Towels - The Urban Staple

I have lots of towels around. A few in the car, one or two in the office, and one of those fancy microfiber jobs in my man-bag. Here in Florida, they come in handy not only to wipe perspiration, but as a make-shift hat, bandage, ice-pack, tourniquet,filter, cool compress, glove, and all the other "normal" stuff.

I'm interested if others consider the towel a staple. Do you like the microfiber types or stick with the old cotton version? What size do you find most useful? What unique uses in the urban environment have you found?

Craig.

I keep a ShamWow! (TM) in the center console of my car, for no special reason except to wipe the inside of the windshield now and again. Its dirty enough that I would hesitate to use it to stop bleeding, although in a pinch anything will do. And I hike with a hiking towel in my daypack and backpack (and BOB), they are absorbent and are can dry an entire body after a dip in a freezing mountain lake. Any of the versions listed at rei.com work just fine - http://www.rei.com/search?query=hiking+towel. I think its cotton, about the size of a bandana.

I keep both in my Honda Element -- cotton and microfiber.

Black towels to cover stuff so it can't be seen through the tinted windows. Microfiber for wet dog days.

I keep a couple tucked away with the spare tire. I have 8 year old twin boys too so I ALWAYS have a roll of paper towels in the car too.

Griot's Garage used to have a nylon paper towel roll cover for the car that kept the roll from "unrolling". It used velcro to close the cover and keep the towels clean. I've not seen it in a long time though.

Craig.

We have microfiber for dusting and car detailing and then the ol`plain cotton for other things.

I use a plain cotton one on my office chair to keep my cool... I just swap out towels when it heats up

The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy said you should always have a bath size towel with you.

Always good advice.

Towels in the bath, big fluffy beach towels for drying off.

Towels in the kitchen. Tea towels for wiping spills, drying dishes, handling hot pots.

Towels in the shop. Ratty tea towels and cotton rags for wiping parts, counters tools and hands.

Towels for first aid. From bandannas through triangular bandages to bulky bath towels for everything from wound dressing to splint padding. Towels for wrapping ice packs in, they keep you from freezing your patient's skin.

Towels for the car. Ragged ones for wiping dip sticks, windshields, head lights and brake lights. Bulky ones for padding things that you do not want rattling around when driving. (and a wool blanket for the same job as well as first aid, or warmth if stranded).

Towels for padding under peoples heads or feet when resting.

The list of uses goes on and on. Obviously I use towels a lot and have different types from silk bandannas to huge cotton beach towels available.

I am not greatly dependent on synthetics. Straight cotton has a lot of advantages. Cotton is quite absorbent for example, Cotton is also good at insulating from heat when it is dry.
Cottons disadvantages are mostly that it can catch fire and that it is hard to dry. If it stays damp it gets moldy too.

With microfiber I worry about them melting if they touch anything hot.
I do have microfiber towels in my emergency and camping gear simply because they are easier to dry and do not get moldy like cotton does.
Cellulose towels like the artificial shammies are a fair compromise sometimes.

I agree with Douglas Adams about always knowing where your towel is.

Microfiber towels are polyester (plastic resin) or nylon, or a combination of the two. Don't flip it around a fire or hot tailpipe.

A cotton towel soaked with water and mostly wrung out can be hung around your neck or over your head to help cool you down.

Driving into the hot summer sun with no air conditioning with a dog in the cab of the truck, wet a bath towel and lay it over the dog.

Suspend a box of perishable food and drape a wet towel over it. It works best in the SUN, not the shade. It might keep the food as cool as 62F, but no cooler, so don't risk food poisoning.

BOING !!!!--plastic towel..a few years ago i traded my old cotton for a poly dog washing one for my canoe tripping..it soaks up lots of water but the blazing,melting towel was never a thought.good-thanks--

Not a towel, but I always carry at least one bandana.

Old cotton terry cloth towels that are soft and thirsty are undoubtedly the best. They are at their best just before they start to fray around the edges.

Avoid using fabric softener and drier sheets. It is counter intuitive but softener gets into the fibers and can, over time and many washes, make a towel much less absorbent.

And back off on laundry detergent also. Most people think the more detergent you use the 'cleaner' the clothes but the opposite is the fact. use too much detergent and it doesn't get rinsed out. Which makes clothes stiff and scratchy and uncomfortable. Which causes people to use softener. Which can attract and hold dirt. An endless cycle.

Bought a big bag of 100% cotton restaurant kitchen towels to use as sweat rags, cleaning the dog, or whatever. They work so well I put some in my kits. Real cheap. If you lose 'em no big deal.

Something else. Use white towels for maximum absorbtion. The ones that have been dyed have used up some of that property picking up the color.

No telling where I read that, but it sorta makes sense.

Very interesting. What are the dimensions of a "kitchen towel" and can you share the source?

Thanks.

Craig.

There is a reason that this photo


shows the right hand soldier (or is it a Marine) with a towel around his shoulders

Pretty much an unbeatable endorsment right there.
-Blast who loves his microfiber backpacker's towel

I'm fond of bar towels:

"Plain or ribbed bar mop towels. 100% cotton and super absorbent. Machine washable. 16" x 19"; 28 oz. Ribbed."

http://www.restockit.com/Bar-Towels-12-Per-Case--(BT28-12).html

You could also negotiate for a case or two from a local establishment.

Onebag.com, the packing light gurus, extol the virtues of viscose travel towels (not all travel towels are viscose):



I have yet to try one, but it seems the absorption qualities would be especially beneficial in potential survival situations.

http://www.onebag.com/packing-list-toiletries.html

Standard disclaimer.

They're about 14" X 14" and come in packs of 20. I bought mine at Smart and Final but any restaurant supply type place should carry them. Target sells them in the automotive section as car wash towels in packs of 10 but they're a little more expensive.

Viscose is a form of rayon, made from organic cellulose. It doesn't melt like polyester, but it is VERY flammable. Another one you don't want to be wearing if you're holding a torch.

Potentially life-saving tips are always appreciated!

...gonna have to get several for testing purposes...

agree i keep towels at a close distance.......

I thought this was going to be a thread about the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"...

Here in the UK "restaurant towels" are often understood to be secondhand or reclaimed articles, also sold as "garage towels" or "absorbent wiping cloths"

They vary somewhat in size from about 12 inches square to about 18 inches square.
They are cut or torn from damaged or worn out hotel towels, bathrobes etc.
Somtimes they are complete but worn or damaged small hand towels.
Almost allways white in colour.
Sold by weight, very cheaply, and very useful for for rough cleaning etc, and also as bedding for pets.
I keep a good supply to hand, at home and at work.
Re use is inadvisable except in an emergency, since if put in the washing machine, the un-hemmed edges come apart and may block the filter.

"Restaurant towels" can also mean mean small good qaulity hand towels intended for use in deluxe washrooms, or at the table after eating foods such as lobster that result in greasy fingers.

Other useful towel-like item: cloth diapers.

A large thick cotton towel can also come in handy when used as a small blanket, esp for kids.

Not only will it make it less absorbent it will almost make it waterproof.
I unfortunately, like all good lessons learned from experience, made the mistake of spilling a well known brand fabric softener into the washing machine onto a load of new towels shortly after my DW and I were married.

I didn't realize it made clothes impervious to water when applied in copious amounts mostly because I had never spilled it into the washing machine before in that way.
When those towels came out of the dryer after several more washings, they were almost slippery enough to use as a waterslide.

I still hear about that one occasionally even after 5 years have passed.

I think of towels as being fluffy things too bulky to keep around except when needed. I do carry bandanas. I prefer silk to cotton because it's thinner and lighter for a given area, and equally absorbent for a given weight and thickness. 21" is about the smallest useful size, and will fit in a shirt breast pocket. 35" gives a lot more options and the diagonal is long enough to fit around any part of my body. Larger sizes get too unwieldy.

I recently bought a micro-fibre towel for its relatively small size, but I've not used it yet.

You can buy a nice block of "restaurant" type towels at Costco for around 20 bucks, maybe even less I can't recall the exact price, for that you get 60 of them! Edges are all hemmed, they're a bit thin but for the price it's tough to beat.

I use them frequently while working, soaked in some ice water they make a real nice neck wrap or face wiper on a hot day. I keep a cooler of them soaking with a teaspoon of lavender scented bleach added to the water and ice.

Great idea - I carry a clean tee shirt for similar reasons.

Has anyone tried the Go Towel. Comes the size of a poker chip but expands when wet. It is made out of compressed Bamboo. Find them at Bicycle shops. Or here http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1024248_-1___

OK Cal. I will be keeping an eye out for them.
Are they like a paper towel or more like cloth?

a bandanna or handkerchief will fit the bill.

I'd want some towels so soak up the lard from my canned tactical bacon:

but I'm not sure how I'd get the lard out of the towel. Hmmm.... .

http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wacky-candy/c399/
says the unopened bacon is good for ten years. Bacon is a staple.

Puts new meaning on the phrase "Saving your bacon."