We've thought about the perfect towel for the outdoors [Lightweight, absorbent, quick drying]
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
table of contents
A versatile tenugui/bandana or a highly functional outdoor towel?
I had been thinking that even sports towels could be a baggage, so for a long time I had decided that the towel I would take to the mountains would be a bandana. It seems that many people have used tenugui when climbing mountains for a long time, but for me as a student, bandanas, which I used as a handkerchief in everyday life, were more familiar than tenugui, and most importantly, climbing streams, were my main focus, so I decided that my body would get wet anyway. There was a time when I reluctantly brought a sports towel to me, thinking that it would be bad when there was a hot spring on my way home.
However, perhaps because I became a working adult and started hiking more often, I started to experience ripples in the towel genre, which was completely windless for me. The sweat flows like a waterfall, and I wiped it off but it sucks up quickly, and it doesn't dry out easily afterwards, and I'm worried about the smell. In the midst of all this, an outdoor towel caught my eye. Everything is said to be "lighter" and "water absorbency" than ever before and is "quickly drier". As readers of this site know, the editorial department is extremely weak in new technologies like this. This is where we will once again think about the outdoors and towels.
Verification of the latest synthetic outdoor towel vs tenugui and bandanas
When considering the perfect towel this time, we have selected 12 items, including traditional cotton tenugui towels, including modern synthetic fiber (microfiber) towels. We compared and verified from various angles, taking into account actual usage situations such as the feel of the skin when wiping, the speed of water absorption, the amount of water absorption, and the ease of drying. We have thought up what the editorial department thinks of is "towels you should have right now."
- Bandanas and tenugui
- PackTowl Nano
- PackTowl Original
- PackTowl Ultra Light
- PackTowl Personal
- High Mount N RIT Towel
- SEA TO SUMMIT Pocket Towel
- SEA TO SUMMIT DryLite towel
- SEA TO SUMMIT Tech Towel
- Montbell Micro Towel
- Montbell Quick Dry
- MIZUNO Swim Towel
[Soft to the touch, water absorption, quick drying, weight] Even with modern synthetic fibers, there are pros and cons
When you are misled by the slogans of the latest synthetic outdoor towels, you can expect to see how amazing they are. The biggest benefit from this test was that in reality, synthetic towels vary widely, with advantages and disadvantages, and in some cases, previous cotton materials have much better side to the point, so there are surprisingly many different aspects. So be careful. In other words, when choosing an outdoor towel, it is important not to think that new things are good, but to know what each person is good at.
Let's take a more specific look. As a result of this comparison and verification, for convenience, when looking at the characteristics of each towel, we can see that there are differences in properties for each type, such as feel, water absorption, and quick-drying. The table below summarizes these, but in this table we will summarize the three important points that we want to clearly convey:
- The most excellent features of modern synthetic fibers are quick drying and light. We recommend cloth synthetic fiber products that make the most of this.。
- Even cotton absorbs water four times its own weight . In fact, synthetic towels often disappoint if you think they quickly absorb a lot of water.
- Even with synthetic fibers, pile towels are heavy and bulky except for using them to absorb a large amount of water , so you should avoid using them incorrectly.
| type | Cotton (Gauze) type | Synthetic fiber (pile fabric) | Synthetic fiber (cross) type | Synthetic fiber (suede) type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| item |
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|
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| Characteristics of feel to the touch |  |  |  |  |
| It is smooth and slippery, and yet has moderate surface friction, making it very comfortable. | Similar to a sports towel, the surface is thick and fluffy and comfortable. However, compared to cotton towels, it does not slip on wet skin and the feeling of catching is slightly unpleasant. | It's similar to tenugui or bandana, and the skin is quite slippery. It is thin and feels similar to a tablecloth or a wipe on a glasses. | The surface feels slightly fuzzy, like felt or suede. Although it is a little wider, the skin is generally not slippery, so I don't feel like scrubbing it too much. | |
| Water absorption and drying characteristics |  |  |  |  |
| The water on the surface of the fabric is quickly absorbed, and the fabric also absorbs a large amount of water. However, even if you squeeze it out, water remains and the drying speed is not fast. | It has a fast water absorption speed and is the most absorbed part. However, even if you squeeze it tightly, it will not easily remove moisture and dries slowly. | It has a fast water absorption speed, but its low water absorption capacity makes it unsuitable for applications that handle large amounts of water. However, if you squeeze it out, its water absorption power will quickly restore and it is said to be the most quick-drying feature. | It won't absorb water easily just by lightly touching it, and you'll need to press it against it to absorb it. However, the water absorption is greater than cotton. When squeezed, the water absorption power will be restored and it dries very easily. | |
| Water absorption | ◯ About four times the weight | ◎ About five times the weight | △ About 2-3 times the weight | ◯ About four times the weight |
| Easily absorbent | ◎ | ◎ | ◯ | ◯ |
| Quick drying | △ | △ | ◎ | ◎ |
| Portability (weight) | ◯ | △ | ◎ | ◯ |
| Special situations | For a wide range of uses, mainly for wiping sweat and towels. | As a towel to wash your body and wipe your whole body | For wiping sweat or hand towels | Basically, it can be used in a wide range of situations, just like tenugui and bandanas. |
[Functionality] I'm happy with the convenient features that bandanas and tenugui don't have.
Towels these days are not simple fabrics. When comparing not only the performance of the fabric itself, but also the other functional aspects, we can see that the latest synthetic outdoor towels include many different functions that cotton does not have to offer to improve usability.
Antibacterial specifications
In fact, it's super important. Until now, a major drawback of cotton towels has been the issue of smell. Especially in the long term route, the cycle repeats of simply washing with water and drying, which inevitably creates a smell that looks like it's dry. If it's an antibacterial towel, it won't smell at all even if it gets wet, so it's quick-drying, so you can use it with confidence in terms of hygiene.
loop
Outdoor towels often have loops in one of the four corners of the towel, making them very convenient for hanging them on the shoulders of your backpack or inside the tent. It's also even more convenient to have the loop not only sewn on but also snap buttons. It's detailed but important. ?
Storage bag with loop
The model, which has a storage bag with the loop of the aforementioned role, can be attached and detached from the towel, can be stored compactly while attached to the pack, making it the quickest and smartest way to wipe off sweat.
Easily remove dirt
One of the hidden features of outdoor towels woven with synthetic fibers is that even stubborn stains can be easily removed by washing them with water and squeezing them out.
Summary: The best solution for today is to have two pieces specially designed for your purpose!
[1st photo] The best sweat wipe towel for your activities:
PackTowl Pack Towel Nano / High Mount N・RIT Towel
| PackTowl Pack Towel Nano | High Mount N RIT Towel |
|---|---|
    |  |
Through this test, the two items above were the ones that made full use of the quality of chemical fibers. Compared to traditional bandanas and hand towels, it is lightweight, quick-drying, antibacterial, and extremely portable, making it extremely convenient and easy to use. accept this to hang it on the shoulder part of my backpack to wipe my sweat or towel I like the "Pack Towel Nano" because it's softer, lighter and has a higher absorbency, but I think it's safe to assume that it's almost a difference in preference.
[2nd picture] Lightweight, antibacterial all-purpose towel:
PackTowl Personal Pack Towel / SEA TO SUMMIT DryLite towel
| PackTowl Personal Pack Towel | SEA TO SUMMIT DryLite towel |
|---|---|
 |  |
The other two items are recommended for its versatility as a towel. This one piece can be used as a wet towel for cooling, sometimes in the hot summer. Sometimes, it can be used to wipe condensation on cloths and tents around the kitchen. It also has a high water absorption capacity, so it can also be used as a bath towel after descending the mountain. If you choose a larger size, it can also be used as a bandage for stopping bleeding or as a triangular band for fixing, so it can handle the role of a towel that is often used in many situations . Of course, it is compact and easy to dry, and the antibacterial and hygienic nature makes it easier to use than a cotton towel. I was curious about the feel of the skin at first, but once I get used to it, I can manage. There is almost no difference between these two pieces, so you can choose according to your preferences such as size and color.
[The best value for money] Still highly useful:
bandanas and tenugui
| bandana | Tenugui |
|---|---|
 |  |
Although we recommend synthetic outdoor towels, bandanas and tenugui that can be purchased for a few hundred yen each are still well worth choosing given the cost-effectiveness of the cost. This test showed that in reality it absorbs water just as well as the latest synthetic fibers, and there is no need to worry about hygiene in short trips such as day trips or one nights. There is also a wide variety of designs and colors (this is quite important), and because it is so low-priced, you can generously have a number of sheets with you. In that sense, synthetic towels have so many boring designs that it's sad, so the editorial department is hoping that more stylish outdoor towels will be released in the future.