How fast do swim/travel towels dry?

July 2, 2005 6:49 PM

How fast do swim towels dry? I'm thinking of buying a swim towel to keep at the gym. They say they dry "in minutes". Would it dry in the 3-10 minutes it takes me to get dressed so I could keep in my my locker without worrying about mold? Or should I just keep paying for towel service?
posted by duck to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

The faster they dry, the less well they seem to absorb, at least in my limited experience.
posted by caddis at 7:46 PM on July 2, 2005

Best answer: I use two pack towels - this one and this one, in rotation. I use one, wring it out, put it in a small ziploc bag in my pack (they do pack very small), then rinse and hang it when I get home; then I use the other one on the following day. Mine don't dry "in minutes", although usually the one from the previous day is dry the following morning but after really humid nights or if I don't get home until very late it's damp enough that I don't want it sitting in my pack until I get to the gym later in the day. I personally wouldn't trust mine to get dry overnight sitting in a closed locker (and locker rooms are usually very humid). Neither of mine have anti-microbial treatment so they get pretty funky (like any towel) if they sit wet.

Also, until they've been washed a few times it's kind of like drying yourself with a piece of (incredibly absorbant) cardboard. I really don't know why they don't just pre-wash them before you buy them. After a few washing they're very soft and flexible but not at all plush like a cotton towel.
posted by TimeFactor at 7:51 PM on July 2, 2005 [1 favorite]

Seconded on the funkiness - your sweat has lots of good nutrients for bacteria to eat up (and go forth and multiply on, turning your sweat into foul smelling bacterial "poop").

Washing not only gets rid of the bacteria, but the nutrients that they feed on. It's worth it to buy several towels and rotate them.
posted by PurplePorpoise at 9:07 PM on July 2, 2005

I suggest you not pay that price, though. You can find the same sort of cloth in the automotive department of a good store. I think I got mine in the grocery; "Crazy Rag" is the package name.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:00 AM on July 3, 2005

(is the package name in Western Canada, at any rate)

Worth having around if you don't swim (I don't). They're excellent for mopping up spills and leaks of all sorts.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:02 AM on July 3, 2005

I have the Packtowl UltraLite featured in your link. It dries itself quite well -- the user of the cloth less so. The material just isn't very absorbant. On the plus side, it's a wee bit more lightweight than terrycloth and packs more tightly.
posted by gentle at 7:39 AM on July 3, 2005

Oh, and to answer the question -- the Packtowl, at least, will not dry in 3-10 minutes. Closer to 20-30, I'd say. But after 10 minutes it will seem less soggy than the equivalent terrycloth towel.
posted by gentle at 7:41 AM on July 3, 2005

I've used Packtowls, and with the option available, I'd pay for towel service if it were cheap.
posted by grouse at 7:51 AM on July 3, 2005

You need to go to a gym with towel service is included.... Where do u go?

:) Not that answer you were lookin for I know.. but.. a suggestion none the less
posted by crewshell at 10:09 AM on July 3, 2005

Response by poster: Well I guess I'll stick with the towel service, which is $10/month on top of the $56/month membership fee (a real pain in the wallet for a student!) But I really do love this place. And there are only 3 gyms within a mile or so of my house anyway, and if I belonged to one of the others I just wouldn't go (they're not as nice.)

I can get free towel service for a month in exchange for 10 magazines. Next weeks question: Where can I get free or cheap magazines?
posted by duck at 2:03 PM on July 3, 2005