What size travel towel??

My wife and I both carry an large adventure towel eacb. It's basically a full size towel. The extra size was great for washing on a train and we even used it at the beach once. The extra weight and size was worth it IMHO.

I do take a SMALL (tea-towel size) travel towel with me. Amazingly it works as a full size bath towel (including my hair which is short). Maybe I'm a tad damp but two or three minutes takes care of that. The towel dries out in a jiffy. Also use it to squeeze out excess moisture from t-shirts etc. Dries completely overnight. Wash out with soap and water before leaving out to dry. That said I rarely have to use it for the above. Most places I stay have a "adequate" towel. Now a wash cloth is a whole different matter. My husband always brings one for shaving purposes.

Hello Skip. Bringing to Europe a travel towell, or camp towell, is a good idea, because that kind of towell can be folded or rolled to a small size, and it can become dry in a short amount of time. What size travel towel ? What is the size of the travel bag that the towell will be in ? If a traveller brings a trunk, size = 34 inches x 21 inches x 18 and 1/4 inches, and if there is not any unusual large equipment or materials in that trunk, I guess a large towell of any size could be put in the trunk. If a travel bag's size is 23 inches x 14 inches x 12 inches (the size of the bag that I will use as my primary bag in my trip to France and Switzerland), I would not put in the bag a towell that is larger than 40 inches by 20 inches. For use as a bath towell, a larger towell may be desireable for thick human bodies.

I use a medium sized microfiber travel towel. Helps in drying clothes during handwashing. Dties overnight when hung from a clothesline. Rolls up nice and tight.

Many come in a mesh-type bag which I suggest you travel with just in case the towel isn't dry by morning.

One caveat...if you are staying in hotels that supply towels, you may not need to bring one. It depends on the hotel. (3 stars and above and I think you can leave the towel home.)

I guess I'm into car care.

My travel towel is microfiber. It came from a car care kit I bought at Costco, three car wash mitts and two towels. It's a little smaller than a regular towel but a lot larger than a hand towel. I bought them for the car but instantly decided they were better than the best travel towels I'd bought (and way cheaper).

I also bring a chamois I bought at Costco for laundry. It's about 2' by 3'. It wrings my laundry better than any towel, then wrings nearly dry to reuse on the next item.

I take a medium size microfiber towel. It's good enought for anything. It packs small and dries fast.

I have the king size micronet travel towel which is sold in the Rick Steves travel store. It's the middle size of the three sold there--and it's big enough to use as a bath towel. I wouldn't want anything larger.

In all my travels hotels and appartments provided plenty of towels so I didn't need an extra towel in my suitcase. We don't book anything high end, rather 2 or 3 stars and had never reason to complain about lack of towels.

The only exeption is when you plan to travel in the summer AND need an [B]extra towel for pool or beach[/B]. If your hotel has a pool they should also provide extra towels. Few would allow you take one to the beach. Rental appartments or houses with pool only provide towels for pool use if they are of a higher standard or per special request.

I agree with Beatrix and Frank--this isn't necessary. I used one when hostelling where towels aren't supplied but in regular hotels, there are plenty of towels, and regular towels dry you off a lot better than travel towels. After washing clothes I roll them out on regular towels to help dry them, and the towels are dry by the time I needed them the next morning.

We used the large (21 x 36) Packtowl by MSRGear (2.1 oz) to wring out handwashed items before hanging them to dry. It worked great, and I will certainly take it on my next trip.

We did not need a towel, however, we did need a washcloth (stored in a baggie to keep the rest of our clothes dry/fresh). A regular towel will not work for drying hand-washed clothes anywhere near as well as a synthetic chamois. I brought a travel-sized one, and am so glad I did! They're available many places, like Amazon and auto care stores.

We use Rick's medium-sized one, the King-size, mostly for getting excess water out of hand-washed clothes. Works great and is dry by morning. Also handy if the hotel towels are a bit on the thin side.

I brought a cheap knock off brand, and it just really didn't cut it this summer- spend a few extra dollars and go with a nice one, and carry as large as you feel you can carry - although more than a few square feet is a bit unnecessary.

I like the MSR Personal size hand towel (22" X 12") it's super soft and absorbs like a chamois and it's lightweight and small...

Thanks, I really appreciate all the feedback. So if I look at RS or the MSR packtowl, would you folks recommend the 30"x50" or the 20"x40"(or 45) size travel towel? I want it mostly for wringing out clothes but I can see where I would occasionally use it for my body and personal use. And I am a carryon only person, but the weight between the two seems negligable.

Thanks again,as always people here are the best!

We brought the King Size towels last summer and they were great.(although I think I would go for the super size next time). We used them as: body towels, sun shades, beach towels, picnic blankets, table cloths at the park and as blankets on the trains. The difference in weight for large to extra large is probably nothing.

As a Texan you should know this. Go Big !!

Skip,
I'm familiar with the Automotive type towels from Costco that Brad speaks of. I think they are worth a look!

I also travel with a tea towel sized microfibre towel from the Dollar Store. I take a couple of them bundled together and laid flat in my Cabin Bag. I use them for a couple trips then retire them at home to use for cleaning around the house.

Another vote for going large. Small towels and large towels should dry in the same amount of time, but a large towel has so very many uses.

I use mine as a blanket on the plane and as an extra (clean) blanket in the hotel. Also in the warm months, it works as a towel at the beach.

Happy toweling!