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Last Updated on December 30, 2023 by Natalie

During one of our vacations, I realized that I needed a quick drying towel. We had beach towels and hung them outside at night, but they were still damp in the mornings due to high humidity. Of course, I want to find the best travel towel. It needs to be quick drying, absorbent, and can fold up compactly. I do need to fit four in a backpack, after all! It didn’t take long to realize that quick dry travel towels would also be a brilliant addition to our swim class bags. It’s great when one product can fill multiple needs!

Why get a travel towel? What do you look for in a travel towel? Read on and don’t forget your towel…

Best Backpacking Towel for Travel

Travel towels are generally made of microfiber, because it’s compact and dries quickly. What is microfiber? Microfibers are made from polyesters, polymides, or a combination of both of those and polypropylene.

We use our towels every time we go to the pool because they dry so quickly. They are a great travel accessory and they can be used often in everyday life, too. We always pack them when heading to a pool or when we head out on a road trip.

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Click here for the best travel towel!

Remember to bring along safe sunscreen when you’re heading to the beach!

Best Travel Towels 2024

OlimpiaFit Microfiber Towel Set

I purchased this OlimpiaFit microfiber towel set and I’m so happy with it. It’s a set of three towels and includes a mesh bag. They are also antimicrobial, so no odor! Additionally, there are three towels and a carrying case included.

Right away, one of my kids throw one in a pool. First, the towel didn’t sink, which is clearly an advantage. Second, it dried much faster than a cotton towel would’ve in the same situation. I didn’t even wring it out very well!

These towels dry off wet kiddos quite well (and barring sopping wet hair, one towel can dry two smaller kids). They dry faster if they are hung up. It takes 1-2 hours on a day without much humidity and some warmth. If they are in the sun, they dry even faster. I take them when we travel and we also use them when we go to the pool. I recommend these towels.

Best for: Great value, Soft

Drysnugs by TravelSnugs

The Drysnugs towel came with a little mesh bag and dries as quickly than my other towels, but it’s quite a bit smaller (see my photo above). Instead of ordering the 2 pack that comes with the large and XL size towels, I ordered a single in the large size. This size is a perfect kid size.

Of course, the size L towel does fold up really small, which will take less space in your backpack. This towel does work well to dry a body and it also is quick drying. Even if you choose the larger size towel, these are thinner than the Olimpiafit and therefore is more compact. It’s still great at drying off the water and it dries really quickly.

Best for: Compact, Carry on only travelers

 

Wolfyok 2 Pack Microfiber Travel Sports Towel XL

You get a lot for your money: the towels come in a set of two in a mesh bag (one bath towel, one mini towel, and a mesh carry bag). This microfiber travel towel is quick drying, absorbent, compact, and lightweight. It’s also XL! It measures 58″ X 30″ and is biggest towel I’ve found. It’s also only 8″ X 3″ when folded down for your luggage. It’s also super light at only 8 ounces. The mini towel is 24″ X 16″. I always think I won’t use a small towel, but I find the extra towels always comes in handy.  This set an excellent choice for an adult who camps, swims, travels, or all three.

Best for: Largest towel, Lightweight

 

4MONSTER Microfiber Beach Towel for Travel

4Monster brand towels repel sand. They also come in super cool designs! It’s still a microfiber, quick drying towel that’s a mix of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide. The sand falls right off. It’s also really lightweight and compact. The patterns also don’t fade (follow laundering instructions – no dryer). It’s a great towel for kids and/or the beach!

Best for: Cool designs, Beach (repels sand), Kids

 

Turkish Cotton Peshtemal

This is the only non microfiber towel on this list. The Turkish peshtamel is more than merely a towel. It can be turned into a lovely accessory as well, which may well leave you more space in your backpack due to what you no longer need to bring! I love the versatility of the peshtamel. It can be used as a blanket on a cold airplane. It  can be used as a shawl on an unexpected cool night. Of course, it can be used as a towel, too. The size is 39 X 71 Inches and it’s pre-washed cotton and doesn’t shrink. It actually gets softer each time you wash it. Even though it is 100% Turkish cotton, it is thin and dries quickly. It’s a versatile item that will serve travelers well. The shakes right off of it if you use it at the beach. It’s a nice, lightweight option at 7.2 ounces.

Best for: Eco Friendly, Cotton

What is a travel towel?

Usually, when you hear the term travel towel, it is referring to a quick drying, microfiber towel. Microfiber towels are also smaller than cotton towels and take up much less space in suitcases and backpacks.

Why use a travel towel?

You should never leave home without your towel. In Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams says it best:

“A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V… you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”

Science fiction novels aside, a quick drying, microfiber, compact towel does have many uses for travel. In addition to using it to dry off after swimming and showers, you can use it to shade your skin from the sun, as an extra layer on cool summer evenings, as a blanket on a chilly airplane, for a picnic cloth, and so on.

If you choose to use your own towel while staying in a hotel, you will use less resources during your stay, since the regular cotton hotel towels will  not need to be washed and dried daily. If you get to your Airbnb and discover there are no towels, you’re set! When you decide to go camping, you are ready.

When you’re traveling with your family, you never know when a towel will come in handy (and potentially save a lot of embarrassment) for cleaning up a mess in a public place. One of my children has thrown up in an airport. You can hand wash a microfiber towel and it won’t affect your bag’s weight. It also is less likely to smell like mildew, even after being packed for a few hours.

How to choose a good travel towel?

Quick Drying

This is the most important consideration going into a travel towel. I don’t want to put a soaking wet, heavy towel into my backpack to lug around during my travels.

Won’t Collect Bad Odors

The second most important aspect is that it won’t start smelling like mildew, spreading that bad smell to the clothes in your backpack or suitcase. Who wants to stink during travel… or anytime?

Good Absorbancy

It’s really frustrating to try to dry off after a shower and discover your towel isn’t helping very much (keep scrolling for tips for using a microfiber travel towel).

Light, Compact, & Thin

The best backpacking towel must not take up much space in your backpack, especially if you need to carry multiples for your family. Another important consideration for a travel towel is the weight when damp. The best microfiber towel for travel will be able to fold up small, in order to leave room for other important items, and dry quickly, so it doesn’t make your backpack any heavier.

How Do You Use a Microfiber Towel?

Some people complain that microfiber towels don’t dry of their body very well. This isn’t the case for me and the following tips help. One tip is to pat yourself dry, small areas at a time, and it’ll dry your body just fine. After use, if you can let it dry for 5 minutes before packing, quite a lot of the moisture will dissipate. Packing it in a mesh bag and clipping it to your backpack also helps a lot! To fully dry, microfiber towels still take at least an hour.

Another option is to wrap yourself in it and let it absorb the water from your skin (my preferred method).

Don’t Forget Your Towel!

Even if towels aren’t on the top of your packing list, it is an item worth bringing on your travels.  Especially when traveling with children. Traveling with a heavy cotton towel will take up way too much space in a backpack, so choose a travel towel and reap the rewards. Go forth, travel, and don’t forget your towel!

What do you think are the best quick dry towels for backpacking? I love hearing from my readers. Please leave a comment. Thank you!

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