Towel absorbencies

reginald. don't know anything about statistics on these towels but i do know the MSR brand is the best i've ever used. they are extremely light weight and very absorbent. believe me i've tried them all…………..

and to add to what Victora said about the towels from MSR… they are really soft and wonderful. That said, they do cost a little more but I feel they are worth the extra money.

I like the MSR also. I bought the largest towel they make and cut it in 4ths, saving weight and money. 4 of use have enough towel to dry off or what ever and the cost is a lot better then buying 4 smaller towels. They don't fray, so all you need is a pair of scissors.
I think I'm going to try "Handi-wipes" discussed on a thread last week. They would be lighter and dry quicker, but less absorbent. I need to find the trade off. Maybe Handi-wipes in winter and MSR in summer (for swimming).

I've found Handi-Wipes (available at your local supermarket) to be just as absorbent and, more important, lots faster-drying than the various pack towels marketed. I bought a small MSR to try it out and found that the Handi-Wipes dried twice as fast. Admittedly, the Handi-Wipes don't last nearly as long–they're intended to be disposable but last through several week-long trips–but you can buy an awful lot of them for the price of one pack towel.

Tried a few. Actually the softer ones don't absorb as much and what's worse they slide off, so it feels like slushing water around. Extremely frustrating. Any one come across coarse compact towels? Still looking.

The 2-pack of viscose towels at Trader Joe's make excellent pack towels, they're about a foot square and only $4.

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Got mine here – http://www.shammysolutions.com/site/1618064/product/100-01

Great price, work well. Wouldn't be too tough to stick a grommet in one.

Auto parts stores sell a synthetic (PVA) chamois that really soaks up the water. It's large enough (27×17) that it can split between two people. I even cut a long strip to use as a head band to keep the sweat out of my eyes on hot, high milage days.

I’ve been seeing a lot of commercials lately for ShamWow.
Not sure if they’re any different than other shammies. But aren’t all these camp towels pretty much the same thing?

eagle creek is different. It is a microfiber with a looped face. I havent compared its weight, etc. to my decade+ old cascade designs viscose one. The CD one is now very pilled. the EC has a better hand.

edit: in similar size, the weight is nearly identical.

Has anyone tried the new "WickSilver" pack towels sold by Gossamer Gear? Supposed to be wicking on one side/fast drying on the other and antimicrobal to prevent odor. I'm thinking of buying one to try it out.