5 Best Camping & Backpacking Towels

This towel was created by a new gear company called Active Roots, which aims to “design the highest quality backpacking adventure gear at a broke backpacker-friendly price.”

Their microfiber towel delivers on that promise. This towel is highly absorbent and doesn’t stink after regular use, unlike a lot of other products. The real beauty of this little number is how small it folds down, so it won’t take up too much extra space in your pack.

It’s a great multi-purpose tool as well: the XL size is big enough that it can double as a blanket or a pillow. And weighs only a few ounces.

Overall, this a solid backpacking towel. But the kicker is that Active Roots donates a portion of each towel sale to the Elephant Conservation Center in Laos, which is dedicating to protecting and rehabilitating the endangered elephant population in Asia.

Lots of good reasons to try this towel on your next trek.

Not marketed as a backpacking towel, the Shamwow is actually an amazing little square of fabric. Super absorbent and fairly quick to dry, I was surprised at how awesome it worked for me. It dries extremely efficiently, absorbing water just as advertised. I really liked how good it performed cleaning condensation from my tent; having a wet rainfly in the morning is never a fun experience.

It is not as flexible as the other towels listed and not as soft on the skin, but the price point is unbeatable. At 15 inches by 15 inches the shamwow is easy to trim and customize. This pack actually comes with three, giving you an extra pair in case something happens to your first towel. My only gripe with this product is its bulkiness, it is not as easy to roll up and pack tight like some of the actual pack towels on the market.

The microfiber material means drying off is more of a dabbing motion than a scrubbing motion. Some people, especially with longer hair, complain this new age material does not dry hair quite as well as the more traditional cotton towels.

The new kid on the block, this towel was invented because of the backlash to microfiber.

The Tek Towel is Sea to Summit’s take on a microfiber towel with their own unique twist. The material of this towel is purely synthetic – a combination of polyester and nylon. It is also a little thicker than most other microfiber towels.
The result is a lightweight towel that they claim has a “plush terrycloth” feel.

Indeed, this towel is more comfortable than the usual microfiber towels without packing on a lot of added weight and bulk. If you’re the type who just cannot get used to the feel of microfiber towels, then you might want to give the Tek Towel a shot.

Because of the use of purely synthetic materials, the Tek Towel dries very quickly. It also comes with a molded plastic pouch with a zipper enclosure which is a much more stylish way of storing it, although the semi-hard plastic may not be as useful for backpackers.

Although the Tek Towel is still a lot lighter and thinner than a standard cotton towel, it does pack a bit of extra bulk for sake of added comfort. When folded up, the XL version of the towel measures around 10 inches across. For those who like packing very light, the Tek Towel may be a little too heavy and bulky.

Family-run Wise Owl Outfitters has developed a microfiber towel that is much softer and more comfortable than most other microfiber towels out there. This towel is so comfortable that it has been compared to suede. According to them, the Ultra Soft Camping Towel can absorb eight times its weight in water, which makes it one of the most absorbent microfiber towels available today. Despite the fuzzy finish, the Ultra Soft Camping Towel still dries pretty quickly – it takes just ten minutes to dry the towel in direct sunlight.

The towel comes with a mesh carry bag and a bonus washcloth, which is perfect for wiping down the condensation inside your tent or any excess dirt in your backpack. Wise Owl throws in these extras while still keeping the camping towel quite affordable.

The extra comfort that the towel provides comes at the cost of being slightly fluffier and heavier than other microfiber towels. If you have limited space in your pack, or if you don’t like carrying unnecessary weight, then the Wise Owl towel might not suit your style.

The biggest complaint with the Wise Owl camping towel is that it comes with this peculiar, chemical-like smell that doesn’t come off despite repeated washing cycles. This is made even worse by the fact that it has no antimicrobial treatment, increasing the potential of mildew formation.

Snugpak has been in the outdoor equipment business for more than four decades, so this is a brand that you can trust to know what they are doing. The Head to Toe Travel Towel has the unique characteristic of being an extra-large yet lightweight towel which is great not just for drying after a bath, but also for keeping warm inside your tent.

Not that the Snugpak towel isn’t an excellent bath towel, though – it absorbs up to seven times its own weight in water and dries quickly. The signature Silvadur Intelligent Technology infuses the fabric of the towel with silver ions to give it antimicrobial and antibacterial properties.

The Snugpak Travel Towel isn’t exactly the lightest, but a 13-ounce towel that covers the length of your entire body isn’t so bad. Being a large towel, it also doesn’t pack very well. For ultralight backpackers or those who don’t want to be encumbered with a large towel, then the Snugpak Travel Towel might simply not be compact enough.

A microfiber towel for every occasion – that’s what Youphoria claims their Outdoors Travel Towel to be. It’s hard to argue with its excellent all-around properties. This microfiber towel comes in three size options, with the largest one wide and long enough to be completely wrapped around your body. It’s not ultralight but should be light enough to be comfortable for just about any type of backpacker.

Youphoria has gone the extra mile to make this travel towel as portable as possible. Aside from the compressible towel material, it comes with a snap loop and a drawstring mesh bag. The towel makes it easy to hang the towel anywhere for drying while the mesh bag keeps the towel nice and organized without coming into direct contact with any other item in your pack.

The towel costs just a little less than $20, so a few complaints on quality can be forgiven. Its stitched edges do get frayed after some time of heavy use or should they get snagged on pointed objects. The Youphoria Travel Towel also isn’t made of the thickest material, so don’t expect it to have a premium fuzzy feel.

The Dock & Bay Lightweight Travel Towel looks more like a beach towel than a backpacking towel, but it’s lightweight and compact enough to be considered in this list. Made of synthetic materials, this travel towel is a little lighter than most microfiber towels. It also packs really well into this compact bundle which fits neatly into the included canvas pouch.

What makes this travel towel really stand out is the selection of gaudy and stylish designs. If you’re tired of bringing the usual drab-looking backpacking towels, then Dock & Bay provides a much more colorful alternative. Just a word of warning: the color of the towel bleeds when washed, so we suggest washing it a few times before you use it.

While the synthetic material lends itself to being remarkably lightweight, its absorbing capabilities aren’t quite as good as microfiber towels. The fabric itself is thin and is not the most comfortable. The Dock & Bay Travel Towel leans a little more towards style than substance, but we’re sure it’s going to appeal to a few backpackers out there.