Most people do not give their camping towel much thought until they are standing in front of a tiny camp sink at 7am wishing they had made a better choice. A big soggy cotton towel that takes two days to dry in the shade is one of those camping annoyances that is genuinely easy to avoid.
Here is what to look for and why the right camping towel makes more of a difference than you would expect.
What Makes a Good Camping Towel?
It needs to dry fast
This is the most important thing. At home you can throw a towel in the dryer or leave it on a heated rail. Camping, you have neither. If your towel does not dry between uses you are either reusing a damp one or stuffing a wet one into your bag or tent.
A camping towel made from microfibre dries in one to two hours in normal conditions. A cotton towel in the same conditions can take six to eight hours or longer in shade or humidity. That difference is enormous on a camping trip.
Our travel towels are made from high-grade rPET microfibre and work brilliantly as camping towels. They are the same towels people take to the beach, on planes and into the surf and they bring all of those qualities to a camping trip too.
It needs to pack down small
A camping towel should not take up a meaningful amount of space in your pack or your boot. Cotton towels are bulky. A microfibre camping towel that is genuinely large enough to use rolls up to roughly the size of a water bottle. That is the difference between a towel that earns its place and one that is always in the way.
It needs to be tough enough for regular use
Camping puts gear through its paces. A good camping towel should handle being washed in a camp sink, dried on a rope, stuffed in a bag and used repeatedly without falling apart. Quality microfibre is more durable than budget cotton and holds up better over a long trip.
It should not smell after a few uses
A towel that starts to smell after two days of use is one of the most unpleasant camping experiences going. Microfibre is naturally more resistant to bacterial growth than cotton which is why a microfibre camping towel stays fresher between washes.
How to Use a Camping Towel Well
Hang it out after every use rather than stuffing it in your bag. Even a short hang in the shade makes a big difference. Most campsites have enough airflow to dry a microfibre towel well before the next morning.
Bring two if you are on a longer trip. Alternating between two camping towels means one is always dry and both last longer between washes.
A camping towel also doubles as a beach towel, a gym towel and a general purpose travel towel. Our range is designed with exactly this kind of versatility in mind. Check out our thoughts on how to pack smarter for trips away if you want more ideas for cutting down on bulk.
What About Size for a Camping Towel?
Bigger is generally better for a camping towel as long as it still packs down well. A towel that is large enough to wrap around you properly is much more useful than one that technically qualifies as a towel but leaves most of you exposed.
Our travel and beach towels come in sizes that work genuinely well at the campsite and they are still compact enough not to be a burden.
The Full Camping Kit
A camping towel works well alongside a beach mat for a comfortable outdoor surface and a car seat towel for the drive there and back. If you are putting together a full camping kit from scratch, our Bundle and Save options are worth looking at.