I'm taking a small bag with me for my two month trip to europe, doing the hostel thing, will also hopefully find myself on a beach or two. That and the showers I will be taking will require a towel. Is it worth getting a special travel towel? I've read theres no point getting the small ones, so i would be looking at the large or beach size ones. I've also read that the travel towels are easier to pack or they take up less space. Is this true and does that and their quick drying make it worth purchasing one, or should i just take a towel from home?

No. A towel is a towel. You have to ask yourself, "Am I ever going to be in such a rush that I don't have time for my towel to dry overnight?" The answer, unless you are with U.S. Special Forces, is usually no.

I used to carry a micronet "travel" towel, but I always felt like I was drying myself off with a throw rug. Now I simply carry a regular old shower towel inside a run-of-the-mill, oversized Ziploc bag. Works just fine.

I always take along an old, ratty towel that I wouldn't mind losing. And if I do..So what?

Towel shopping in an open market makes for a good impromptu adventure.

i love towel shopping. that and t shirt shopping. makes for a light bag on the trip over.

I like that pack towels dry fast. Means that when I break camp I can still jump in the ocean before breakfast and get on my way. On the other hand, you can strap any towel to the outside of a pack and let it dry, and you can buy cheap towels for 2 or 3 euros in supermarkets all over europe. All depends on your packing style.

My favorite towel was a large very cheap towel I bought in Istanbul. Because it was very cheap, it was thin, and dried quite fast. Because it was thin, it was as light as a smaller better quality towel. That one got lost somehow. I really should get one like it, but now, my towel is a tad too small, but also dries fast.

quote:

That one got lost somehow. I really should get one like it, but now, my towel is a tad too small, but also dries fast.

There oughta be some kind of award for sentences like that.

I've got a Bath sized Packtowl (got it on sale, yea!) that I'm taking with me. Last year, I had the Body sized towel..and well..I'm small..and...that was way too skimpy for me! So this year, I upgraded to the Bath sized one.

They're so soft, dry fast, and pack super small. Size does matter in this case!

I have a large trek-towel which folds up a lot smaller than your normal towel and dries quicker. It's hard to find the right material, because as Continental Op says some can be very unnerving (and useless) to use.

During my first solo trip I took with me one of those travel towels. Even though I bought the largest one they make, it was still a lot smaller than the towel I'm accustomed too. I used it for the first couple weeks, then accidentally left it behind in a hostel and couldn't go back to retrieve it.

As soon as possible, I went towel shopping and found a large, brightly colored beach towel that wasn't too thick and still packs pretty small. It still dries pretty quickly and also serves a few other purposes. It's big enough to lay down on, can be used as a cape, and is also big enough that I feel comfortable wrapping it around myself to protect the innocent while I strip naked in public. (this happens more often that you might think)

I bought a pack towel. It is actually called an adventure towel. I got it at MEC. Bath towel size. I thought it was great, every time I rolled it up I got it smaller and smaller, wow what a space saver. I rolled it up to the size of an extra large coffee when it was still wet and 24 hours later when I unrolled it I almost fell over and died from the indescribable rank rotten mildew shit stench that had become my adventure towel.

hahaha T- funny!

I brought an old, thin towel on my last trip and it still got stinky to the point where I used my sarong instead. Next time I am bringing just the sarong. Heck the towel. Many if not most hostels rent towels anyway, yes? That's my plan.

Has anyone ever used this travel towel? It looks too good to be true.
Sea to Summit

Can't speak for this particular brand but my biggest problem with pack towels is the feel. I always buy mine in person so I know I'll like it.

"Made of a super absorbent synthetic fabric with a silk-like feel" from the Sea to Summit website above.
Silk is wonderful material but have you ever tried to dry off with a piece of silk? Silkiness on wet skin often isn't really the most comfortable.

I really like the MSR Packtowl Personal . I have had the body size for a while. When that one needs replacement, I'll probably get greedy and go with the Bath size. If you don't mind spending the extra money on a good, light, packable towel, it's a good choice. If you are afraid of losing it or have a small budget, take Joe's advice.