The L.L.Bean Seaside towel is ... seven new men’s pairs, six new women’s models, plus our two top picks from previous years. We wore them around town and to the beach, where we got them ...

Towels, says textile-science instructor Deborah Young, “always start with the fiber.” And if you like fluffy beach towels, that fiber should be cotton. “A blend is not a good choice here ...

The first time I saw a round beach towel was last summer, at Rockaway Beach, when I laid eyes on this Ban.do one, printed to look like a cross section of a watermelon. I immediately wanted one.