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See the 12 tests

1. In the Box
2. Specifications
3. Features
4. Absorbency
5. Wringing
6. Drying Test 1 (After Wringing)
7. Drying Test 2 (15mL/0.5 fl oz)
8. Odor Resistance
9. Grass and Dirt Test
10. Portability
11. Comfort
12. Durability

In the Box

There are only two things in the package:

• The towel
• A silicone storage pouch

Specifications

These are my own measurements of the Trek Towel:

• Size 15 x 14.75in
• Weight of towel 0.56oz
• Weight of storage pouch 0.6oz
• Packed size 2.5 x 1.75 x 1.25in
• Material Nanofiber
• Blend 85% polyester + 15% nylon
• Made in China
• What I paid $17The Shower Towel cost me $35. Neither is indicative of the current selling price

This whole review is a comparison against its big sibling, the Matador NanoDry Shower Towel, so here is how the two line up:

Specification	Trek (Small)	Shower (Large)
Size	15 x 14.75in	46 x 23.5in
Towel weight	0.56oz	2.4oz
Pouch weight	0.6oz	2.6oz
Packed size	2.5 x 1.75 x 1.25in	5 x 3 x 2in
Absorbency	1.4fl oz	5.1fl oz
Material	Nanofiber	Nanofiber
Blend	85/15	85/15
Made in	China	China
What I paid	$17	$35

Features

• Hanging loop Yes, the same snap loop as the Shower Towel

• Machine washable Yes
• Tumble dry Yes
• Odor control Antimicrobial coating
• Storage pouch Silicone and vented on one side, with a stainless steel keyringThe Shower Towel gets an anodized aluminum carabiner instead

Absorbency

I soaked both towels and measured how much water each one held.

• Water absorbed 1.4fl oz
• Absorbency 2.5 times its own weight
• Shower Towel 5.1fl oz, at 2.2 timesFor a comparison
• Cotton towel 3.26 timesFor a towel comparison

The material is identical, so I’m not sure why the ratios differ, but the gap is small.

Wringing

After soaking both, I wrung out as much water as I could.

• Water left in the towel 38%
• Shower Towel 43% leftFor a comparison
• Cotton towel 46% leftFor a towel comparison

The Trek is smaller and easier to get a grip on, which is probably why it wrings out a little better.

Drying Test 1 (After Wringing)

This is to recreate washing your towel while backpacking, so I measured the dry time after a full soak and a hard wring.

After wringing	Trek Towel	Shower Towel
Outdoors	13 mins	14 mins
Indoors	1 hour 30 mins	1 hour 45 mins

Drying Test 2 (15mL/0.5 fl oz)

My standard second drying test adds 100mL/3.4 fl oz to every towel, but the Trek is far too small to hold that. I used 15mL/0.5 fl oz on both Matadors instead, so this one figure isn’t comparable to my other towel reviews.

With 15mL/0.5 fl oz	Trek Towel	Shower Towel
Outdoors	13 mins	Under 10 mins
Indoors	1 hour 30 mins	Under 1 hour

The Shower Towel wins this one, because the same water spreads over a much larger surface area.

Odor Resistance

Both towels have an antimicrobial coating and both are excellent here.

• Showered and dried off, then bagged 4 days No smell
• Shower Towel No smell eitherFor a comparison

So you can pack either one away damp and it won’t smell.

Grass and Dirt Test

I dragged both towels along some grass and stepped on them. They picked up nothing at all.

That’s the best dirt result of any towel I’ve tested.

Portability

The whole point of the Trek is cutting ounces. It’s the lightest towel I own by a wide margin.

• Weight 0.56oz
• Shower Towel 2.4ozFor a comparison
• Cotton towel 11.9ozA full-sized one, for a towel comparison
• Packed size 2.5 x 1.75 x 1.25in
• Hanging loop Neither towel drags when hung off my pack

Comfort

Both are the same nanofiber at the same thickness, so they feel identical. Soft against the skin, but sticky enough that I pat rather than wipe.

The only real difference is size, and it’s a big one.

I’m 5 foot 3, with slightly longer than shoulder length hair, and I’ve used the Trek Towel after my showers. I need to wring it out once, or at most twice, while drying off. If you would rather not, the Sea to Summit Pocket is the next size up I have tested.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of wringing the towel out while trying to dry off, so I would pick the large NanoDry Shower Towel for showering. But that’s just my opinion.

Durability

I found no difference at all between the two in stitching, material, hanging loop or storage pouch. Both are excellent.

• Stitching and material No difference between the two towels
• Color Both bleed quite a bitMy Charcoal Trek stained slightly less than the Rust Shower Towel

I’d recommend washing any NanoDry a few times before you take it anywhere, whichever color you buy.

Pros and Cons

Would I recommend the Matador NanoDry Trek Towel?

Extremely lightweight

0.56oz and it packs to 2.5 x 1.75 x 1.25in. Nothing else I own comes close.

High quality

Identical build to the Shower Towel, which is the best-made towel I have tested.

Fantastic overall performance

It dries in 13 minutes outdoors, wrings out to 38%, picks up no dirt at all, and never smells.

It gets soaked pretty fast as a shower towel

It only holds 1.4fl oz of water, so at my size it needs wringing out partway through drying off.

Bonus: Must Read!

Every figure above is from my own testing, measured by hand on gear I bought with my own money.