Towels on tour, advice from any hoopy froods pls

Brock_71

Any thoughts or recommendations on the various and pricey pack towels?
I don't like taking a fluffy cotton towel on tour, but twenty odd quid for a rag to pat myself down with seems a bit extravagant... Or are they worth every penny?



<hr noshade size="1"><font size="1">A bicycle is for life, not just for Christmas.</font id="size1">

Oldknees

I think so because they dry so quickly, are much lighter and pack smaller than conventional towels. There are alternatives to the blue blotting paper ones - hang on a minute I've got one that I quite like in the hall. There you go, its a Trek Mates travel towel. It is slightly larger and quite soft but does tend to stick to your wet body a bit. Packs very small. Hope this helps.

slow is good too

Cunobelin

As above.

Also used for drying clothes!

Wring washed shorts etc and then roll in towel, kneel on towel, and remove most of the moisture - Guaranteed to be dry the following morning!

<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
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Mister Paul

I got one in the sale from Blacks for œ4.99. I think they're normally œ15.

I know that's no good for you, but I just wanted to tell someone.
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xilios

Great tip thanks [:)]
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Cunobelin</i>

As above.

Also used for drying clothes!

Wring washed shorts etc and then roll in towel, kneel on towel, and remove most of the moisture - Guaranteed to be dry the following morning!

<b><i>He that buys land buys many stones.
He that buys flesh buys many bones.
He that buys eggs buys many shells,
But he that buys good beer buys nothing else.</b></i>
(Unattributed Trad.)
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

www.geocities.com/bike_journeys/index.html

AndrewClark

I've got an old Cascade Designs pack towel which I've used for years. A piece 12" x 12" is adequate to dry off after a shower, so buy a large size and cut it in two. One wet, one dry.

Tip: They don't work well out of the packet. Buy one and leave it in the washing machine for a few cycles. That should roughen it up slightly and make it more absorbent.

Tip 2: I like Paramo gear but the towel is not one of their better products.

megilleland

Wipe yourself down with a flannel first to remove most of the moisture and then dry yourself with the towel.

The more you spend - the faster you go - the less you see.

cuddy duck

Those travel towels are made of the same stuff as those marginally plumper than a J-cloth kitchen 'cloths', available in your local supermarket for 10 - 20p each. I kid you not.
I've used one on a summer tour. Quite adequate; they're a reasonable size, v. absorbent, wring out easily, quick drying and do the job.

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ut_o_cykla

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by AndrewClark</i>

I've got an old Cascade Designs pack towel which I've used for years. A piece 12" x 12" is adequate to dry off after a shower, so buy a large size and cut it in two. One wet, one dry.

Tip: They don't work well out of the packet. Buy one and leave it in the washing machine for a few cycles. That should roughen it up slightly and make it more absorbent.

Tip 2: I like Paramo gear but the towel is not one of their better products.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Can only agree - the longer you have them the better they work, light when dry, don't smell after weeks damp in/on pannier. As Andrew says large flannel size is good enough for drying - but is not enough to cover all girlie parts! For which I take a a silk sarong - usless for drying but great for covering, lying on beach etc.

pousse moi s'il vous plait

rgisme

I think some travel towels are better than others - yes some are like a bit of J-cloth or blotting paper, but others have a very nice texture, feel good on the skin and are very effective - dry you quickly and dry out quickly. Personally I like a towel that's big enough to wrap around my bum at least too. So for me the answer is, get the right kind and they're definitely worth it - pack small and light, dry quickly, many times better than carrying a trad cotton towel of the same size.

Uncle Phil

Tea towels work quite well. The slightly fluffy kind, rather than flat woven cloth. The type I'm thinking of nearly always have some sort of check pattern on them. You can get them for 50p each from any market or hardware shop. They fold up small, dry pretty much as fast as proper pack towels and are cheap enough to be treated as disposable if need be. Easy to wash - you can even dry up your crockery with them!

The only thing it won't do that a fluffy towel will is keep you warm at night.

(I've never actually tried using one as a defence against the ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal).

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Nothing is going to get better. It's not"
- Dr Seuss

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MichaelW

Lakeland do fluffy microfibre towels at very reasonable prices
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/product.aspx/ ... 0738_20739
They do lots of other travel stuff: worth checking out.

Unknown

<font color="red">I got a couple from Tchibo the other year - a bit fluffy like a regular towel (not jay cloth) but dry super-quick and pack really small. Cost a fiver.

Don't know when they'll be round again, but you should always keep an eye on Tchibo!</font id="red">

pieinthesky

I used to hate pack towels until I figured out how to use them. You need a big one and a very small one (or as megilleland suggests, a flannal).

Dry yourself as much as possible with the little one and then use the big dry one to finish the job. This way you dont feel like you are just moving the dampness around and you do end up dry.

Another tip Have a shower with your cycling clothes on instead of washing them in the sink afterwards. Gets them much cleaner and rinses them better. Be prepared for some odd looks if it is a communal shower.

Unknown

I go with the T towel approach, buy them at the market, every country has them. Use them as rags to clean the bike when they get too bad and just buy another one for yourself. Very light to carry and cheap.

george

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Brock_71

Thanks for all the advice on this.
Decided to grab a couple of the Lakeland hand towels MichaelW suggested. They certainly seem like they'll do the job nicely. Will find out for sure on a relaxed two week South coast tour starting Sunday! [:)]

<hr noshade size="1"><font size="1">A bicycle is for life, not just for Christmas.</font id="size1">