The end of gritty beach picnics: Hi-tech beach mat keeps the sand at bay

It is the bane of a day at the beach. You unpack your picnic on to a carefully-spread mat or towel, only to find out why the word sand appears in sandwich.



All that, however, is about to change thanks to the Sandless Beach Mat, which promises to put an end to those gritty beach picnics.



The state-of-the-art mat is made from two layers of ‘patented woven polyurethane’.



Grain sailing: The Sandless Beach Mat, originally designed to help soldiers stay dust-free, uses two layers of 'patented woven polyurethane' to filter out sand

Sand stays on the beach: The tightly woven mat has holes in it that are just wide enough for grains of sand to fit through

This apparently acts as a one-way filter which allows any grains of sand to pass through as soon they touch its surface.



Originally developed for military use, sheets of the material were made to keep off dust when helicopters land and take off.



Now its civilian counterpart is available to buy online for £40, just in time for the summer holidays.

The 36inch square mat is available in orange and blue, and also promises to eliminate dirt, dust, and water, ensuring an always-clean surface.



Each corner has a metal ring so it can be grounded with a stake.



And if that’s not handy enough, the mat folds into a travel bag, too.



Trish Hammond, a spokesman for online shop Hammacher Schlemmer, where the product is available, said: ‘The rip-stop polyurethane construction resists even splits and tears.

