Staying dry during hiking, backpacking, and other camping activities is extremely important as it helps in preventing yourself from diseases and infections. A drying cloth or towel is often an essential item to carry in your camping bag.
Because of their light weight, the ability to wick away moisture quickly and dry quickly, microfiber towels are considered the most suitable for such activities. Microfiber is a synthetic material which consists of finely woven polyester-based fibers which are less than one denier in diameter, denier being the measurement of a fiber’s thickness.
So which are the best microfiber towels for camping and outdoors?
In this article, we look at best microfiber towels for cleaning and drying during camping. We will list both small towel sets which can be used as face towels and also look at some options for best microfiber bath towels. Buckle up and read on!
Best microfiber towels comparison list
Our pick of the best microfiber towels out in the market and how they stack against each other| Picture | Product | Size (number of pieces) | Dimension (inches) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Microtidy Microfiber Towel | 12 | 16 x 16 | |
 | MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths | 13 | 6 x 7 | |
  | Packtowl Personal Towel | 1 | Face: 10 x 14 Hand: 16.5 x 36 Body: 25 x 54 Beach: 36 x 59 | |
 | Chemical Guys MIC50706 Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towel | 12 | 16 x 16 | |
 | Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths | 12 | 12 x 16 | |
 | AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth | 24 | 12 x 16 | |
 | Quickie Microfiber Towel | 24 | 14 x 14 | |
  | Plush MojaFiber Microfiber Face Cloth | 3 | 12 x 12 | |
  | The Camping Trail Outdoor Towel Set | 2 | Bath Towel : 32 x 52 Hand Towel : 15 x 24 | |
  | Sea to Summit DryLite Towel | 1 | X-Small : 12 x 24 X-Large : 30 x 60 | |
  | Raqpak Microfiber Travel Towel | 1 | Small : 20 x 40 X-Large : 30 x 60 | |
  | Youphoria Sport and Travel Towel | 1 | Small : 20 x 40 X-Large : 30 x 72 |
What is microfiber cloth?
Microfiber is generally made from a blend of polyesters and polyamides, in ratio of 90:10, 80:20 or 70:30. The percentage of polyamides governs the softness and plushness of the fabric. Due to this, fabrics of a variety of shape, size and specific characteristics like softness, toughness, water repellency and filtering can be created. Microfiber can be used in basketballs and in athletic attire due to its moisture-wicking property. It can be used in making runner’s compression socks, medical compression socks, in drapes, in making bath towels and in cleaning delicate surfaces like CDs, DVDs, crystals and lens and in auto detailing.
Microfiber towels made with the microfiber cloth has a bunch of advantages over the traditional towels that make them a popular choice for outdoors. Some of the major benefits of microfiber towels are:
- Microfiber towels generally have superior absorbency capabilities and dry quicker than traditional towels.
- Microfiber towels are generally lighter in weight.
- Microfiber towels are generally easier to clean and do not shed fibers.
- Microfiber towels generally have superior decontamination abilities.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at some of the best microfiber towels available in the market and examine the factors to consider while picking the best option for your needs.
How to pick the best microfiber towels for camping and outdoors?
The most common use of a microfiber cloth is for general household cleaning, buffing and detailing and polishing clear surfaces. Because of its various properties, a microfiber towel is preferred to a cotton terry cloth towel for polishing and cleaning works. However, because of their perfect moisture wicking properties and lightweight, they are the best option for camping cleaning towels.
Picking the best microfiber towel for camping and outdoors often involves considering a bunch of factors. These factors are listed below:
- Weight of the towel
- Size of the towel
- Weave and absorbency of the towel
Weight of the towel
When shopping for a good microfiber towel, compare the weight of similarly sized towels. A towel with more weight has more microfiber in it, higher gram per square meter(GSM). GSM is expressed in grams and defines how much one square meter of that microfiber fabric will weigh. A higher GSM denotes more number of microfibers packed in one square meter. This increases the thickness of the cloth and at the same time increases its efficiency in absorbing water and cleaning dirt.
Higher GSM towel low-quality preferred for cleaning of delicate and scratch sensitive surfaces like delicate personal belongings such as glasses, camera lens, smartphone, computer and tablet screens etc. Lower GSM towels can be used for general purpose drying. The more the GSM, the more expensive is the towel.
Size of the towel
The size of the towel you should pick depends upon the purpose you are looking it for. If you are looking for a cloth to use for cleaning delicate and scratch sensitive surfaces like personal electronic items and spectacles, smaller size cloths such as MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths would fit perfectly. On the other hand, if you are looking for a face towel, then AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth would be a decent pick for its 12” X 16” size. Finally, if you are looking for a bath towel then something like, The Camping Trail Outdoor Towel would best fit your needs.
Weave and absorbency of the towel
Microfiber towel with a strong weave will not stretch when pulled. A high-quality microfiber towel has more thread counts than a low quality one which directly affects its ability to clean dirt and absorb water. So look for the thread count of the towel. A high absorbency towel would absorb and spread the water evenly. The specifications of the towel are often a good indicator of the weave and the absorbency of the towel.
Which are the best microfiber towels and what our top picks are?
MagicFiber Microfiber Cleaning Cloths – Editor’s choice pick for the best cleaning microfiber towels
The MagicFiber Microfiber cleaning cloth is a premium microfiber cloth which is safe for all surfaces and lenses. It can be used to quickly and easily remove oil and fingerprints with just a swipe.
MagicFiber is made with premium material and designed to the highest standard of quality.
There are absolutely no threads, strings, or coarse edges in the towel. MagicFiber is made from a tightly woven microfiber material that makes it soft and light in your hand, yet durable and very effective.
It comes with a dimension of 6×7 inches, each microfiber cloth is neatly packed in its own polyurethane plastic bag for safekeeping.
It is ideal for cleaning oil, fingerprints, smudges, and dirt off eyeglasses, laptops, tablets of all brands, smart phones, and any other LCD or touch screen. Also perfectly safe and effective on DSLR lenses, binoculars, telescopes, and other delicate optics. It can also be used to buff and polish furniture and auto detailing.
It is machine and hand washable.
The MagicFiber microfiber cleaning cloth is our editor’s choice pick for the best microfiber towels.
Plush MojaFiber Microfiber Face Cloth – Editor’s choice pick for the best facial microfiber towels
Plush MojaFiber Microfiber Face Cloth pack consists of three 12″x12″ clothes with heavy duty stiching with 1.6 million fibers per square inch. It is a perfect pick to cleanse water and remove makeup, grease, oil and dead skin cells without chemicals.
It is super absorbent and can absorb up to 8 times its own weight. It is also safe for those with any type of allergies and asthma. Its super soft weave makes it suitable to be used for toddlers and kids as well.
This Professional Salon grade cloth is machine washable and also environmentally friendly.
For these reasons, Plush MojaFiber Microfiber Face Clothes are Editor’s choice for best facial microfiber towels.
The Camping Trail Outdoor Towel Set – Editor’s choice pick for the best bathing microfiber towels
The Camping Trail Outdoor Towel set consists of two towels made with best grade microfiber cloth: one hand towel and one bath towel and can absorb moisture 8 times their weight.
The towels are made with antibacterial microfiber material so that the towels stay cleaner and fresher longer and hence can be used for camping, hiking, and gyms as well.
Both the towels feature a handy press stud hanging loop that allows you to hang the towels anywhere for easy drying and handy access.
The towel set includes a mesh stuff sack that allows the towels to breathe but means that you can get them down to an easy size just right to pack.
For these reasons, The Camping Trail Outdoor Towel Set is Editor’s choice for best bathing microfiber towels.
Helpful Tip:Please avoid adding fabric softener while drying microfiber towels. It may make them less absorbent over time.
Final thoughts on the best microfiber towels
In order to clean delicate items such as eye-glasses, camera and smartphone screens and stay dry during hiking, backpacking and other camping activities, the right kind of microfiber cloth/towel is a necessary item to pack. In this article we looked at the best microfiber towels for cleaning, facial needs and bathing. We hope that you found this post useful and it will help you to pick the best microfiber towel suited for your needs.
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