters too. Sand's great when it's underneath the ocean. It's considerably less charming when it's underneath your fitted sheet.

Something worth looking at

This one's admittedly personal.

But if you're spreading 2,592 square inches of fabric across a beach, pool deck, campground or wherever else, we think it should probably have something better going on than beige.

Happy Faced towels feature original artwork from independent artists. The towel's got a job to do. That doesn't mean it has to dress like it's heading to a corporate retreat.

More Towel Size Intelligence

Oversized Towel FAQs