Today, a number of tallits are billed as a “nonslip tallit.” Is there such a thing as a nonslip tallit? Of course not. The Shulchan Aruch explains in detail what to do if your tallit slips off your shoulders in terms of saying a new bracha when you put it back on and this question will never disappear.
Go to Nonslip Tallit page>>
Note the waffle weave of the Bareket Tallit
However, the nonslip tallit is not just marketing hype. Both Talitania and Mishkan Hatechelet have a number of models often marketed as a nonslip tallit. For instance, the Tashbetz features a special box-like weave (you can only discern it from fairly close up) that helps keep the tallit in place on your shoulders.
One of the company’s distributors told me he believes the lightweight tallit model stays in place quite well, although nobody markets it as a nonslip tallit per se.
Pe’er Nonslip Tallit
Recently I spoke with the director of marketing at Mishkan Hatechelet about what they market under the Pe’er Nonslip Tallit (very similar to the Hamefoar Tallit and the Malchut Tallit by Talitania), which he described as a high quality weave that helps the tallit stay in place on your shoulders. (He also revealed to me that he himself has one.) I recommend the Pe’er to anyone looking for a traditional tallit, because its well priced.
The Tashbetz and Bareket nonslip tallits are a bit more modern, and both are made of a lightweight, waffle-weave fabric.
Although I have never worn one, I assume the Turkish Tallit stays in place well, not just because it’s so heavy, but also because the fabric is a bit coarse. I have also found the Beit Yosef stays in place thanks to the heavy atara (just about the only wool atara on the market).