This gear review was originally appeared in Rapid Media’s monthly Paddling Magazine.
Packing a towel for a paddling trip can be a challenge. Bath towels from home are simply too bulky to justify. Beach towels are thinner and perfect for sitting by the lake, but without any sunshine or wind to dry it out, a beach towel can get pretty funky after a day or two of use, and they hog a lot of space.
Enter MSR’s Personal PackTowl line. Made of polyester-nylon microfibers and available in four different sizes, you’d be forgiven for doubting the abilities of the PackTowl’s ultra thin cloth. I was a hold out for that very reason, until I needed something to dry off after riding my bike to work. Now, I’m a convert. Though it weighs in at just a few ounces, the PackTowl is durable and feels made to last, unlike other popular ultra-thin towels that feel fragile.
Helping keep the funk limited to your iPod, the PackTowl boasts an antimicrobial treatment that promises to stick around and keep your towel fresh for the long term. For extra freshness there’s machine wash instructions even I can follow—wash, then dry.
The extra-large PackTowl I bought measures 52 by 24 inches and packs down into a small mesh packet, just a bit bigger than a deck of cards. The first few times I tried to repack the towel it felt a bit like trying to push toothpaste back into the tube, but with practice, and after a few uses, it becomes easy.
The PackTowl claims to absorb four times its own weight in water and wrings out almost completely dry. The convenient snap loop makes it easy to hang from a tree or line to complete the drying. I’ve found it takes just a quarter of the time to dry compared to a cotton towel. While soft on the skin, it doesn’t have the cozy comfort of a plush towel and doesn’t rub the same way along the body. These towels are made to be dabbed and work best if you apply a slight constant pressure and push the towel around. If you already pat yourself dry, there’s no learning curve.
I plan to pick up another PackTowl—as much to have a second one at my disposal, as to have the XXL version. I’m not a big guy, but what can I say, I like big towels.
$22.95 USD | www.packtowl.com
This article appeared in Paddling Magazine.
