Disposable bath towels anyone?

[GillianC]

One of the issues with camping in the van I don't like is the problem of wet towels which are hard to dry if the weather is bad. I am always dubious of letting my shower towel go anywhere near the shower block floor, even on club sites where the ever greying bucket of water and mop don't help! Does anyone use disposable towels and if so which ones? I know that it is each to their own but some of you good folk are fans of disposable table ware so this seems a pretty sensible idea! Before anyone jumps on me I am talking about biodegradable ones such as those sold by eco towels. I have ordered a £1 sample from them so will see what they are like. Could be useful for drying down wet dogs too!

 

[Teejay]

One of the issues with camping in the van I don't like is the problem of wet towels which are hard to dry if the weather is bad. I am always dubious of letting my shower towel go anywhere near the shower block floor, even on club sites where the ever greying bucket of water and mop don't help! Does anyone use disposable towels and if so which ones? I know that it is each to their own but some of you good folk are fans of disposable table ware so this seems a pretty sensible idea! Before anyone jumps on me I am talking about biodegradable ones such as those sold by eco towels. I have ordered a £1 sample from them so will see what they are like. Could be useful for drying down wet dogs too!

I have no experience of these and I write this reply because this approach was a bit of a revelation to my wife !

I use this method, a thin cotton flannel and a microfibre towel from LifeAdventure or similar. After normal ablutions you use the flannel to wipe most of the wet and ring it out each time. Do that several times you'll find that you are almost completely dry. Then use the microfibre towel and lay it on the damp area's it does not need to be rubber patting will suffice. Towel never touches the floor.

Result smaller damp flannel, dry person and towel will dry in about 10-15 mins. Towels pack down smaller than a normal towel also. You could use the same method for the dog, I've not tied that out, no dog !


..message ends..

 

[GrannyJen]

One of the issues with camping in the van I don't like is the problem of wet towels which are hard to dry if the weather is bad. I am always dubious of letting my shower towel go anywhere near the shower block floor, even on club sites where the ever greying bucket of water and mop don't help! Does anyone use disposable towels and if so which ones? I know that it is each to their own but some of you good folk are fans of disposable table ware so this seems a pretty sensible idea! Before anyone jumps on me I am talking about biodegradable ones such as those sold by eco towels. I have ordered a £1 sample from them so will see what they are like. Could be useful for drying down wet dogs too!

I use these : Salon quality paper towels

Used carefully provide a great drying area when climbing into the van with wet dirty boots/shoes/bare feet and for that purpose often reusable. For the shower makes a good drying area to stand on. On the floor if for whatever reason one is washing up in the van. Used but not heavily soiled also great for then drying and cleaning off shoes/trainers.

For my own personal use I use microfibre towels. can be washed and dried overnight.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Interesting, never thought of disposable towels before. First-off concern the environment, but I see 50 of those towels that GJ linked to only weigh just over a kilo which would be about the weight of a Sunday newspaper.

To be recycled would of course need you to either find paper recycling bins during your trip, or carry a bunch of damp paper back home at the end, yes?

Although if you have a 180bhp from 2010, you could re-use the towels as dipstick wipes, every 100 miles or so...

 

[GrannyJen]

Interesting, never thought of disposable towels before. First-off concern the environment, but I see 50 of those towels that GJ linked to only weigh just over a kilo which would be about the weight of a Sunday newspaper.

To be recycled would of course need you to either find paper recycling bins during your trip, or carry a bunch of damp paper back home at the end, yes?

Although if you have a 180bhp from 2010, you could re-use the towels as dipstick wipes, every 100 miles or so...

They just go in the recycling bins found at every campsite, every French Aire or inconveniently placed in every pub car park,

I tend to think of the weight as about half of the advertising junk flyers that gets bundled up with the CC magazine ...

OOOOPS ... how dreadfully un-PC of me ... the CAMC magazine......

 

[GillianC]

I use these : Salon quality paper towels

Used carefully provide a great drying area when climbing into the van with wet dirty boots/shoes/bare feet and for that purpose often reusable. For the shower makes a good drying area to stand on. On the floor if for whatever reason one is washing up in the van. Used but not heavily soiled also great for then drying and cleaning off shoes/trainers.

For my own personal use I use microfibre towels. can be washed and dried overnight.

I thought that the Scrummi ones looked good Jen. They also do bigger 'bath' sized ones but they are quite a bit more expensive. Might treat myself to a pack of each and see what I feel is best. I just hate having towels hanging around and having a shower with a still damp towel.....uuugh.

 

[GrannyJen]

I thought that the Scrummi ones looked good Jen. They also do bigger 'bath' sized ones but they are quite a bit more expensive. Might treat myself to a pack of each and see what I feel is best. I just hate having towels hanging around and having a shower with a still damp towel.....uuugh.

I tried the bigger ones. Large bits of paper to keep somewhere. The hair-sized ones I use for everything except me personally. A microfibre takes up so little room and dries so quickly that reserved for just personal use they never really hang around damp.

 

[GillianC]

I tried the bigger ones. Large bits of paper to keep somewhere. The hair-sized ones I use for everything except me personally. A microfibre takes up so little room and dries so quickly that reserved for just personal use they never really hang around damp.

Might invest in a microfibre and try it. At least you could wash it well and dry it, unlike normal towels.
Any recommendations? I see @Teejay1 suggests LifeAdventure.

 

[GrannyJen]

Might invest in a microfibre and try it. At least you could wash it well and dry it, unlike normal towels.
Any recommendations? I see @Teejay1 suggests LifeAdventure.

Mine are Sunland, from Amazon. I use them also as covers on the seats. I have a big orange one that covers the rear bench and really brightens up the interior, advantage being that they are so absorbent anything spilt soaks into the towel rather than soak through to the seat fabric. Nice little press stud fastening allows them to be hung overnight from the door grab handles .... bone dry in the morning. I have two big ones, two smaller bath ones and half a dozen hand ones in the van plus a large one covering the bench seat and they take up so little room. With the disposables used for everything else those are plenty even on the wettest of days.

 

[Hotel California]

I use these : Salon quality paper towels

Used carefully provide a great drying area when climbing into the van with wet dirty boots/shoes/bare feet and for that purpose often reusable. For the shower makes a good drying area to stand on. On the floor if for whatever reason one is washing up in the van. Used but not heavily soiled also great for then drying and cleaning off shoes/trainers.

For my own personal use I use microfibre towels. can be washed and dried overnight.

Sorry but for 20£ i can wash a regular towel many times .
And don't bring on the water needed to wash , those disposable towels need water in the making fabrication proces AND recycle proces also!

To me any waste is waste .....even if it supposed to be "green" ,
I simply do not belive that all this socalled enviremental friendly stuff is made under correct regulations witch we never know becouse it is all about €$£....

The best way to reduce waste is try to make as less possible.
All those green products can go on a pile next to the used solarpanels the comming years.

We are in a pushed in a consumer economy by the governement and brands producers

Ps : nothing personal @GrannyJen

 

[Bello]

+1 for the microfibre towels. We got them for a trip to Iceland (pre-Cali-era) and we had to pack them every morning in our suitcases again. They dry incredibly fast, and when you get the good ones, they don't get smelly. Now they are part of the standard cali equipment ofcourse.

 

[CaliCrazy]

Microfibres towels too. Even the dog has one! Dry really quickly!

 

[Julie and Archie]

I use hamman towels. Very thin cotton. Very light. Amazingly, they dry you very well, wrap round like a sarong and dry very quickly. Quite cheap too

 

[Wind Witch]

+1 for thin microfibre camping/travel towels. They are super absorbent and ry really quickly. Will also withstand a lot of use on a trip before they need a wash out.

 

[ArunAlec]

Microfibre camping towels for me too!

 

[GrannyJen]

Sorry but for 20£ i can wash a regular towel many times .
And don't bring on the water needed to wash , those disposable towels need water in the making fabrication proces AND recycle proces also!

To me any waste is waste .....even if it supposed to be "green" ,
I simply do not belive that all this socalled enviremental friendly stuff is made under correct regulations witch we never know becouse it is all about €$£....

The best way to reduce waste is try to make as less possible.
All those green products can go on a pile next to the used solarpanels the comming years.

We are in a pushed in a consumer economy by the governement and brands producers

Ps : nothing personal @GrannyJen

You've not upset me Wim, just missed the whole of my point

I don't use paper towels because of the "green" argument, I just use paper towels, and pay more for them, that are bio degradable and therefore do not clog up waste fill.

I love my microfibre, if you actually do what you tell others to do, which is to read threads, then you would read my advocacy for microfibre everywhere. However, like the OP, Gillian, there are times when I walk in with wet feet, or do things like cleaning wet dirty shoes, when I do not want wet, dirty towels around me.

On those occasions, and when I step out of communal showers, I do not want to be dragging wet and dirty towels with me, no matter how many times they can be cleaned. Therefore my preference, and it is my preference, is to use something that can be thrown away.

Now, to address your rant, when I throw something away I have a conscience. Should I clog up a landfill or feed a compost heap. I choose to feed the compost heap. I don't give a monkey's about how many tons of water it takes to make my paper towels, or my microfibre towels, or how many times it can be washed, or the energy co-efficients of nuclear towels versus diesel ones. If I can clean rubbish off my boots and throw the muck away with the towel and not clog up a landfill then I am happy.

 

[Teejay]

Might invest in a microfibre and try it. At least you could wash it well and dry it, unlike normal towels.
Any recommendations? I see @Teejay1 suggests LifeAdventure.

I also have a sea to summit one that is even thinner and lighter than the LifeAdventure one and it lives more of less permanently in the car.

 

[GillianC]

My goodness gracious me! You have to be so careful what you post on this forum....a simple question on how best to avoid soggy, smelly, unhygienic towels can unleash a tirade!
Thank you for all your helpful suggestions.
@GrannyJen I am ordering some of the Scrummi hair towels which will effectively will act like big kitchen roll pads and also some microfibre towels for both me and the dogs (colour coded to make sure we don't get them mixed up!).
These should take care of all eventualities in all weather conditions.
@Teejay1 i have never met you but the thought of a male form standing stark naked wearing only crocks and patting yourself with a microfibre towel will haunt my dreams tonight !

 

[TigerSki]

We all have hammam towels and wouldn't be without them for travelling. They dry very quickly, are lightweight and fold up very small - perfect.

 

[briwy]

Well showering/washing every day is reckoned to be bad news as it removes all the natural oils from the skin apart from which it takes up valuable drinking, driving, looking at the view time.
Good excuse to leave it a few days and then the towels will be dry again.

 

[Hotel California]

Well showering/washing every day is reckoned to be bad news as it removes all the natural oils from the skin apart from which it takes up valuable drinking, driving, looking at the view time.
Good excuse to leave it a few days and then the towels will be dry again.

Hmm when did i last took a shower , let me smell....few days now.

Totally agree , when on a trip skipping a shower only wash up in a bowl works fine !
Thats is if you not done any sports or hiking...

 

[GrannyJen]

I find it quite a curiosity when I've been away in Albert for a while and people ask me what do I do for a shower.

"Easy. I don't have one."

"Don't have one? Goodness" ..... normally followed by an involuntary movement backwards.

When I was a child we had bath night, that once a week when a bath was allowed. Otherwise, just a wash down would suffice. We never had clever deodorants, wet wipes, dry wipes, face wipes, hand wipes but we still survived.

I never found showers on any himalayan mountain, the Grande Jorasses I've found to be bathroom free and when hanging from a rope in Yosemite the last thing on my mind was where I was going to have a shower that night.

The daily shower appears to have become one of those things that has entered the first world psyche to become a hygiene essential when often it is not only unnecessary but unhealthy.

 

[DM]

I just can't stop my mind from exploring the scenarios where you woul wish to dispose of a towel

 

[GrannyJen]

I just can't stop my mind from exploring the scenarios where you woul wish to dispose of a towel

If you think of it as a larger version of a kitchen towel then it becomes quite easy

In "the old days" we used to clean and dry our shoes with newspaper, or put newspaper down on a wet carpet, these days I don't allow a newspaper in the house

 

[DM]

If you think of it as a larger version of a kitchen towel then it becomes quite easy

In "the old days" we used to clean and dry our shoes with newspaper, or put newspaper down on a wet carpet, these days I don't allow a newspaper in the house

I think my mind is going to much more sinister places ......