Dock and Bay beach towels bring rapid drying practicality, lightweight travel capabilities and fun designs to the market in one neat little bundle. You might have first discovered this brand whilst watching an episode of Dragons Den back in 2017. Well, a lot has changed since Deborah Meaden invested in them. Not only has Dock & Bay taken the market by storm with their soft, efficient and sustainable lightweight towels. They have also expanded their product range to include items such as bath towels, hair wraps and ponchos to name a few.
These nifty travel friendly beach towels consume barely any space in your bag. Plus their ability to dry quickly keeps them smelling fresh, avoiding any rancid damp smells. These qualities make Dock & Bay towels the ideal choice for travel, camping and spontaneous adventures. But what makes these the GOAT of any beach towel, is the tightly woven fabric which prevents sand getting trapped amongst its fibres. An effortless shake at the beach and all the sand glides straight off, just like water off a ducks back. Meaning you can leave the sand at the beach, where it belongs.
Thanks to Dock & Bay’s revolutionary loopless towels. Soggy, sand covered beach towel catastrophes are now a thing of the past, and they wont be missed.
But what makes Dock and Bay different from other (and cheaper) microfibre towels on the market, and are they worth it? Let’s dive in.
In this article...
What makes Dock & Bay special?
Dock & Bay care about our beautiful world and want to help make a difference by using sustainable materials, giving back to our planet and supporting charities. Not only are they committed to making sure all their shipping packaging is biodegradable, but they are also B Corp certified. Which means they care about making a difference to people and our planet. By the end of 2024 they plan for their supply chain to be carbon neutral too.
Are Dock & Bay towels better than other microfibre towels?
Other (cheaper) microfibre towels that are on the market tend to be really small, with a dull uninspiring style too. They simply don’t have the same pizzazz, and just aren’t in the same league as Dock & Bay beach towels.
Speaking from personal experience, my old microfibre towel was way too small, it didn’t dry as quick, nor did it repel the sand. With Dock & Bay you can easily dry yourself without scratching your body with an abrasive, sand covered towel. Ouch!
What fabric are Dock & Bay beach towels?
Since 2021, Dock & Bay beach towels are made with 100% recycled plastic bottles.
But how can something that’s been made with plastic bottles be soft and absorbent?! What sort of wizardry is this? That I don’t know, but what I can tell you is – these towels are really soft. No, they aren’t as thick and snuggly as a regular towel, but there is a time and place for both, and Dock & Bay shines in the right scenario.
Unique, quick drying material
Traditional cosy cotton towels can take forever to dry. Plus after a fun day at the beach, you’re left with a heavy, damp and sand covered towel to lug about. Dock & Bay believe to have solved this problem, as they use a special fabric which dries 3 times faster in comparison to regular cotton towels. On a sunny day, these towels can dry in a matter of minutes! Eliminating damp smells, and soggy towels. Hurrah!
Magic sand proof fabric
One of my favourite features of the Dock & Bay beach towels, is their ability to repel sand. They are made of a unique loopless fabric which stops sand getting stuck in the fibres. All it takes is a quick, effortless shake off, to stop you bringing half of the beach home with you. Saving your car from the dreaded beach aftermath, and sprinkling of sand back at home. Removing the dreaded after beach chaos, is a convenience that I love.
The best lightweight beach towel
Dock & Bay are the ultimate choice when it comes to packing light. Whether that’s down to saving space in your suitcase, beach bag or hiking backpack. These towels fold down small enough to take just about anywhere. We took our Dock and Bay towels with us on our 7 day adventure in Iceland, and tucked them in our bag for our hike up Mount Snowdon (just in case we fancied dipping our toes in the refreshing lakes) on our way back down.
If you’re travelling abroad and only taking hand luggage, then these space saving towels are ideal.
Matching travel pouch included
These towels come in a free matching fabric travel pouch, to keep your towel tightly packed and organised. But don’t worry, its not like a minuscule tent bag which requires impeccable origami tekkers in order to cram back in. Thankfully, Dock & Bay haven’t followed suit with an inadequately sized travel bag. Instead they made their pouches plenty roomy enough, so folding away is an absolute breeze.
Huge selection of designs to choose from
You’re certainly not short on design options when it comes to these lightweight travel friendly towels. Dock & Bay currently have over 40 different eye-catching designs to peruse your way through. The classic stripe is the backbone of their designs, but they do now have a playful twist on this with a range of patterned stripes. Including animal prints, dainty flowers and even sweets which is fun.
Dock & Bay have also branched out from their iconic stripes and now offer bold abstract designs over the full towel. Each year they do a new charity colab too, where they release new unique designs.
Towel size options
Dock & Bay beach towels come in two different size options, L or XL.
Large is 160x90cm, and XL is 200x90cm, both of which are a really good size. I have a large one, and it’s ideal to lay on – but my feet do hang off the end if i’m sunbathing. I’m 5ft 7, so if you’re taller than that, and you don’t want you feet dangling off the end, then maybe opt for the XL.
Are Dock & Bay towels soft?
You wont experience the same fluffiness of a normal bath sheet with Dock & Bay beach towels. They are made from a completely different fabric thats actually really smooth. Even though they may not be as cosy, they are still surprising soft and work brilliantly at drying. You probably wouldn’t run to change all your house towels to Dock & Bay beach towels (they do different bath towels for your house) but for travelling and beach trips they are plush and enjoyable.
Do they wash well?
Our towels have been washed countless times and the contrasting colours haven’t bled or faded at all in the wash. Mine is newer, but James’ is 6 years old and still looks as good as the day he bought it.
Dock & Bay towels are each made from at least 28 recycled plastic bottles. So you can feel good that you’re helping the planet and purchasing an effective beach towel thats built to last. The hardest thing to do is to decide which design to opt for. Click here to see whats available on Amazon!
We love our quick drying towels so much, that we’re going to look at getting some of Dock & Bay’s bath towels for use at home. These ones are made of 100 percent recycled plastic waffle fabric and dry 2 times faster than regular cotton towels.