A microfiber travel towel is almost a must when heading out to travel. They are quick-drying, highly absorbent, and lightweight. Hence, a microfiber travel towel only takes up a little space in your suitcase, and since it dries faster, you avoid having to pack a wet towel in your travel bag.
Why you should choose a quick-drying travel towel
There are many good reasons to prefer a microfiber travel towel over a cotton one, regardless of whether you're on a package holiday or a backpacking trip, as it meets most needs you might have on your journey.
Many have probably experienced taking a cotton towel to the beach, only to have it immediately filled with sand. Especially when you come out of the water, dry yourself for the first time, and then lie down on it in the sand. Suddenly, it's extremely uncomfortable to dry yourself with it, as the sand in the fabric grates against the skin and sticks to it.
Moreover, it will stay wet for the rest of the day, and if it is full of seawater, it may not even dry out overnight. If you're backpacking and take a quick dip in the water, dry off with a normal towel, and stuff it in your bag, you will soon find that it starts to smell.
All these problems are avoided with microfiber travel towels, not least because of their fantastic properties:
- Quick-drying in more than one way. Their high absorbency removes most of the water from the skin, and they quickly release the water again, so the towel is dry and ready to use promptly.
- Sand-resistant, so you avoid drying yourself with a towel that feels like sandpaper. You just need to shake the towel or brush it off.
- Microfiber travel towels absorb water 3 times faster than cotton towel and can contain even more water. If it gets too full of water, you just wring it out once, and it's ready to use again.
- They weigh much less than cotton towels and therefore also take up much less space. Easy to throw in the bag after you've dried off nicely.
- They are 100% odour-free, as they do not collect smells, even if you forget it in your bag for a while. Therefore, it also doesn't need to be washed as often as a cotton towel.
Although a microfiber travel towel is quite unique in many ways, it is still recommended to dry off with a cotton towel once you're finished being in the water. They just perform best for that purpose. Therefore, it's best to use a microfiber travel towel for those times when you need to quickly get most of the water off your skin.
A microfiber travel towel is thus a great complement to the classic cotton travel towel. You won't get completely dry in the same way as with a cotton towel, but on the other hand, you can be certain that it dries quicker, so it's ready for use again immediately. A cotton towel, on the other hand, will become saturated with water more quickly and dry slower, which means it loses its ability to dry the skin effectively.
How quick-drying travel towels work
Normal cotton towels work by absorbing the water from the skin into the fabric and then retaining it. That's why it can take a long time for a cotton towel to dry.
Microfiber travel towels, however, are made of polyester and polyamide, which are woven together from fibres thinner than human hair. It's this special weaving that makes the towel much quicker to dry than a traditional cotton towel. Essentially, a microfiber towel "brushes" water off your skin, which means the fibres don't absorb the water into them, but instead pull it up.
That's exactly why they can get rid of the water quickly. It's also because the fibres of the material are made of synthetic materials that are naturally water-repellent. Therefore, they also gather more water droplets between the fibres, which is why they dry faster. However, this results in a microfiber travel towel not absorbing all the water, in the same way a cotton travel towel would.
Most of the travel towels on this site are made from recycled plastic, which means they don't have as significant an environmental impact as traditional travel towels. So if you're environmentally conscious, opting for microfiber travel towels would be a wise choice, as it would reduce the number of cotton travel towels you would need on your trip.
Find the size that suits you best
We have travel towels in various sizes, so you can find one that suits the needs you might have on your trip. Whether it's a 160 x 80 cm travel towel from Watery or SummerSand or a 70 x 140 cm large travel towel from Speedo.
Since even the large microfiber travel towels don't take up much space when rolled up, there's plenty of room to fit several in your bag.
Most also come with their pouch or with an elastic band that you can wrap around them so they take up as little space as possible. Otherwise, you'll also easily manage to fit them in a swim net or a mesh bag. It really couldn't be simpler.
Suitable for all family sizes
If you're travelling with kids, as a parent you'll probably relate to them jumping in and out of the water constantly. Especially when they really get into their water play. Here, a microfiber travel towel will be gratefully received.
As they both absorb water better and dry quicker after use, there's no need to worry about whether you have enough dry towels with you. Therefore, they also work incredibly well when you quickly need to dry off the water from your skin. However, it is advisable to have a good quality cotton towel ready for when the kids are finally finished in the water after a long and fun day.
If, on the other hand, you're an avid sunbather who just dips into the water occasionally to cool off, it might be a very good idea to have a microfiber travel towel with you. This way you can dry yourself with it, and use your cotton travel towel for lying on when sunbathing. That way you avoid lying on a wet towel or having to bring extra cotton travel towels with you.
In the same way, you will greatly benefit from a bath poncho, which is quick-drying, lightweight and even allows you to have your hands free. Therefore, a kid's bath poncho is also absolutely wonderful for families with kids.
How to wash and maintain your microfiber travel towel
If you want to get the maximum absorption capacity out of your microfiber travel towels, we recommend washing them 1-2 times before first use. Since they are made from synthetic materials, they require different washing instructions than those for cotton towels. For example, they can't withstand high heat, meaning they can't be boil-washed or tumble-dried at high temperatures.
To make it more manageable, the washing instructions can be listed as follows:
- Can be machine washed at 30 degrees or lower temperatures
- Not suitable for dry cleaning
- Cannot be ironed, as it will burn the fibres
- Can be tumble dried at low temperatures but is also easy to air dry
Although these are the most general tips, different microfiber travel towels may have separate washing instructions. Therefore, we also recommend that you follow those.
Purchase your microfiber travel towel here at Watery.ie
We have a wide range and a large selection of different microfiber travel towels, and we aim to only have the highest quality. In addition, we also have several other benefits if you shop here at Watery.ie:
- Free shipping on orders over €79
- 3-5 days delivery
- Our customer service is ready all weekdays from 8 AM to 10 PM.
So if you're unsure which microfiber travel towel to choose, or if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to write or call us. Together we will surely find the travel towel that you need.
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