Linen towels for travel

[Emily Shor]

Is anyone else a convert to the joys of carrying a linen travel towel?

I used to own a microfibre one, and I suppose it worked well enough, but I found the texture unpleasant and it wasn't very absorbent. It always felt like I was using it as a squeegee to scrape the water off. I am not a fan of artificial fibres.

So I finally ended up getting a linen one, given a bit of a push by a Snarky Nomad article.

I considered the Outlier Grid Linen towel, which was what he originally owned (though I've since heard that they may not be all that durable). What I ended up getting, since I live in the UK, was a towel from Toast. Their small linen herringbone towel is absorbent enough to me to dry off completely after a shower, although it's not full bath size by any means. (I should also add that I have short hair.) Even the large one packs up pretty nicely, though so far I've only used it at home.

The other interesting linen towels I've encountered in the UK are from Once Milano - the colours are absolutely lovely but I think the sizing is a bit skimpy.

Any more linen recs?

[adalangdon]

Nice! Thanks for starting this thread. I was looking into microfibre for a gym towel, but it looks like I have another option to consider :-D (I have a freebie microfiber hair towel which I found terribly non-absorbent, but I don't know if it's because the microfibre was poor quality?)

[capncat]

I hadn't run across linen towels before, but I started using Turkish peshtemals for travel and gym use. they sound similar, lightweight and very absorbent woven cotton, also very packable (two big enough to cover my entire person fit comfortably into a DLBP along with a set of gym clothes, shoes, flippies for shower and small toiletry kit).

[NWhikergal]

I recently started using a linen towel to bring to the gym as it packs so small, and I love it! It also dries like a dream. I picked up one of the Lapuan Kankurit linen towels from a local shop that carries Finnish items. I am seriously considering getting a second larger one at some point. Very happy I found this!


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[BajaMandy]

I hadn't run across linen towels before, but I started using Turkish peshtemals for travel and gym use. they sound similar, lightweight and very absorbent woven cotton, also very packable (two big enough to cover my entire person fit comfortably into a DLBP along with a set of gym clothes, shoes, flippies for shower and small toiletry kit).

+1 to this, for sure! I -love- those thin, white dishtowels that seem to absorb a freakishly large amount of water. Earlier this year, I was introduced to peshtemals and couldn't ask for more! (they're thicker than the dishtowels I described, but also absorb crazy amounts of water) I also love how the towel folds up small - folded, rolled, I can put it in a #2 Stuff Sack, but I prefer it folded flat in the bottom of my A30, where it takes up almost no space. I also love how I can wrap it around my chest or waist, sarong style....and I'm not a petite woman, or use it as a cover up/travel sheet/shawl/picnic mat. If hung up, they air-dry super fast, too.

I originally got a couple for travel, I've since got more and now they're all I use. FYI, if you don't use fabric softener, they're more absorbent.

[Emily Shor]

Glad to know this has been a useful post! I forgot to mention peshtemal (AKA "Turkish towels") but I definitely did consider them before finding a linen towel that looked perfect. The Turkish cotton ones are almost certainly cheaper...

I was looking into microfibre for a gym towel, but it looks like I have another option to consider :-D (I have a freebie microfiber hair towel which I found terribly non-absorbent, but I don't know if it's because the microfibre was poor quality?)

I certainly found it non-absorbent, but maybe mine was poor quality too. Another consideration in a gym towel is that microfibre, like all artificial fibres, quickly becomes smellier than a natural fabric will.

[bchaplin]

Can those who have bought linen towels in the U.S. share the links? Thanks!
I have some REI microfiber towels. They have been fine for me. I use them most often when traveling, to wring out clothes that I am handwashing. Because the clothes are clean at that point, I have not noticed that the towels develop an odor, and they dry quickly. Rarely, if I am in a hotel where the towels don't seem clean, I'll end up using the microfiber one for myself.

However, I'd give the linen ones a try if I found a source that was reasonably priced.

[Melissa]

@BajaMandy is correct! Don't wash microfiber towels with any fabric softener rinse nor use fabric softener sheets. The softening agents are a coating which builds up and blocks the absorbency of the fibers. You may need to wash, dry, and wash again a few times to remove all the build up. The same is true for regular cotton towels as well.

Okay.....now I'm off to Amazon to find some linen towels!

[Emily Shor]

@BajaMandy is correct! Don't wash microfiber towels with any fabric softener rinse nor use fabric softener sheets. The softening agents are a coating which builds up and blocks the absorbency of the fibers. You may need to wash, dry, and wash again a few times to remove all the build up. The same is true for regular cotton towels as well.

Interesting tip! I'd never heard that before - but I also never use fabric softener, so I don't think that was the problem for me.

Okay.....now I'm off to Amazon to find some linen towels!

Best of luck. Let us know how you make out.

[NWhikergal]

Linen towels for travel

@bchaplin, I purchased a Lapuan Kankurit terva towel medium for $55 from a shop named Pirkko in Seattle. I don’t see it on the shop’s website, Shop for Marimekko and other Iconic Scandinavian Brands in Seattle – pirkko., but you might be able to call them directly. Here is the link to the company: Terva-pyyhe Lapuan Kankurit . I have not had the towel long enough to assess its long-term durability, but it seems extremely well made. After washing the towel on permanent press setting, I let it air dry. This one is technically a linen blend that also has a small amount of Tencel and cotton, and it is incredibly absorbent and dries much better than synthetic travel towels I have used in the past. It was a bit of an impulse purchase, as I fell for it when I saw it, but at the time I recalled the thread about Outlier linen towels. Knowing how popular saunas are in Finland though, I decided to take a chance on the brand.

I will try and load a couple of photos of the towel so you can get an idea of its size hanging and rolled up.

[GoStanford]

I got a couple of cotton Turkish towels (thin, absorbent, good for poolside or for wrapping hair) from Etsy. The shop I used has since closed, but I'm sure there are suppliers on Etsy as well.

[Washu]

I have purchased peshtemals from several sources - we use them at home as well as for travel. They are especially nice if you have curly hair - not as much frizz. My favorite source so far has been a seller called bazaarthegrand on ebay. They are based in Turkey, and customer service is very good.

[Kirri]

I read about linen towels, I think on the snarkynomad as well. Wherever it was, also said that if packed damp, the linen has a special quality that prevents them getting moldy and smelly. (linen is made from something completely different -flax? - to cotton.) So I packed one microfibre towel and two linen towels when travelling with my family recently. I liked both type but they definitely feel different.

The advantage of the linen was I just bought a length of linen fabric online (cost about GBP10 each one) and hemmed it. That allowed me to get a towel that was big enough to wrap around the largest family members and still be small enough to take up hardly any room.

I figured that linen cloths like this would also be useful in the same way sarongs are - clothing, picnic rug, shade-maker, clothes wringer after hand washing, etc. They were great for this and being so much larger in size, but same weight, as a microfibre towel, they worked really well.

However my children preferred the softness of the microfibre towel for drying. It is now very hot and humid where I am and so I am still using all three as our home towels as they dry so much better than regular cotton towels - very hard to prevent musty moldiness in summer here. I'm hoping the regular washing will make the linen towels soften as they are much stiffer than microfibre still. This is meant to happen with use. I too am aiming for them to become like old amazing dishtowels!

Final advantage of buying linen fabric online was that I could choose the colours!

[fredlet]

I use the peshtemals for travel (and have a set for home too) they dry nicely and I can use them for wraps or beach stuff.
Cacala 100% Cotton Pestemal Turkish Bath Towel, 37 x 70", Aqua https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFYE8DQ..._y35FwbGGYDW85


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[Ilkyway]

After Ceepee has introduced me to this kind of towles @fedlet has linked, I use thouse too. Love them for all that they are: large but very packable, fast drying and so chearfull in colors.
I can even see me wearing one as a big scalf should I get cold and have nothing else to layer at hand. (I always ALWAYS) have a towle AND know where it is ;-)

Ilkyway