Packable towels

[Oliver G]

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but I just have to vent. We've done up the bathroom this weekend and took the opportunity to put all of the towels through the wash to freshen everything up a bit so when I got into the shower this morning I was left with the option of a dog towel or a little green microfiber towel (The label says "towel, combat", what are we supposed to do? Use it to whip the taliban's bums in the showers like school?)

The only thing that the microfiber towel achieved was its use as a modesty sheet while I sidled through the living room to dig a proper towel out of the washing basket.

Am I missing a trick to get microfiber towels to work properly or are they designed to just push water around your body?

 

[Erbswurst]

Usually you don't get totally dry like with a large cotton towel but dry enough. The rest does the body heat or sun within a minute or two.

After twisting it out it will dry within perhaps one hour, the cotton towel would hang half the day outside on your pack.

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I can dry myself after a shower with a microfibre hand towel.
Need to dab though rather than rub.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TLM]

I have a notorious MilTec microfiber towel. It has to be washed a few times before it starts to work properly, I suspect some spinning oil residues. After that one person can be dried with it. Works, just barely but works.

 

[MartiniDave]

I seem to remember that old style Terry nappies used to be the towel of choice for canoeists in years gone by.

 

[lou1661]

I found all the microfibre towels pretty poor, and after a short time in use picked up a nasty damp smell. I moved over to a Hamman towel, its light, dries me and dries off quickly and is a decent size which can be really handy from time to time!

Louis

 

[Erbswurst]

Yes, they smell after round about a week.

That's a reason to choose a small one that easily fits in your pot.

You heat water up to round about 60*C and put the towel in.

That's the end of the bacteria party.

 

[Robson Valley]

My answer is to buy a few more really big bath towels. Treat yourself.
No amount of profanity can produce a clean towel on the rack.

I check the source.
United States or India & Pakistan produce our best cotton goods here.

 

[Stew]

Big bath towels don’t really fit the remit of a compact pack able towel though....

 

[TLM]

Sink the towel in strong vinegar for a night and the smelly bacteria cracking fatty acids decide to move elsewhere.

 

[Erbswurst]

A good idea!

But on hiking tours the hot water version is surely more practicable.

At home you can put it also for a week into the freezer. I put every "new" smelling military surplus stuff for 3 weeks into the freezer, wash it and rince it excessively after and than it smells like new. The same works with sports shoes for example.

 

[TLM]

Yup, the freezer works too.

The bad smell is mostly the result of bacteria cracking long chain fatty acids to short ones that do the smelling. Anything that kills the bacteria or cleans off all the residues works.