This Compact $35 Travel Towel Is Super Absorbent, Quick-Drying, and Takes Up Almost No Space in My Suitcase

I had never thought about traveling with a bath towel until last summer when I visited an old high school buddy. Yes, my friend is now a married homeowner in his 30s, but he’s still my buddy from high school, and I had no idea what the bath towel situation was at his house. Did he have extras for guests? Were they clean? Did his dog also use them? To be safe, I decided to bring my own towel, so I searched for one that was absorbent, quick-drying, and able to easily fit in my bag.

The towel I landed on is this microfiber camping and travel towel, and it turned out to be an amazing find. It’s around the same price as other high-quality bath towels, only it’s so much more compact. This thing is so tiny, I can leave it in my suitcase without worrying about losing space and know that no matter where I’m going — Airbnbs, campsites, friends’ homes — I’ll always have a clean and soft towel whenever I need it.

This towel is available in four sizes — face, hand, body, and beach — and several colors and patterns. I bought the body size, which is 25 inches by 54 inches, making it a little narrower than a typical bath towel but still big enough to dry myself off after a shower. Whichever size you choose, your towel will have a loop sewn onto one corner so you can hang dry it, and it will also come with a nylon zippered bag for storage. In its carrying bag, my body towel is about 8 inches by 6 inches and less than 1 inch thick, so I really can take it anywhere without sacrificing storage space.

The towel’s fabric is 80 percent polyester and 20 percent nylon, and it’s made with an anti-odor and antimicrobial treatment to avoid becoming musty or stale even after extended use. Half of the materials that go into the fabric are recycled, and overall the towel has a slightly plush and smooth feel that’s similar to microfiber cloths used to clean computer screens.

My favorite feature of the PackTowl is its compactness. I don’t want to feel burdened by bringing a towel in my luggage, and with this one, I always have room for everything else I want to pack. Beyond that, the reason I’ve kept this towel (and plan on using it for years) is that it performs exceptionally well. It will dry me off completely, then dry out itself and be ready to use again in a matter of hours. I’ve had regular bath towels that don’t work as well, so if you need an extra bath towel at your home, you could grab this one without losing any functionality.

I like investing in travel gear that’s meant to give you some of the comforts of home while you’re away. Sadly, those products don’t always turn out to be as great as their manufacturers promise. However, this towel has never let me down. It completely lives up to the hype, and if you’re not 100 percent satisfied with your purchase, I’ll be happy to take it off your hands — I could always use an extra!

Buy: PackTowl Personal Quick Dry Microfiber Towel, $34.95