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Bluto · 08-08-2013, 01:04 PM

I'm looking into micro-fiber towels for the trailer and I'm interested in opinions about their worth. Good and bad.
I have never used a micro-fiber towel as a bath towel and I know they work well on shining up my truck and trailer. At the present time we use the standard cotton towels throughout the trailer and for drying off after a shower.
I understand that the microtowel stores in smaller area and they dry a lot faster(my reasons for looking into it a little further).
The prices seem really high compared to the regular cotton.

Here is an example of the towels:
Sea to Summit Tek Towel Extra Large - Gander Mountain

Protagonist · 08-08-2013, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluto

I'm looking into micro-fiber towels for the trailer and I'm interested in opinions about their worth. Good and bad.
I have never used a micro-fiber towel as a bath towel and I know they work well on shining up my truck and trailer. At the present time we use the standard cotton towels throughout the trailer and for drying off after a shower.
I understand that the microtowel stores in smaller area and they dry a lot faster(my reasons for looking into it a little further).
The prices seem really high compared to the regular cotton.

Here is an example of the towels:
Sea to Summit Tek Towel Extra Large - Gander Mountain

I have a couple that I bought at Cabela's. Don't especially care for them. As soon as they get wet, they feel slimy and tend to cling, which is not what I want when I'm drying my skin.

A brisk rub with a terrycloth towel after bathing stimulates the circulation, and so I carry terrycloth for preference.

But I still carry the micro-fiber as backup. And that one time my A/C dripped icewater, I put a microfiber towel down to catch the drips, which worked better than a bucket and wasn't nearly so much in the way.

cwf · 08-08-2013, 02:02 PM

I like MF(microfiber) towels. BUT be careful what you use them on. If dropped they will collect the environment. ALLL of it. They will seem to be a black hole, sucking in the very colors off the ground. Washing them will embed the micro abrasives and leaf entrails, leaving them useful for cleaning Diggie doo from your boots....

Now, we have some we keep carefully in our kitchen and they excell. Occasionally you will have to tweezer bits from their micro tentacles.

Now, in their defense, they clean really well when they are fresh. They dry quickly. They can be used in greasy situations and they will far surpass paper towels except for cost and disposal of the stuff you can use paper towels for.

You can wash in sink with soap and Clorox to kill bacteria then they rinse we and dry quickly (like in a few minutes if open to air.

Do not lay them on ground, floor, or picnic table...

I bought a bag from WartMart And they have lasted a couple years with good care.

If you are a wash-n-toss person, these MAY NOT be for you.

I use the clean ones to detail wash truck, car, motorcycle, AS. THEY DO "collect" the environment (hard bug body parts) and you have to take care on soft plastic/other surfaces.

Buy a sack, try them. You can ALWAYS use to clean your windows be ause they do a better job than newspaper!

Make sure you don't over rub one spot because they pick up lots of stuff and may grind it bak in.

PharmGeek · 08-08-2013, 06:30 PM

I bought some on sale today while at the parts store getting oil and filter for our minivan - figured they will be nice to detail cars with and perhaps to apply griots or walbernize to AS later?

cameront120 · 08-08-2013, 07:09 PM

I use them on biking and back packing trips. They're small, very absorbent and dry quickly. I prefer these to cotton towels when I'm camping and don't have easy access to a laundrette or the time necessary to dry cotton towels.

Bluto · 08-08-2013, 08:40 PM

Originally, I thought about replacing the towels we have in the trailer with the micro-fiber. I'm glad I asked a few questions first.
I like the idea of having them as a back up. I'll keep my cotton terry bath towels and just add a couple of these for those "just in case" moments.
Every so often we do get out and do some camping at a remote spot by using the canoe and a tent. I can see how these would come in handy.
Thanks everyone!

Someday'59 · 08-08-2013, 09:02 PM

These aren't microfiber. They're backpacking towels. We use them in our trailer because they save space and dry out quickly. They're kind of scratchy at first but get softer the more you wash them. (They're not for everybody but we sure like ours!)

Amazon.com: Packtowl Original Superabsorbent Towel: Sports & Outdoors

cameront120 · 08-08-2013, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Someday'59

These aren't microfiber. They're backpacking towels. We use them in our trailer because they save space and dry out quickly. They're kind of scratchy at first but get softer the more you wash them. (They're not for everybody but we sure like ours!)

Amazon.com: Packtowl Original Superabsorbent Towel: Sports & Outdoors

I think these are what I was actually referring to. They're almost more like felt or synthetic chamois and really absorb a lot of water. They wring out almost completely dry.

Bluto · 08-09-2013, 11:44 AM

Interesting. I thought they were all about the same.
I'm learning!

Foiled Again · 08-09-2013, 01:19 PM

Microfiber work towels - about 20 inches square - are great for cleaning up an Airstream, inside or out. They do pick up leaves, twigs, bugs, etc., and I do nitpick them when I'm sitting watching TV.

I did sew two of them together and when I get out of the shower after washing my hair - I wrap my head in them, then towel off with a regular towel. By the time I'm ready to blow dry my hair, it's barely damp. Saves MUCH time.

I don't scrub the surface of my car or Airstream with them, but for stuff like dried bug carcasses, I'll get one sopping wet, and just lay it over the mess until it dissolves. Slop on water and soap with a wet towel, gently drag a wrung out towel over the area to dry it, and there's a very clean surface without water spots or dirt remaining. As the towels pick up dirt, I replace them with fresh ones - using anywhere from six to eight to wash the truck, and more to do the airstream. Most dust and dirt will come out of the towels when thrown in the washing machine, but the twigs and little sharp stones not so well.

The darned things last forever, so I actually do throw out some just because they've gotten "crunchy" from collected stuff like leaf stems, pine needle pieces and so forth.

Paula

Lily&Me · 08-09-2013, 01:49 PM

We like microfiber towels for the windows, also for the IPad and phone screens.

We bought a couple of years ago a set of quick-dry terrycloth towels, from Sears or JC Penny. They have held up well and really do dry more quickly after a shower or in the dryer.

Googling this item, I find a Martha Stewart collection of these at K Mart.

Maggie

Pahaska · 08-10-2013, 10:06 AM

I bought one big microfiber bath towel from a vendor at an Airstream rally. I thought I had a real good thing until the first time I tried to dry off after a shower. The d**n thing clung to me like Velcro and didn't really dry me. I never used it again and ended up giving it to the senior-center thrift store.

They are great for washing cars and the like, but not the person.

tinman1 · 08-10-2013, 11:26 AM

I agree with Pahaska, 100% cotton is best for drying off after a shower, whereas the microfiber, usually a synthetic fiber is good for cleaning windows, etc. 100% natural cotton is nature's gift to us. When buying bath towels, look for the 100% label, not the 80% / 20% label.

kmaggard · 08-10-2013, 11:30 AM

Check out the bath towels at IKEA. Kind of a waffle like weave, I love them. They dry fast but work well.

perri · 08-13-2013, 07:46 PM

Good idea re IKEA. I also have had success with super-cheap, thin, cotton terry towels at Wholesale Liquidators or the like. They are thin and undersized, just what you don't want in your home bath, but they make great gym and travel towels. They are thirsty and they dry so fast! And, cotton.

AirKar · 08-13-2013, 08:16 PM

Love, love micro-fiber towels and bought our first MF towels for the AS from BB&B. These are actually billed as towels for hair - bought the large ones to try out. Definitely a different feel than luxurious fluffy oversized bath towels that have no place in our AS due to their real estate required in precious cabinets. Tried them for the first time and like them well enough to go buy a few more. Even in humid Florida, they dried overnight. I can pack and stack a dozen in the same space one of my fluffies take up!

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=100891

arktos55343 · 08-13-2013, 08:17 PM

Micro-fiber towels feel like you are drying yourself off with plastic.... They are good for dusting furniture and wiping down the AS only....

**Janet H** · 08-13-2013, 08:43 PM

I've used high tech towels for years and also am not a fan - they work pretty well and save space but you have to 'blot dry' rather than rub - it's not a great feeling.

The best towels I've found for the trailer are these: Green Earth® Quick-Dry Towels | The Company Store

They look and feel like the real deal but take up half the space. I LOVE these.

rjack · 08-19-2013, 09:20 AM

We each have a large microfibre-type towel we purchased from LLBean several years ago and like them a lot. In addition to extended Airstream travel we have carried them internationally many places. It is true they are not as pleasant as cotton, but their obvious advantages overweight for our useages. They dry quickly, absorb thirstily, and have antibacterial components. Sundrying them works very well. They can also be washed without necessity of a laundry. Ours have been used living in China, traveling in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and across th Trans-Siberian railway.

tlsmit1 · 11-03-2013, 06:52 PM

We have one of those super-absorbent pack towels in the back of the closet in our camper for when the weather is damp and cotton towels won't dry out. It... functions... just fine. It will dry off an adult, and then you can wring it out and it's ready to use again. But I'd take the feel of a cotton towel any day over a pack towel. Nothing pleasant or sensual about it. Just blot, blot. We use cotton terry towels 90% of the time.