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.
Very interesting. What are the dimensions of a "kitchen towel" and can you share the source?
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):
Packtowl® Original (92% viscose/8% polypropylene, and pictured here) comes in a variety of sizes. It's lightweight and packs small, yet soaks up an astounding nine times its weight in water (the large size will hold a full liter of fluid), even when damp (unlike, say, terrycloth, which becomes effectively useless when wet, and — being cotton - ;Packtowl® Original, by MSRtakes a long time to dry). Further, you can release 90% of that water merely by wringing the towel out. It dries quickly as well (if still damp when you need to depart for your next destination, simply pack it in a Ziploc® bag and hang it out to dry when you arrive). Viscose towels may not look like much, or feel particularly soft (they initially resemble a piece of rather stiff felt, though become softer and more "towel-like" — and more absorbent — after each washing), but they're much more effective than other types of "travel towels".
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.htmlStandard disclaimer.