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This is my review of the PackTowl Personal Travel Towel. Possibly the best lightweight microfibre towel for travel you can buy! I’ve had mine for 10 years and it’s still going strong.
When you’re heading on a long journey with nothing but a 60L backpack to hold five months’ worth of your life, every cubic millimetre of space in that pack seems to count. Among the bulkiest items to pack are towels! However you roll or fold them, they take up too much space. Plus, they take all day to dry, leaving you with a lovely damp patch on whichever items happen to be squished up against it in your pack.
A travel towel is a perfect solution. Small and super lightweight, these can make a huge difference to your pack and make life so much easier when you’re on the road. Keep reading for my PackTowl review, to find out why this is the best travel towel on the market…
Update– I’ve been using the same PackTowl travel towel on my trips for almost a decade now – and I’d still highly recommend it!
PackTowl Travel Towel Review
After a little research, I opted for an XXL Personal travel towel from PackTowl. At 59×35 inches, this is as big as a bath towel but it weighs just 10.5 ounces and folds down to much less than half the size of my normal beach towel. Although it’s very soft, the material is so thin that I simply couldn’t believe that it would be as comfortable as my normal towel – or dry me as much!
But after using it on all my travels for years, I have to say there’s almost no difference! The ultra-soft microfibre blend is really comfy on my skin, and the towel – which absorbs up to four times its weight in water – dried me almost instantly!
So Practical
It’s certainly not as thick or warm as a fluffy bath towel, and being so lightweight it’s a little lacking in the cosiness department. But it’s practical and I’ve rarely needed a thick, warm towel on tropical beaches!
Better yet, it works really well for drying my hair. In fact, I always use my travel towel after washing my hair now, even at home. It’s so absorbent that it dries my hair more thoroughly than a normal towel, and the microfibre material is actually gentler and better for hair!
Which Size PackTowl?
The XXL Personal PackTowl is more than enough fabric to wrap around me after I’ve showered – plus it’s big enough to double as a lightweight blanket, a beach towel for sunbathing, or even an improvised bunk curtain in a hostel dorm.
I love oversize towels as I like to feel properly wrapped up – I don’t want to accidentally flash anyone between the bathroom and my dormitory!
But PackTowl has a great range of sizes and types, including the even lighter Ultralite and Nano options, so you’re bound to find your perfect travel companion on their site!
Fast Drying!
The towel is machine washable and can be dried on a line or by machine. There’s a clever little snap loop which means you can easily hang the towel up to dry. Which it does super quickly, meaning that you can fold it up and stick it back in your bag in time for that early morning bus journey without worrying about that nasty wet towel smell!
Why the PackTowl is the Best Travel Towel
The Personal PackTowl is fantastic for me because:
- It’s super lightweight and folds up teeny-tiny, saving a ton of
space in my backpack! Even though its 59×35 inches, it folds to about 5×7 inches. It’s no more than half an inch thick when folded. Plus it weighs just 10.5 ounces. - It’s quick drying! The travel towel wrings out almost completely dry. When I hung it up after showering, my towel was dry in less than thirty minutes.
- The Antimicrobial Treatment reduces odour retention. So it’s great for frequent use! As mentioned above, I’ve had this towel for 5 years. I’ve used it a lot and it’s still going strong!
After several years of use, I’m still so impressed with my PackTowl travel towel! The amount of space and weight it saves in my pack is a godsend.
It also works great and doesn’t compromise on comfort or absorbency. I’d definitely recommend it as a long-term travel companion!
Pick up your own PackTowl Travel Towel
Thanks for this! I was on the fence, but I’m buying it now ’cause of this review.
Ah that’s so awesome to hear!! I’m still using mine if that helps. I prefer a proper towel when I can get one but this one saves so much space :)