Best Backpacking Camp Towel [Archive]

Downhill Trucker

10-09-2016, 06:33

I lost my old one and I need a lightweight one. Preferably that I can get at rei or another local retail outlet as I leave soon.

Thanks
DHT

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MuddyWaters

10-09-2016, 06:50

What do you use it for?

Handiwipes
Liteload towels
Bandana
Piece of shamwow
Piece of pva towel for drying cars
MSR
Sea to summit

I just use bandana
The piece of shamwow would be my choice for better, but only for wiping down tent interior condensate

HeartFire

10-09-2016, 07:08

Soft cotton bandana

Traillium

10-09-2016, 08:52

I've been using a 'shemadgh', a Middle Eastern prayer scarf or shawl. Good ones are fine cotton, large enough for a great headscarf and head-cooling when wet, fine enough for pre-filtering water, very absorbent, great pot holder … (Search for Kookork's list of uses here on WhiteBlaze.)

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map man

10-09-2016, 08:57

MSR PackTowl in whatever size fits your needs. Widely available:

https://www.rei.com/product/830600/packtowl-ultralite-towel

colorado_rob

10-09-2016, 09:24

My particular one is the REI 14x10, 1.1 ounce "chamois" type of material:

https://www.rei.com/product/832948/rei-multitowel-small-towel-14-x-10

Perfect size for what I need, quick little mini-baths now and then, and for that condensation wipe off in the mornings.

I highly recommend some sort of this material, a mix of polyester and microfiber, wrings out almost completely dry, then dries in the air very quickly. Don't buy cotton, takes much longer to dry.

DuneElliot

10-09-2016, 09:56

I like my Sea to Summit Small towel, and even then I cut it in half. It was used to dry my Duplex inside and out one time. It absorbs so much water and rings out almost dry. It keep it in my cook pot as a pot grabber too.

Don H

10-09-2016, 10:47

Bandana.

Multi uses besides as a towel. It can also be used to:
Protect your head from the sun
Wipe the sweat from your brow
As a bandage
Blow your nose
Hold your hot pot

I'm probably missing a few others

Sarcasm the elf

10-09-2016, 10:53

This year I switched to a cheap dish sponge for basic hygiene and wiping the condensation off my tent. It works great. I carry bandanas as well.

Sandy of PA

10-09-2016, 11:20

Car cleaning rags from Walmart, right size, dry real fast, and I take a new one each trip because they are so cheap. Use it to wash, wring it out, use it to dry.

Puddlefish

10-09-2016, 17:32

Cheap bandana worked for me. I sent home my fancy lightweight towel. Nothing will ever hold all the water, so may as well go with cheap, light, fast drying, sturdy, and just wring it out as needed. Easy to rinse clean if you use it to wipe your tent or footprint.

Dogwood

10-09-2016, 20:00

old sock
GF's panties
leftover eye patch from Halloween Pirate costume
Antigravity Gear's AT Mapdana(so you never get lost) https://www.antigravitygear.com/shop/bargain-basement/antigravitygear-appalachian-trail-mapdana/
old cut up Icebreaker tee
BUFF

Hosh

10-09-2016, 20:07

I carry these:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/z/VwIAAOSwyQtV4Ggf/$_35.JPG?set_id=8800005007

Sarcasm the elf

10-09-2016, 20:18

I carry these:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/z/VwIAAOSwyQtV4Ggf/$_35.JPG?set_id=8800005007

I so hope you're telling the truth! :D

MuddyWaters

10-09-2016, 22:32

Odd Man Out

10-09-2016, 22:39

Buff. Multi use like a bandana.

Wise Old Owl

10-09-2016, 23:19

Uh I was about to suggest the dollar store - then my eye's scrolled down and saw that bold orange banana sack.... now I am scarred for life.

Downhill Trucker

10-10-2016, 04:51

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161010/0252e691dcf80cbe544babe8231b17de.jpg

Picked two of these in a roll for 88cents in the car department at walmart. Seemed comparable to the one I liked at 12 bucks at REI. Probably not as durable but it came with a spare. 😉

I've got a 75 mile section in NJ next week so it will see some use. I'll let everyone know.

Thanks for all the info.

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Leo L.

10-10-2016, 05:10

I'm using a piece from the kitchen thats kind of a spongy square sheet, similar to what you call shamwow.
While it doesn't look exactly sexy, it works very well for a sponge bath as well as for wiping down wet gear.
Its so cheap that you can afford to replace it at times.

Somebody mentioned a Middle East Shemagh (a very nice light-blue one).
I carry one on most of my hikes, but use it only for to keep me warm, to provide shade or protection against flies during a noon sleep.
Bedouins use it for everything you can imagine, and some more you couldn't.

Turk6177

10-10-2016, 08:10

Plus one on the bandana. I use mine for a pot holder, sweat wiper, wash cloth, and in the fall, when I use my orange one, as an orange blaze to notify hunters that I am not a bear or deer.

garlic08

10-10-2016, 08:28

Yet another vote for the bandanna. Best thing about it, you probably don't need to buy anything.

Another Kevin

10-11-2016, 13:29

Sham-wow (or generic equivalent) from the dollar store. Plus I usually pack a bandana, but the bandana doesn't have the "wring it out and go on wiping" ability of the artificial chamois.

Elaikases

10-14-2016, 19:50

Sham-wow (or generic equivalent) from the dollar store. Plus I usually pack a bandana, but the bandana doesn't have the "wring it out and go on wiping" ability of the artificial chamois.

I've been looking for a cheap chamois. Thanks.