It may not seem like much, but purchasing a good travel towel holds a whole host of advantages when on the move, whether its for a weekend away or months on the road.

Not only do travel towels save an incredible amount of space compared to a traditional towel, but they are also lighter weight, and substantially quicker to dry, meaning long gone is the trouble of smelly damp towels ruining the rest of your luggage.

Read on, and you’ll discover all you need to know about the best travel towels on the market right now. With our comprehensive descriptions and pros and cons sections, you can’t fail to find the travel towel for you!

 

#1 – Active Roots Travel Towels

Best quick dry towel for travel

We think a quick drying travel towel is an absolutely key piece of kit whether you consider yourself a budget traveler or someone who prefers to travel in a little more luxury, and there’s no better quick drying towel for travel than those offered by Active Roots.

Their microfiber towels come in two sizes – medium and extra large – with the additional choice of a combination set containing the XL towel and a face towel too.

Whichever Active Roots towel you choose, it comes with a snap loop for easy drying, mesh carry bag, and 100% lifetime guarantee. What’s more, each purchase contributes to elephant conservation in South-East Asia!

Are the Active Roots Travel Towels for you?

If you’re in the market for a quick drying travel towel you can’t do better than Active Roots. We also love the fact they have the confidence to provide a lifetime guarantee, and the social conscience to support charitable projects around the globe too.

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#2 – Bodi Microfiber Travel Towel

Best large quick dry towel

If the quick drying Active Roots extra large travel towel isn’t for you, another great bet is the Bodi Microfiber Travel Towel. Coming in at 30 x 48 inches, this is a truly large travel towel! However, the Bodi is still capable of folding down into a space smaller than that of your average tablet computer and weighs just a few ounces.

Perhaps most importantly the Bodi Microfiber Travel Towel can hold up to four times its weight in water, so you won’t have any trouble getting dry, and once wrung out, is especially quick to dry.

Is the Bodhi Microfiber Travel Towel for you?

If you’re someone in need of a larger travel towel that is still quick to dry, the Bodi Microfiber Travel Towel is possible the optimal choice of the moment. Opening out to cover a large area, yet small and compact for when luggage space is at a premium, the amount of liquid this towel can hold when drying is very impressive indeed!

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P.S. – Save a bit of cash in Traveling with our EPIC guide to the best baby Carriers for Hiking!

#3 – Wildhorn Microlite

Best compact travel towel

The Wildhorn Microlite travel towel series comes in a range of three sizes: small, large, and extra large, each one of which is very compact for its overall size.

What’s more, like the Bodhi Microfiber Travel Towel, the Wildhorn Microlite travel towels can hold four times their own weight in water and are able to dry ten times more quickly than a traditional cotton towel you might use at home.

Designed from day one with travel in mind, the Wildhorn Microlite series comes with a handy mesh bag for easy packing and breathability, and snap loops to help them dry all the quicker.

Are the Wildhorn Microlite travel towels for you?

Always short of space in your luggage or backpack however hard you try? Then the Wildhorn Microlite travel towel is for you! Each of the three available sizes are space-age compact, and still manage to dry 10 times faster than your standard towel! If further reasons to purchase a Wildhorn Microlite were needed, there’s the snap loops to help drying, and the mesh carry bag to keep everything tidy and in place while on the move.

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P.S. – Take a look at our AMAZING guide to the best Inflatable Kayaks.

#4 – ECOdept Microfiber Travel Towel

Best travel towel for backpacking

Backpacking can be tough on your kit, so you’re going to need a travel towel made from the right stuff. Step forward the ECOdept Microfiber Travel Towel, which comes with a matching microfiber face and hand towel!

First and foremost, the ECOdept fits into its own pouch that tips the scales at just eight ounces. And it dries four times faster than a standard towel. But on top of that, the ECOdept has been manufactured using naturally antibacterial fibers.

What does this mean for you? It means you can spend even longer backpacking without your travel towel starting to smell!

Is the ECOdept Microfiber Travel Towel for you?

Any backpacker will appreciate the need for naturally antibacterial fibers such as those that comprise the ECOdept Microfiber Travel Towel, keeping the towel safe from nasty smells for even longer. But the ECOdept is also lightweight – a must for anyone hauling their own kit – and dries quickly enough to suit the needs of those who change destinations every day or so.

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Recommended Article – Take a look at our AMAZING guide about the best travel jackets.

#5 – Lifeventure Hydro Fiber Ultralite Travel Towel

Best travel towel for camping

Lifeventure have long pushed the envelope when it comes to gear orientated to camping and adventure, and their Hydro Fiber Ultralite Travel Towel is no different!

As its name promises, this travel towel is very light, weighing just a few ounces, while having a reasonable total area of 44 x 26”, more than enough to ensure happy campers.

The Hydro Fiber Ultralite has also been treated with Polygiene, a chemical that helps prevent the growth of the bacteria that can cause odor – keeping the towel fresher for longer. And to keep the towel as compact as possible, it comes with its own zippered case with a useful loop too.

Is the Lifeventure Hydro Fiber Ultralite Travel Towel for you?

Its lightweight nature, compact size, and anti-bacterial/anti-smell pre-treatment makes the Lifeventure Hydro Fiber Ultralite travel towel a first-rate choice for campers searching for a travel towel. It may not be the largest of travel towels on the market, but with space at a premium, you won’t be wanted a super large travel towel in any case!

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Editor’s Note – Have you checked out our guide about the best Packing Cubes?

 

 

#6 – Trespass Wickerman Bamboo Sports Towel

Best travel towel for swimming

Put away any notions you may have of a bamboo-made sports towel being scratchy or even non-absorbent. Nothing could be further from the truth with the Trespass Wickerman Bamboo Sports Towel!

Though made from naturally-occurring bamboo interwoven with polyester, the Trespass Wickerman still has the texture of a traditional towel. As a result, it not only feels more like a towel than other microfiber and travel towels, but it is also very absorbent.

At roughly 45 x 25 inches when opened out, the towel is a very useable size without being over large. The use of bamboo also means that the Trespass Wickerman stays smell-free for much longer than other travel towels – which is no bad thing!

Is the Trespass Wickerman Bamboo Sports Towel for you?

A good size, the Trespass Wickerman is big enough to lie on, absorbent, and specifically designed as a sports towel above all else, we can’t think of any reason why you wouldn’t be happy purchasing this towel. The fact that bamboo helps resist the smells that development over time on travel times is another great reason to buy it.

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Editor’s Note – You can also check out our article about the best Travel Daypacks.

#7 – Sea to Summit Drylite Towel

Best travel towel for hiking

We think the name says it all with the Sea to Summit Drylite towel. Whichever destination, and whatever geography you choose when hiking – from coastline to the highest of mountain tops – the lightweight and quick drying offering from Sea to Summit is the ideal companion to any hiker.

Soft on the skin as well as light and compact, there is the option of three alternate sizes: small, medium and large. The smallest version opens out at 32 x 16”, the large at 48 x 24”, and the extra large at 60 x 30”, so there’s an option for everyone. What’s more, even the largest of sizes weighs under seven ounces.

Is the Sea to Summit Drylite towel for you?

With even the largest Sea to Summit Drylite towel weighing less than 7 ounces while offering a great size to dry yourself off with, hikers will find this towel a great addition to their kit, whether you’re out for the day or on a longer hiking adventure. Nor will you be giving up quality, with the Sea to Summit Drylite soft to the touch.

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#8 – Dock & Bay Microfiber Beach Towel

Best travel towel for the beach

It wasn’t too long ago that it was impossible to find a small and lightweight travel towel that was also suitable for use on the beach. Thankfully this gap in the market has been filled by the Dock & Bay Microfiber Beach Towel.

Sporting a coastal style thanks to its uber-cool vertical stripes, the Dock & Bay certainly looks the part. And there’s no problem getting it to the beach thanks to its travel pouch.

Available as an extra large size which is perfect for both lying on the sand and drying off after a dip in the waves, the microfiber composition makes the towel absorbent, lightweight, and quick drying all in one.

Is the Dock & Bay Microfiber Beach Towel for you?

Sometimes style is just as important as substance, and heading to the beach is definitely one of those times. The trendy looks of the Dock & Bay won’t make you feel self-conscious when pulling out your towel to lay on the sands – instead, you’ll be turning heads for all the right reasons!

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Recommended Article – have you checked out our article about the best Carry on Backpacks?

#9 – Mountain Warehouse Travel Towel

Best budget travel towel

A travel towel for $10 has got to be a joke, right? Wrong! But price is not the only reason why you should be considering the Mountain Warehouse Travel Towel as your travel towel of choice.

This towel is a good size at roughly 45 x 28 inches when opened out,while remaining pretty light too. Being made out of microfiber, you’ll find this towel hugely absorbent for its size, soft, and fast drying – a must whatever your budget.

There’s a useful loop on one corner to hang it up even when there’s just a nail available, and a carry case to keep the towel as compact as possible. It also comes in a ton of colors, so you won’t get your towel confused with anyone elses!

Is the Mountain Warehouse travel towel for you?

Who can argue against the Mountain Warehouse travel towel when it comes at such a great price? We certainly can’t! But if you think you’ll be putting price before standards you’d be wrong, with the Mountain Warehouse travel towel being lightweight despite its decent size, and absorbent too.

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#10 – Raqpak Microfiber Towel

Best of the rest

Absorbing three times its weight in water and also quick drying, the Raqpak Microfiber towel is another good option for anyone searching for a trustworthy travel towel.

Coming in a variety of sizes to meet the needs of all sorts of travelers, campers, and sports people, there is a small 40 x 20” version, a middle-sized version at 60 x 30”, and a larger version at an impressive 70 x 39” when open.

Raqpak microfiber towels are all treated with anti-bacterial agents to help prevent the development of bad odors as a result of bacterial build up when in use, and a lifetime guarantee too!

Is the Raqpak Microfiber Towel for you?

The Raqpak Microfiber Towel provides another good alternative for those looking for a standard travel towel with which to reduce the bulk of the baggage. There are three handy sizes to opt between, and like some of the other travel towels on our list, the Raqpak is pre-treated with anti-bacterial agents to slow the growth of bacteria and therefore bad smells for as long as possible.

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#11 – Shandali Microfiber Sports and Travel Towel

This ultralight sports and travel towel by Shandali is constructed from a microfiber of 80% polyester and 20% nylon, meaning it has the capacity to dry up to tens times faster than standard towels.

It can also absorb four times its weight in water. The high thread count means that this towel is not only durable, but also soft to the touch. There’s a corner loop for easy hanging, and the choice of the small version at 40 x 20 inches, or a larger version at 48 x 24 inches.

A lifetime guarantee ensures you’re sure to be happy, even in the rare event the towel doesn’t meet your exacting standards.

Is the Shandali Microfiber Sports and Travel Towel for you?

A really good sized towel designed for sports and travel, the Shandali Microfiber towel makes the best of both worlds since it is also quick drying and very absorbent. As well as this, there’s the high thread count to consider, and the safety of that 100% lifetime guarantee.

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Further Recommended – have you checked out our article about the best Travel Strollers?

Found the travel towel for you?

Working out which travel towel is the best for you can be a bit of a minefield, with so many different things to consider and keep in mind while clutching your wallet in one hand.

In creating this review page of the best travel towels available right now, we take the pressure away, allowing you to make the right decision the first time around. You can thank us when you’re drying yourself off with your new travel towel!

Editor’s Note – No matter where you are traveling, you NEED to have great travel insurance. We have personally tested TONS of travel insurance companies, and can say without a doubt that World Nomads is the absolute best (and most affordable!). Fill out the form below to get a quote.

 

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