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Travel Gear Review: Do You Need To Pack A Travel Towel?

21/5/2014

 

Is it time to throw in the towel on travel towels? Not quite! Here's what you need to know about quick dry towels for travel. Plus: Do hostels have towels? We'll give you the scoop!

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​This post contains affiliate ads and links, which means we may get paid a small commission if you make a purchase.

Quick dry towels for travel: Picture of towels shaped like swans. Picture
Do you need to pack a travel towel? Not all hotels have towels like this! Image courtesy of Wikipedia.
At first glance, it may sound a bit silly to take a towel with you when you travel. After all, what kind of hotel wouldn't provide towels?! It turns out that there's actually a wide range of accommodations for whom towels are a luxury, not a standard amenity. People often ask me "Do hostels have towels?" and the answer is: Maybe. Many do. Those that don't usually offer rentals. But I still like having my own. It's not just hostels where the question of towels come up. Campgrounds usually require you to bring your own towel, along with some cottage rentals, university dorm accommodations, couch surfing, and even convent stays.

Even if you are staying in quality hotels with guaranteed clean towels, you still might want something with you to freshen up on overnight trains, buses, and flights. Lightweight travel towels are also helpful for drying your hand-washed laundry. So what's the best solution that balances comfort with practicality? 

1.) Traditional cotton and cotton-blend towels.

Picture
Pros: They are soft, comfortable, and they remind you of home. As you'll likely just take one from your cupboard, a traditional towel is free of charge.  They are very absorbent and perform their toweling tasks with ease. 

Cons: They are big and fluffy and take a lot of room in your pack. A LOT. They also take a long time to dry and can smell musty if packed when still damp. In short: traditional towels will never top the list of best travel towels.

Lesson learned: I brought my favorite cream colored bath sheet with me for my required self-provided towel while living and working on a Malawi university campus . Clearly, only a fool would bring a white towel to an environment that was rich in red dust and poor on washing machines! It was a nightmare to handwash and never really looked clean. I should have picked a quick dry bath towel (like this extra large bath sheet travel towel by PackTowl - I know better now!)

Best for: Semesters abroad, car road trips where luggage space isn't at a premium, people who aren't changing rooms every night. I took a small, well-used hand towel with me for my first solo backpacking trip. I would stuff it on the outside of my wee pack to dry during the day and it was small enough to always get tossed in whenever I splurged on 'real' laundry. 

2.) Travel Towel #1 - The Shammy Towel (aka The Quick Dry Towel)

PictureImage courtesy of CascadeDesign
Pros:  Microfiber "shammy" towels are very lightweight and take up very little space. Also known as quick dry travel towels, they do indeed dry much more quickly than traditional towels. They also often have built in, anti-microbial features. Quick dry travel towels also have an attached snap-loop to easy hang the towel up to dry. They come in a wide variety of sizes, from extra small to nearly as large as a traditional bath sheet. 

Cons: Sometimes they feel like the shammy cloths used to wash cars! And while they might statistically absorb more water than a traditional towel, I never really feel 100% dry. It's like they absorb all the water drops but never absorb all the moisture. And despite the fact that they dry more quickly than a traditional towel, a soaking wet shammy towel still takes a long time to dry. It's not like you can just wring it out, wave it in the air for 5 minutes, and toss it in your pack.

Lesson learned: Personally, if I was going to travel with a tiny towel, I'd just take a regular hand towel. While I appreciate that ultra light, hard core backpackers will want to save every possible ounce, I think most average travelers will want a travel towel big enough to wrap around their head. So they're a good choice - just don't go TOO tiny in your size selection!

Best for: Ultra light backpackers, people looking for something light to refresh themselves while travelling, helping to wring out hand-washed laundry, anyone with a tiny, carry on toiletry kit. ​They're also great as a lightweight beach towel for campers and hikers. 

3.) Travel Towel #2 - The "We feel like a real towel, honest!" towel (aka microfiber sports towels).

PictureThe Innate Active Towel sold by MEC.ca
Pros: Just like a shammy towel, these hybrid designs feature lightweight, low volume, quick dry, anti-microbial towels with snap loops that come in a wide variety of sizes and colors (here's my favourite). They're great for showering in hostels.

The main difference between this category and the previous one is that they feel more like a regular towel. They rely on either weave-like texture or a traditional loop design to try to recreate the plush softness of regular towels. 

Cons: While still very lightweight, they are heavier than shammy travel towels. They often cost a bit more than traditional travel towels, possibly because they are often marketed as a yoga towel containing environmentally friendly recycled fabric .

Lesson learned: Do not drop them on the ground while camping. Overall, microfiber towels are the perfect lightweight camping towels  - with one exception. The textured fabric seems to act like Velcro on dried leaves, which promptly crumble and get stuck into the tight fabric weave!!! I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been trying to de-leaf one towel for two years now.
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Best for: Everyone but clumsy campers! It has the best of both worlds. This is what I'd chose for the majority of my travels. 

Alternatives

Cape Macclear Steve's Backpackers Sarong as shower curtain TurnipseedTravel.comMy sarong was both shower curtain and towel in Malawi.
1.) Sarong: You already have it with you and a sarong makes for a great in-a-pinch towel, blanket, sheet, curtain, scarf, skirt, and more. I knowI've used mine for all of the above! But the thin cotton can get sodden wet with each shower.  Best for someone who is a real minimalist who is anticipating free towels 90% of the time. 
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2.) Rentals: In most hostels and other properties, you usually have the option of renting towels if they aren't included - after all, it's a clever money maker for the property. In my experience, the towels are on the small side and are worn a bit thin but have always been clean.  Note that most private hostel rooms include towels - and they are nicer than the rentals. 

3.) Pillow case, T-Shirt, Anything: I've gone a spontaneous weekend trip or two where I just packed a small bag and I didn't think to bring a towel or sarong - and I'm already half way ready to step into the shower. In a pinch, just about anything made of fabric will do just fine. But it's not ideal! At the very least, bring along a sarong.
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4.) The Lost and Found: (Tip from an anonymous blogger!) I have never been this desperate, but every hostel and alternative property has a lost and found. A vaguely worded inquiry will likely result in a towel. Not sure if I'd ever pursue  this - but hey! it's a great way to get a free umbrella!


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Hilary no tabi
11/6/2014 04:07:05 pm

Absolutely! A towel always comes in handy and mine is not going anywhere. My first microfibre towel died after a live aboard dive trip in AU. I couldn't get the stink out! #2 is doing better. It took a while to get used to but I've been using it every day for years... at home!

I laughed about using "anything". Those are all familiar! I also tried a mini pack towel shammy thing once. Not for me! I need at least a handtowel sized worth of something.

I haven't had issues with my sarong or towel not drying, unless it's monsoon season and incredibly humid. But then nothing dries in those conditions. :D

Thanks for your post!

Vanessa
12/6/2014 04:39:50 am

Ha ha - I'm picturing you trying to de-stink your towel to no avail! I also heard from someone recently who suggested drying off with bed sheets if you are going to be checking out in the morning. Pack your stuff, take a sheet with you to the shower, use it to dry off, and deposit it directly in the hostel laundry bin!

Boz
16/6/2014 10:07:31 pm

I have stayed in America college dorms a few times. Usually they give us one think towel for a week. I save up a couple of old, threadbare towels at home and throw them in my case then throw them away when I've finished so I don't have to take damp towels home (and have more room in the suitcase:)

Vanessa
17/6/2014 02:10:01 am

That's such an awesome tip - one towel is bit sparse for me for one week (I have long hair!) so this is the perfect back up idea.

Emma @ Everyday Postcard link
20/6/2014 12:12:22 am

I hadn't heard of the hybrid towels before, they sound really good (apart from their attraction to leaves...). I'm using a travel towel at the moment and the thought of using a lovely regular soft, fluffy towel sounds like a luxury! Maybe the hybrid will be my perfect compromise...

Vanessa
20/6/2014 05:46:31 am

I would def try the hybrid towel (just not at the campground!!) - it feels so much like a 'normal' towel than all the traditional travel styles.

Melissa | Suitcase and Heels link
23/6/2014 06:49:09 am

I usually bring my shammy style travel towel with me depending on where I'm going. For beach destinations, the hotel doesn't always provide a towel I can take off the property. Even if they do, my shammy towel fits in my day bag easier than the fluffy provided towels.

Vanessa
23/6/2014 01:49:46 pm

True. A lot of budget hotels don't have towels to bring to the beach and a lot of fancy hotels don't allow you to take their fancy towels off property.

Elle
6/12/2014 08:05:04 pm

Given your comment about leaves getting stuck in the fabric weave - do you think something similar would happen e.g. on a sandy beach? Was wondering if the Innate Active Towel would be good for a beach and shower towel or shower only. Thanks!

Vanessa
8/12/2014 12:41:33 am

I have had no problem getting traditional grit, sand, etc out of my towels but I do find that they don't shake the dirt off like you could shake out a traditional beach towel. They wash up perfectly clean (except the damn leaves!) So I would use it at the beach BUT you might need to rinse it out to have it feel clean again. A shake won't do it. Let me know how it works for you!


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