Quick dry swim trunks: where the water stays after a swim
Why polyester keeps the water outside the fibre and cotton does not, where nylon stands, what the peach finish does and does not do, and how the Tampa, Venice and Miami differ.
In this article
In short
Quick dry swim trunks are made of polyester. The fibre takes up almost no water, while cotton pulls it in: dry, polyester holds 0.4 percent moisture, cotton 7.6 to 8.5 percent. Nylon holds 4.5 percent, more than ten times as much as polyester. We found no measurement from 2024 or later of how fast nylon dries.
Want to choose right away? All 24 men's swim shorts from Sanwin Beachwear are brushed peach polyester, and you find them together in the men's swim shorts collection.
Put 100 grams of cotton in air at 20 degrees and 65 percent humidity, and the fibres hold 7.6 to 8.5 grams of water. That is a good one and a half teaspoons, from the air alone. Polyester holds 0.4 grams in the same air: under a tenth of a teaspoon. That figure shows how much water the fibre takes in; where the water of a swim ends up is covered below. You notice the difference an hour after the dip, when you walk from the beach to a bar, or step on the bus into town, and the shorts still cling to your legs. It starts in the fibre.
What makes swim trunks quick dry?
The fibre they are made of. Polyester takes in almost no water, so the water of the swim stays on the outside of the fibre, where sun and air can reach it. Cotton works like a sponge: it pulls the water into the fibre, and from there it has to travel back to the surface before it can evaporate. That is why cotton dries clearly slower and needs more warmth, writes textile engineer Sabine Anton-Katzenbach for Texcare International (February 2026).
Is polyester or nylon better for swim trunks?
For fast drying, polyester. At 4.5 percent, nylon holds more than ten times as much moisture in the fibre as polyester, which puts it closer to cotton than to polyester. That percentage measures moisture from the air, not drying time: how much longer nylon trunks stay wet after a swim, we found in no measurement from 2024 or later. What is certain is the order of moisture uptake. That is why we use polyester.
| Fibre | Moisture | Per 100 grams of fabric |
|---|---|---|
| Polyester | 0.4 % | 0.4 g, under a tenth of a teaspoon |
| Nylon | 4.5 % | 4.5 g, almost a teaspoon |
| Cotton | 7.6 to 8.5 % | 7.6 to 8.5 g, a good one and a half teaspoons |
TampaTailored, closes with a zip, buckles in the waistband. A fine mesh brief inside, attached to the short. Plain, dots or stripes.All Tampa swim shorts
VeniceClassic fit, cord in the waistband, a brief with elastic leg openings. Always with a print.All Venice swim shorts
MiamiClassic fit, cord in the waistband, a brief with elastic leg openings. Always plain.All Miami swim shortsThe fabric is the same polyester in all three, so you choose only on fit and print: the Tampa if you want a zip and buckles, the Venice or Miami if you want a cord. Robert Daan wears the mint green Tampa with the fine white stripe in the photo at the top, walking out of the shallow end of the pool.
Does peach polyester dry faster?
No, it makes the fabric soft and matte, not faster to dry. Peach polyester is polyester whose outer side is lightly brushed, so the surface feels velvety, like the skin of a peach. The fibre stays polyester. Whether the brushed surface changes the drying time, we found measured nowhere. So we call it an advantage when you wear it and not when you dry it.
How do you dry swim trunks fastest?
Hang them up and let them drip. Our care rule: do not wring them out, hang them up and let them drip calmly, and they are dry within a few hours. We give no number of minutes, because we have not measured it, and drying depends on the air you hang them in. Three questions you do have after the swim:
Wring them out or let them drip?
Let them drip. Wringing twists the fabric, and polyester gives the water up on its own, because the fibre takes in so little.
Does a print dry slower than a plain short?
Not because of the fabric. In the product data of Sanwin Beachwear the printed Venice is made of the same polyester as the plain Miami. We have not measured a difference in drying time between print and plain.
Can I put them in the dryer?
No. Rinse them after swimming, wash by hand at 30 degrees and let them air dry.
Why that hour after the swim counts, Sander Kah wrote down in 2018, when Sanwin Beachwear launched the Tampa (translated from the Dutch):
On holiday I often wear swim trunks, and the moment you decide to hang around at the bar or go straight into the restaurant, I always have to change. (…) This short is made of high-quality, quick dry polyester.
Sander Kah, director of Sanwin Beachwear, press release for the launch of the Tampa, May 2018
Questions about quick dry swim trunks
How fast will the swim trunks be with me?
Order on a working day before 2 p.m. and your parcel leaves the same day. Within Europe delivery takes 3 to 7 working days, to the United States and Canada 6 to 14. From two items, shipping within Europe is free.
Which size do I need?
Your waist in inches, as with jeans. The Tampa runs small: if you are between two sizes, take the bigger one. The buckles let you tighten the waistband but not widen it.
How exchanging works is explained under returns and exchanges. Buying for a dad and his son? Look at the father and son swim shorts.
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