Having grown up a San Diego beach kid and Santa Barbara college kid, I’ve spent a lot of time in bikinis. Now that I live in Boulder, Colorado, I’m often at a community pool swimming laps, paddling on lakes or reservoirs, or playing volleyball in the sand. I also travel often to beaches where I can surf, ocean swim, and play soccer in the sand with my boys. So it was natural for me to test bikinis for active women.
I’ve always felt the right two-piece is way more comfortable—more supportive on top and less creeping on the bottom, plus cooler in summer heat—than a one-piece bathing suit. But as I’m not 20 years old anymore (far from it, actually) I’ve wondered: Do I need to retire my two-pieces and give in to a life of wearing only one-piece bathing suits? Do societal norms accept us in our 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, baring our midriffs and wearing bikinis?
I’ve decided I don’t care. And if you also prefer bikinis over one-pieces, I’m suggesting that you don’t care, either. To help you find the best bikini for any activity, I’ve updated last summer’s list of bikinis for active women with 11 more styles that appear as either a new category winner for this season, or as a runner-up option in a key category.
At a Glance
How I Tested Bikinis for Active Women
I took a collection of bikinis for active women on family trips to Costa Rica and Hawaii. I’ve worn them surfing, swimming, bodysurfing, and playing volleyball and soccer on the beach with my teenage sons and husband. I’ve sometimes spontaneously taken off on a barefoot run on the sand at low tide while wearing these suits. I also brought the suits on a river rafting trip in Arizona where we paddled and hiked for a week, only removing our bathing suits at the end of each day, sometimes after doing cartwheels on the riverbank.
This year, I also had some suits tested by friends—who are also a bit past 20 years old, but, one could say, hyperactive. One hiked and swam in her test suits on a family trip in Switzerland. Another swam laps and lounged at the community pool in Boulder.
The following bikinis for active women have been thoroughly—and I mean thoroughly—tested over two summers. They all provide more coverage both in the rear and up top than skimpier bikinis, and they stay put whether you’re paddling out, diving for a volleyball, chasing a toddler—or racing a teenager.
Most Comfortable
Carve Designs Escondido Top
$62 at Carve Designs $52 at Amazon
The Escondido Top pulls on overhead and fits like a sports bra. Though the company rates it as “light support” for A/B cups, I found it plenty supportive for a run and any other beach activity. I love the simplicity of this top. There are no hooks, loops, adjustment straps, or fasteners digging into the skin, so it’s comfortable to wear under a PFD or backpack. I also love how the fabric is a blend of 82 percent recycled polyester, made from plastic water bottles, and 18 percent spandex for stretch. I’m a big fan of companies striving to minimize plastics that end up in the ocean, especially when I’m wearing a suit to enjoy said ocean. Plus, the material is 50 UPF.
Carve Designs Pipa Compression Bottoms
$68 at Carve Designs $64 at Backcountry
The Pipa Compression Bottoms strike a great balance between modesty and style. They have decent rear-end coverage, although they’re a tad cheeky, and the material extends high enough to cover the lower belly. These bottoms stayed put while doing cartwheels, surfing, and playing in the ocean. They’re made with a compressive fabric blend: 42 percent spandex (the compressive quality), 35 percent recycled polyester, and 23 percent recycled nylon. They feel supportive in the right places without being constrictive. 50 UPF.
Most Comfortable Runner Up Top and Bottoms
Carve Designs Tofino Top
$62 at REI $68 at Carve Designs
The interior shelf bra inside the Carve Designs Tofino Top makes this half-tankini (it doesn’t extend to the waist) a comfortable, supportive choice for going for a run and then jumping in the ocean for a full-on swim afterward, goggles and all. The soft v-neck front, combined with a wide-cut back, adds to the Tofino Top’s ability to work well for activities like pickleball—it’s as supportive as a shimmel-style sports bra, but the styling adds just that: style.
Carve Designs Reversible St. Barth Bottom
$58 at REI $70 at Carve Designs
The Carve Designs Reversible St. Barth Bottoms strike a great balance of fit, function, and style. Fun prints (reversible with a solid color) and comfortable recycled polyester/spandex make these bottoms easy to wear. “These were chafe-free during a short trail run,” said a tester who took them on a family summer trip to Switzerland. She also wore them on a sweltering hike where she got sweaty and took a dip in the ocean. “I loved that these bottoms stayed in place,” she reported. “Perfect practical and flattering suit for a 50+ year old.”
Most Coverage
Patagonia Cami Top
The Patagonia Cami Top’s high neck silhouette made me feel perfectly appropriate when driving my 13-year-old son and his friend to the local pool. It then remained comfortable when I snuck in 1600 yards of laps, and it dried in time to drive home comfortably. The racerback cut makes the top fit and stay put as well as a sports bra, while the blend of recycled nylon/recycled spandex material both looks and feels good.
Prana Baja Bound Swim Bottom
The Baja Bound Swim Bottoms are the most full-coverage of any other bottoms I tested, both in the rear and around the midsection as the top extends past my belly button. The wide side cut helps the material—78 percent recycled nylon, 22 percent Lycra/elastane blend—stay put for minimal creeping. A small, zippered pocket at the back holds a key or other essentials, though it kept me from wanting to do crunches or yoga poses on my back. An adjustable tie at the waist helps keep them from getting washed off my body while playing in whitewater, though I’m not sure they need it. 50 UPF.
Most Coverage Runner Up Top
Carve Designs Sanitas Compression Reversible Top
$70 at Carve Designs $64 at Backcountry
The Sanitas Compression Reversible Top made me feel securely covered, with its high neck providing both modesty and coverage from the sun. The neckline and the racerback style (with a cut out), also provide support, making the top function like a long sports bra. We love all the reversible color and print options, and the top’s major comfort helped it stand out in our testing.
Most Secure
Left on Friday Double Scoop Top
The Left on Friday Double Scoop Top surprised me. The Italian fabric blend of 46% nylon/ 38% polyester/16% Lycra is ridiculously smooth, soft, and supportive all at once. (That support may also come from the top seeming to run a bit small.) A band around the rib cage and the scoopneck cut make this top fit somewhat like a sports bra, but it’s much better looking. It also handles swimming and surfing without moving or sagging, and dries quickly. This is a comfortable, secure, do-everything swim top.
Patagonia Nanogrip Bottoms
I’ve long been a fan of Patagonia’s Sunamee bottoms for their in-between amount of coverage and comfort. The Nanogrip Bottoms, however, stay in place better. They feature a “Nonslip Nanogrip lining” throughout the entire interior which felt like it did, indeed, stick to my bare skin just a touch, and didn’t slip or creep when I paddled out on a longboard or played volleyball. The cut is midrise and mid-coverage: they’re much lower at the waist than others in this roundup, but the material covers more of my rear and stays put.
Most Secure Runner Up Bottoms
Carve Designs Stinson Bottom
$52 at REI $58-66 at Carve Designs
Earning a place among the best bikinis for active women this year, the Carve Designs Stinson Bottoms have a banded waist designed for high-energy activity, and they stayed put through lap swimming, surfing, pickleball, and sand volleyball. The Stinson Bottoms provide moderate coverage without being frumpy. They’re extremely comfortable for active use and lounging alike.
Most Fashionable
Left on Friday Playa Top
The one-shoulder cut of the Left on Friday Playa Top had me intrigued. I’d seen the style worn by the Canadian beach volleyball team and noted how the tops kept them covered despite amazing, body-flailing digs. I found the top just as secure as a two-shoulder design, and surprisingly comfortable. Not only is one arm completely free to swing, swim, and pull weeds (I may have done some gardening in a bikini behind my tall fence), but the support and compressive feel of the smooth fabric just doesn’t budge. As a bonus, the style made me feel cooler in the heat. Note: This cut seems to run smaller than the Left on Friday Double Scoop Top we also tested in this roundup.
Vuori High Waisted Bikini Bottom
The Vuori High Waisted Bikini Bottom strikes an interesting balance of mom-vibes and cheekiness. The high-waist cut offers a slight compressive—yet comfortable—feel on the belly, while the backside is more Euro-chic (as one tester pointed out, European women well into their golden years embrace cheekiness more than on American beaches). The polyamide/elastane material of Vuori suits is smooth and stretchy, and it feels great against the skin—wet or dry. And the cut of this suit adds style, even in classic solid colors. (Check out the Vuori Classic Bikini Bottom for a more traditional cut.)
Best Value
Quince V-Neck Bikini Top
It’s nearly impossible to find a good-looking, activewear bathing suit top and bottom for under 50 bucks, but these two separates deliver a modest, functional cut and style at that bargain price. And their performance won them a spot on our list of best bikinis for active women in this new category this year.
The Quince V-neck Bikini Top provided more coverage than a classic triangle top and stayed put while wallowing in lazy rivers and hitting the snack bar. The adjustable shoulder straps helped two testers of different shapes and cup sizes find a perfect fit, but our personal recommendation: This suit is best for low-impact activity. “This top is movement-friendly and okay for walking and easy swimming, but didn’t stay in place for cliff-jumping,” said a 52-year-old tester. The recycled polyamide/spandex blend fabric looks and feels good when dry but seems to stay wet longer than other suits in this roundup, especially with the removable pads in place. (Staying damp can provide a natural cooling system in sweltering heat, but it can be a drag after a while.)
Quince High-Rise Bikini Bottom
While most high-rise bikini bottoms make up for the tummy coverage by practically baring both butt cheeks, the Quince High-Rise Bikini Bottom offers a bit more material on the rear, without looking like your granny’s underwear. We appreciated the coverage when walking around the community swimming pool and liked how the bottoms stayed in place while swimming a few casual laps. A downside to these bottoms is that this suit, like the top, stays wet longer than others, and it can feel like a lot of material on the skin.
