Beach Towels vs. Rally Towels: Your Guide to Bulk Buying Better

By: YouApparel Posted on: Jul 15, 2025

This guide helps you choose between beach towels and rally towels for your bulk order needs. Beach towels are larger, more absorbent, and ideal for resorts, gyms, or VIP gifts, offering ample space for branding. Rally towels, on the other hand, are smaller, lightweight, and perfect for sports events or large promotions, delivering high visibility with a lower cost. The guide covers key differences, customization options, and value considerations to help you make the best choice for your event.

Have you ever been in a situation where you just have to stare at your screen trying to figure out whether your upcoming event needs beach towels or rally towels? This particularly applies to people running a resort or organizing a corporate retreat. Even those who are managing a sports team or planning a summer giveaway. Choosing the right towel can be a challenging side detail.

This guide cuts through the confusion and helps you decide which type of towels will deliver maximum impact before ordering them in bulk.

Beach Towels for Bulk Orders

Simply put, beach towels are absorbent towels that are bigger and built for comfort. Ready for a relaxing day at a sandy shore, but it goes beyond just that application. Usually measuring around 30" wide and 60" long, these towels are large enough to cover a lounge chair or wrap around someone after a dip in the pool. This is exactly what makes beach towels a must-have accessory for resorts and hotels. However, not all beach towels deliver that premium feel and coziness you expect from the towel. When you use a great towel, you immediately notice the plush cotton terry or velour surface. That smoothness is unmissable.

These traits also make beach towels an excellent promotional product, particularly in vacation scenarios or retreats. If it’s an entire team taking some time off by the ocean, the organization can hand out branded beach towels. The high perceived value of beach towels makes them more usable, and the brand imprinted on it gets more visibility subsequently. This explains why even fitness and yoga centers offer beach towels as part of their membership bundles. Personalized beach towels make impactful gifts during summer.

Rally Towels for Bulk Orders

Years ago, investing in wholesale rally towels to be used as high-impact promotional items yielded surprising results. Here’s another surprise. It still does. These lightweight towels are typically 11" wide and 18" long. They could be made of cotton terry cloth or even a polyester microfiber.

But…these towels aren’t designed for drying off. They are popularly seen as a symbol of team support. These towels are meant to create a spectacle, and that’s why sports teams leverage thousands of promotional rally towels to turn stadiums into seas of team colors or a moving wave of logos. They are as much a part of the game experience as the fans’ reactions. Rally towels are powerful tools that can influence crowd energy. Custom rally towels do that while giving more visibility to a brand.

These towels aren’t limited to sports, however. Corporate sponsors buy rally towels in bulk for promotional giveaways. Because they are small and affordable but still deliver a big impact, which could yield better outcomes in trade shows or product launch events.

Beach Towels vs Rally Towels: Key Differences

Feature Beach Towels Rally Towels

Size 30" x 60" (5-6 ft) 11" x 18" (1-2 ft²)

Uses Comfort, Drying, Lounging Waving, Showing support for a team, Team gear

Cost in YouApparel (Per Unit) ~$8.80 - $10.17 ~$2.06 - $0.89

Branding Larger space for logos Limited space for logos

Ideal For Resorts, Gyms, Spas, VIP gifts Sports events, Rallies, Promotions

Feature	Beach Towels	Rally Towels
Size	30" x 60" (5-6 ft)	11" x 18" (1-2 ft²)
Uses	Comfort, Drying, Lounging	Waving, Showing support for a team, Team gear
Cost in YouApparel (Per Unit)	~$8.80 - $10.17	~$2.06 - $0.89
Branding	Larger space for logos	Limited space for logos
Ideal For	Resorts, Gyms, Spas, VIP gifts	Sports events, Rallies, Promotions

The differences go deeper than size. Beach towels offer superior absorbency and durability because people actually use them repeatedly. Rally towels prioritize lightweight portability and visual impact over absorption power.

Customizing Beach Towels & Rally Towels

The impact both these towels can deliver boils down to how they are customized. YouApparel offers a curated selection of beach towels, rally towels, and more - all of which can be customized to ai branding efforts.

Beach towels give more room here, taking bigger artworks like scenery, or an enlarged logo or edge-to-edge brand messaging. Towels in our collection like the Q-Tees Velour Beach Towel QV3060 are great for embroidery or screen printing. Some towels made of polyester microfiber can take sublimation, allowing to add photo-quality graphics on them.

Rally towels demand different thinking. High-contrast designs work best since people need to see a brand’s logo or a subtle message from afar. Bold one-color prints often outperform complex designs. When customizing rally towels, remember that your branded rally towels will look better when hundreds of fans wave them simultaneously. YouApparel offers custom printing services on bank beach towels and rally towels.

Cost Considerations: Which Offers Better Value?

Bulk towel orders obviously offer bigger value. But we recommend making this decision after considering your goals. Rally towels cost less per unit in YouApparel. We offer rally towels under $1, which can be a great option for big giveaways. Beach towels cost more, but have a higher perceived value compared to rally towels. More so, during summer. Rally towels may not always be the right choice for certain events.

The ROI is different for each of these towels. Promotional beach towels are expected to reach fewer people initially though recipients will likely use it all season. Rally towels are meant for mass exposure with numerous people waving it to create powerful branding or publicity moments.

YouApparel makes it simple to get your custom towels with our No Minimum Order policy, giving you more flexibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between rally towels and beach towels?

Rally towels are small (around 11" x 18"), lightweight, and used for waving at events to show spirit. Beach towels are much larger (about 30" x 60" or more), designed for drying off or lounging, and offer more coverage.

Where can I buy beach towels in bulk?

You can buy beach towels in bulk from online wholesale apparel stores like YouApparel, which specializes in large quantity orders, quick shipping, and low wholesale pricing.

Can I customize rally towels with my logo?

Yes, rally towels in YouApparel’s wholesale towels collection are designed to be customized. You can add logos or artwork on them.

Which is better for promotions: rally towels or beach towels?

It depends on your goal. Rally towels are better for high-volume, high-energy events with a large crowded gathering where immediate brand visibility is the goal. Beach towels can be premium giveaways or amenities that offer brand exposure and higher perceived value.

How much do custom beach towels cost in bulk?

The cost of custom beach towels in bulk in YouApparel varies based on quantity, material, size, and customization details. Our wholesale pricing significantly reduces the per-unit cost and customization setup charges are waived for larger order volumes.

How long does it take to get bulk custom towels?

Production lead times for bulk custom towels vary based on order size and customization. It's best to discuss your specific timeline with a Customer Service Representative at YouApparel, especially for large event organizers needs.

Can I order blank towels for DIY printing?

Yes, you can order blank towels (both blank beach towels and blank rally towels) in bulk if you prefer to handle the printing or customization yourself.

What materials are used for beach towels vs rally towels?

Beach towels are often made of cotton terry, velour, or microfiber. Rally towels are typically made from 100% cotton terry or microfiber.

How to display rally towels?

Rally towels are typically waved by a group or a crowd showing their support for something or when cheering a team.

How do you use rally towels?

Rally towels deliver maximum impact when a crowd uses it in unison, sporting a color or design that supports a team or a cause. People often keep rally towels as souvenirs, reuse them at future games, or even use them as small workout towels.

Who invented the rally towel?

The rally towel tradition is widely credited to "Mean" Joe Greene and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who popularized it in the 1970s.

Where can I buy rally towels?

You can buy wholesale rally towels from online suppliers like YouApparel. We specialize in bulk towel orders.

How can I customize rally towels?

You can customize rally towels with your logo, team name, or event details using printing methods like screen printing, embroidery or dye sublimation.

Can rally towels be used for sports events?

Absolutely, rally towels are very common at sports events for sports teams to engage fans and build excitement.

Why do sports teams use rally towels?

Sports teams use rally towels to create a unified visual display of fan support, boost crowd energy, and offer memorable promotional items.

What is a beach towel?

A beach towel is a large, absorbent towel, typically 30" x 60", designed for use at the beach, pool, or other aquatic settings, typically for drying off or lounging. It’s also an excellent promotional tool with high perceived value.

How to choose the best beach towel?

Choose the best beach towel based on size (larger for lounging), material (cotton for absorbency, microfiber for quick-drying), design preference, and your budget.

How to personalize beach towels?

Beach towels have bigger print real estate than rally towels. You can personalize them with logos, designs, or text using various customization methods that suit the fabric.

Where can I buy beach towels online?

You can buy beach towels online from wholesale suppliers like YouApparel, which offers bulk towel orders at low wholesale prices.

What are the best beach towels for the summer?

The best beach towels for the summer are absorbent cotton terry or quick-drying microfiber. You can find this in YouApparel in various colors.

How to fold a beach towel for travel?

To fold a beach towel for travel, lay it flat, fold it in half lengthwise, then roll it tightly from one end to the other to save space.

How do you wash beach towels?

You wash beach towels in cold or warm water with similar colors and tumble dry on low heat to preserve absorbency and color.

What are the benefits of microfiber beach towels?

Microfiber beach towels are highly absorbent, quick-drying, lightweight, and compact, making them a necessary accessory for travel and frequent use.

What is the difference between beach towels and bath towels?

Beach towels are generally larger and often more decorative than bath towels. Bath towels are typically thicker and designed primarily for bathroom use.

How to store beach towels after use?

After use, ensure beach towels are fully dry before folding and storing them in a linen closet or designated storage area to prevent odors or mildew.

What are the best beach towels for pools?

The best beach towels for pools are absorbent, comfortable, and durable.

How to use personalized beach towels for events?

Personalized beach towels can be used as premium giveaways, VIP gifts, or amenities at corporate retreats, resort and hotel events, or summer camps.