Gone are the days when you had to lug around a huge towel on your travels. Modern travel towels are light, small and easy to pack. Here are the best travel towels that are for you to bring on your next trip.
Best Travel Towels: At a Glance
| Product | Best For | |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | Best Overall Microfiber Towel | Check Price |
| Bodhi Microfiber Towel | Best Ultra Lightweight Travel Towel | Check Price |
| Dock & Bay Beach Towel | Best Microfibre Beach Towel | Check Price |
| Trespass Bamboo Towel | Best Bamboo Travel Towel | Check Price |
| Lifeventure Giant Map Towel | Most Distinctive Travel Towel | Check Price |
| Big Jim Travel Towel | Best Ultra-Large Travel Towel | Check Price |
| Fit Flip Travel Towel | Best-Rated Travel Towel | Check Price |
The Best Travel Towels
Sea to Summit DryLite Towel – Best Microfibre Travel Towel
Price Guide: ££
The Sea to Summit DryLite is my pick for the best travel towel as it’s absorbent, light and quick-drying as well as selling at a reasonable price.
This towel is made of ultra-lightweight and quick-drying fabric, making it perfect for travel. Plus, the siliconized fiber weave helps to repel moisture from the air so the towel stays dry until you use it.
The microfiber fabric has a natural terry cloth feel, but unlike your average towel it can absorb up to six times its own weight in water.
Despite being super absorbent this microfibre towel is quick drying – hence why we’ve chosen it as one of the best travel towels and even daily activities including going to the gym, pool or beach, boating or camping.
The DryLite Towel is also given an antibacterial treatment that helps prohibit the growth of microbes and bacteria. This is particularly handy in situations where you don’t have time to allow it to fully dry before you have to pack it up again.
The DryLite Towel will fit perfectly in your backpack or suitcase as the mesh pouch it comes in doesn’t take up much room at all. The microfibre towel is available in sizes ranging from XS to XL.
Sea to Summit Microfiber Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Quick Drying | No Choice of Patterns |
| Affordable Pricing | |
| Range of Sizes from XS to XL | |
| Antibacterial Coating |
Bodhi Microfiber Quick Dry Towel – Best Ultra Lightweight Travel Towel
Price Guide: £
If you’re looking for a colourful range of microfiber quick dry towels the Australian company Bodhi has exactly what you need in the Bodhi Microfiber Quick Dry Towel.
These quick dry towels are lightweight and come with a breathable mesh bag allowing it to dry in the bag if you can’t wait for it to dry completely.
Don’t worry about a smelly towel because the microfibre quick dry towel has antibacterial properties preventing odour and mould.
When Bodhi labels this microfibre towel as quick dry they mean it- lay the towel out in the sun for several minutes after use and it’ll be completely dry!
Recommended for all your travel needs, especially those planning on being in the water frequently or even at home uses such as showers and the gym. There are three sizes available: M (100 x 50cm) L (130 x 80cm) and XL (180 x 90cm)
Bodhi Travel Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Quick-drying | No choice of patterns |
| Ultra Lightweight | Limited range of sizes |
| Packs up into small mesh bag | |
| Antibacterial microfibre towel |
Dock & Bay Microfibre Quick Dry Beach Towel – Best Microfibre Beach Towel
Price Guide: £££
Don’t you absolutely hate trying to get all the sand off your towel after a relaxing day at the beach? The days of getting sand in your eyes and mouth, at least from shaking out your towel, are over.
Dock & Bay have released the perfect travel towel for beach lovers.
The microfibre quick dry beach towel is compact enough to fit into your backpack or beach bag and if you don’t feel like placing it in your bag it comes with its own travel pouch which doubles as a bag itself.
These microfiber beach towels come in two sizes L (160 x 80cm): more compact but still big and XL (200 x 90cm): perfect to lay on the beach with.
No matter what size you purchase these beach towels are extremely absorbent and after a few minutes in the sun they’ll be dry once again.
Dock & Bay Microfibre Quick-Dry Beach Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Stylish design | No antibacterial coating |
| Lots of colours to choose from | Non-mesh bag – slower drying |
| Choice of different patterns | More expensive option |
Trespass Bamboo Antibacterial Travel Towel – Best Bamboo Travel Towel
Price Guide: ££
Enough about the microfiber towels- Trespass is offering a natural antibacterial bamboo fibre travel towel.
These bamboo fibres not only provide natural protection from odour and mould, but they are what makes the towel one of the softest travel towels on the market.
Like most travel towels, Trespass also provides a mesh panel storage casing for quick drying.
The bamboo fibre travel towel comes in one ideal size, 60 x 120cm, making it a useful body towel.
If you’re looking for a towel that feels like the ones at home, but is lightweight and compact, the Trespass bamboo antibacterial travel towel is the towel for you.
Trespass Bamboo Travel Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Made from natural bamboo fibres | Only one colour |
| Super-soft | Non-mesh bag – slower drying |
| Natural protection from odour and mould |
Lifeventure Softfibre Giant World Map Travel Towel – Most Distinctive Travel Towel
Price Guide: £££
If you’re looking for a more fashion forward travel towel, look no further because Lifeventure has exactly what you need with the giant world map travel towel.
Lifeventure offers three stylish map printed softfibre travel towels. These travel towels are ultra-soft, compact and highly absorbent.
Each towel has permanent antibacterial protection and can absorb 9 times its own weight (310g) of water. Sure that’s a lot of water, but just as fast as it can absorb water this backpacking towel dries 8 times faster than your average towel.
Lifeventure Travel Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Super-sized towel – perfect for beach or camping | Only one colour |
| Unique design | Expensive |
| Antibacterial protection |
Big Jim Quick Drying Microfibre Towel – Best Extra-Large Travel Towel
Price Guide: £
Everything you need to know is in the name- microfiber and quick drying, yet another great option for a travel towel.
The XL size (180 x 90cm) Big Jim towel is one of the biggest microfiber towels on the market providing coverage for men and women of all shapes and sizes.
Despite its size this microfibre towel is extremely thin (2 mm) allowing it to fold up nice and small adding no bulk to your bag.
With the tight weave microfiber material that the towel is made of it can easily absorb 8 times more than the average towel. The quick dry feature makes traveling easier and worth giving the Big Jim quick drying microfiber towel a shot.
Big Jim Travel Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Super-sized towel | Only one colour |
| Great price | No travel bag |
Fit-Flip Microfiber Towel – Best Rated Microfiber Towel
Price Guide: ££
The best-rated microfiber towel in Germany comes from Fit-Flip.
This ultra lightweight travel towel is recommended for climbers because of the fibre structure the towel is made of there is no leftover fuzz and it’s extremely absorbent and of course, fast drying.
The microfiber towel is soft to touch and like most, antibacterial and dirt repellent. Making it all the more convenient Fit-Flip provides a press button strap that can be used to hang your travel towel on a branch or rod to dry.
The Fit-Flip travel towel wouldn’t be complete without its mesh carrier with a string strap attached for easy carrying.
The only (sizable) downside is that some of the microfibre towel reviews for Fit Flip report the colours running for the first few washes.
Fit Flip Microfiber Towel – Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Very affordable | ** Reports of the some of the towels running in the wash the first few times |
| Wide range of colours | No travel bag |
| Large range of sizes |
Best Travel Towel Guide – Things to Consider
Types of Travel Towel
Microfibre Towels
A quick option is to opt for a microfiber towel.
These towels are light, compact and dry out quickly. They also come in different colors so they’re easy to spot when you unpack your luggage at the hotel or hostel. Also, many of these towels can be used as blankets on flights since they’re extra warm.
Bamboo Travel Towels
If you’re looking for a more luxurious option, consider investing in a bamboo towel.
Bamboo towels are super absorbent, lightweight and quick drying. If you have sensitive skin, these towels are hypoallergenic too!
Linen Travel Towels
Linen towels can be a great option for those who want a natural fiber towel.
Linen is one of the oldest textiles in the world and it has many benefits. It’s absorbent, fast drying and durable. Plus, linen towels get softer with every wash.
So there we are, the best travel towels available on the market.
It might sound like a small thing to pay attention to but you have a choice… You can be the person with the smelly heavy towel or the genius who brought themselves the microfibre, compact, fast drying, antibacterial travel towel.
