How much does swimwear weigh? [Wet and dry] (2024)

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How much does swimwear weigh? The question might seem oddly specific. but once you realize that there are numerous reasons why one might want to know how much their swimsuit or swim trunks weigh it’s not such a strange question anymore.

In this post, we’ll dive into the question of how much different types of swimwear weigh as well as why this is important.

The short answer

In this table, you’ll see how much different types of swimwear weigh.

Gram/Ounces	Two piece bikini	One-piece swimsuit	Swim trunks
Dry	80g / 2.8oz	110g / 3.9oz	200g / 7oz
Wet	108g / 6.3oz	250g / 8.8oz	450g / 15.8oz

Weight of different types of swimwear, wet and dry.

The general weight of swimwear fabric vs weight of swimwear

Before we dive any deeper into the topic there is one thing that needs to be clarified.

In this article, we are referring to the weight of swimwear as a piece of clothing in grams or ounces. It can be a pair of swim trunks, a bikini, or a one-piece swimsuit. We are talking about finished clothing.

This should not be confused with the different weights of swimwear fabric. The fabric used when sewing or producing swimwear is often referred to in weight. However, when doing so one is talking about gram/m2 or oz/yd2. This is the weight of the plain fabric and not the finished swimwear.

It’s important to keep this in mind and don’t confuse the two moving forward.

Why does swimwear weight matter?

There is a wide range of reasons why one might need to know how much specific swimwear weighs. Here are just a few examples.

Competitive swimming: You are a high-performance athlete who better wants to understand how your swimwear affects your performance.

Training: For swimmers who are training for a competition or just trying to improve their overall performance, the weight of their swimwear can affect their endurance and comfort in the water.
Traveling: If you are packing for your next trip you might want to know how much your swimwear weighs, especially if you are trying to pack light.
Shipping: If you are sending or receiving swimwear you’ll need to know how much they weigh.

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What affects the weight of swimwear?

Several things affect how much your swimwear weighs, some more than others. These are the main factors affecting your swimwear’s weight.

Fabric

Water absorption
Size

Fabric

As we previously saw, there are different types of swimwear fabrics with different weights. Some are heavies and some are lighter. What type of material your swim trunks or swimsuit is made of will play a big part in the overall weight of your swimwear.

Most swimwear fabrics weigh somewhere between 150-220 g/m2 (4.4-6.5 oz/yd2). Again, this will not be the final weight of your swimwear but rather a unit for comparing lighter and heavier fabrics.

Water absorption

How much water your swimsuit or swim trunks absorb will play the biggest role when wet but no role at all when dry.

Different materials and fabrics absorb water differently. Some absorb more and some less. As a rule of thumb, a lighter fabric will absorb less water than heavy fabric and better quality materials will absorb less water than lesser quality materials.

If you are dry, this will not affect the weight of your swim trunks at all. If you are soaking, the water absorbed by your swimwear will account for the majority of the total weight of your swimwear.

Size

This one is rather straightforward. A large piece of swimwear will naturally weigh more, all else equal. A pair of XXL swim trunks will weigh more than the exact same pair in size S.

No rocket science here.

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How we did the experiment

To determine the average weight of different swimwear we collected a range of swim trunks, swimsuits, and bikinis. We used a wide range of styles to get a more accurate average.

First, we tested all swimwear while dry and then we soaked them 1 by 1 in tap water and weighed them again. Our conclusive results are found below.

Gram/Ounces	Two piece bikini	One-piece swimsuit	Swim trunks
Dry	80g / 2.8oz	110g / 3.9oz	200g / 7oz
Wet	108g / 6.3oz	250g / 8.8oz	450g / 15.8oz

Weight of different types of swimwear, wet and dry.

How much does a dry swimsuit weigh?

The weight of a dry swimsuit can vary depending on the material and design of the suit. We’ve concluded that a standard women’s one-piece swimsuit weighs on average between 90-120 grams (2.9-4.2oz)

How much does a wet swimsuit weigh?

As soon as your swimsuit has been soaked its weight increases. We found that a wet swimsuit on average weights 250 grams (8.8oz)

How much does a one-piece swimsuit weigh?

If we only focus on the one-piece swimsuits for a while the average weight will increase somewhat. From our experiment, we concluded that a women’s one-piece swimsuit weighs on average 110 grams (3.9oz)

How much does a two-piece bikini weigh?

A two-piece bikini generally weighs less than a one-piece since it’s less material. We found that a woman’s two-piece bikini weighs on average 80 grams (2.8oz) dry and 108 grams (6.3oz) when wet.

How much do dry swim trunks weigh?

Swim trunks will usually weigh more than both a bikini as well as a women’s swimsuit. A pair of men’s swim trunks weigh on average 200 grams (7oz)

How much do wet swim trunks weigh?

And lastly, we have the wet swim trunks. As expected these are the heaviest ones and a pair of wet men’s swim trunks does weigh an average of 450 grams (15.8oz)

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Conclusion

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t think much about how much your swimwear weighs – but maybe you should. The weight of your swimsuit can affect everything from its drying time to how comfortable it is to wear. In this post, we took a look at the average weight of different types of swimwear and some of the factors that affect it. We hope this information will help you make better decisions about what to pack for your next vacation. Are you wearing a sarong at the beach? Let us know in the comments!

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