Sweat Towel

[Kevin Babione]

Not to be too graphic, but when it's warm out I sweat a lot. Having sweat dripping off my face drives me nuts. I've historically carried a large cotton bandana, which, after a few lengthy uphills, becomes saturated and looses any absorbant properties. I keep my sweat rag as open as possible with just a corner tucked into the elastic on the outside of my shoulder strap but it dries very slowly.

With the late Spring/Summer season here, what do my fellow "moisture generators" do? Has anyone used a LightLoad towel or a UL MSR PackTowel? What works for you?

[david]

I see a lot of sweatbands made out of coolmax, and although I have some myself I haven't had the opportunity to test it out myself.

Otherwise, maybe get the same materials as the microfiber towels and cut to an appropriate size ?

[JP]

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[Daryl and Daryl]

Kevin,

I too sweat a lot and, like you I use a cotton bandana. I attach it to the front corner of my front bag with a quick release buckle so it is handy.

When sweating heavily the bandana quickly wets out but it still works (for me) as a sponge to remove the excess sweat from my head so it doesn't drip into my eyes. So I sponge up the sweat and wring out the hanky, repeat, repeat, etc.

Everything I have tried (pack towels, head band, etc.) ends up being soaked and used as described above. So the pleasure of a dry sweat wiper (for me) is something I can only typically enjoy for a few minutes at the beginning of a climb up any hill.

Daryl

[Neil McGee]

Kevin,
As Daryl suggests, mitigation of the uncomfortable effects of lots of sweating is perhaps your best bet. I'm not a huge sweater, but when it's hot out and I am sweating profusely, I use a few things to keep me going comfortably. I've used two bandanas (one attached to my pack to dry out alternating with the other), a small MSR PakTowl (which snaps to my pack, absorbs a lot of moisture, dries quickly, is easy to wring out, but not the most pleasant to use on wet skin, I find), sweat bands, and my shirt to mop up. I've even used a bit of vaseline from cottonball firestarter (lipbalm works here, too, but can sting) applied to my eyebrows to ease sweat rolling into my eyes. But sometimes you just gotta sweat and bear it. Good news is, lots of sweating isn't a bad thing per se. It's a sign of a healthy body doing what it does to stay healthy. Just stay hydrated, hydrated, hydrated.
N

[Ty Ty]

I use a cotton bandanna also but I tuck in opposing corners under my chest strap so that the bandanna is spread open over my chest that way it dries out quicker from being more open and from the air movement of me walking forward.

I have also used some yellow microfiber towels I found in the car washing section at WalMart that came 3 to a pack. They are a thinner version of one of the MSR towels I have (never use b/c too heavy). These don't dry as fast but they have more of a sponge effect and wring out better than cotton.

[Zack Freije]

I find a lightweight hat can be good at keeping sweat out of your eyes, and keeping ticks out of your hair.

But, I also keep this snapped to my shoulder strap and frequently wipe my face:
MSR PackTowl Nano S:
http://cascadedesigns.com/packtowl

17 x 16 inches
0.6 ounces

[John S.]

You could also try cutting off a section of buff to use as headband.

[Jeff Moravec]

But I use a golf towel. Clip it to the pack.

[Kevin Babione]

Thanks for the responses…

I've got an 8-mile dayhike scheduled with some buddies and I think I'll take a couple different towels to try. I actually have one of the yellow Wal-Mart microfiber towels and it seems that it would be the softest for wiping a face.

I also have one of the UL Packtowls with the snap-loop on a corner. I'll give it a try as well (all the while keeping my trusty bandana in my daypack).

I'm always hesitant to wear a hat or anything else that might keep heat in while hiking. Even something that breathes well seems to make me hotter than nothing at all on top.

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