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See the 13 tests

1. In the Box
2. Specifications
3. Features
4. Absorbency
5. Wringing
6. Drying Test 1 (After Wringing)
7. Drying Test 2 (100mL/3.4 fl oz)
8. Odor Resistance
9. Grass and Dirt Test
10. Sand Test
11. Portability
12. Comfort
13. Durability

In the Box

I bought mine in the Body size, and here’s everything in the package:

• The towel
• A storage pouch
• Care instructions, printed on the packaging

Specifications

These are my own measurements, for the Body size:

• Size 54 x 24in
• Weight of towel 10.8oz
• Weight of storage pouch 0.5oz
• Packed size 9.5 x 8 x 2in
• Blend 80% polyester + 20% nylon
• Made in Vietnam

Features

• Hanging loop Yes
• Machine washable Yes
• Tumble dry Yes
• Odor control Polygiene treated
• Storage pouch Strong, lightweight, and has its own hanging loop

Absorbency

I measured the water in a bucket, soaked the towel in it, then lifted it out and let it drip until it stopped. Then I measured the water left in the bucket to see how much it had absorbed.

• Water absorbed 44fl oz
• Absorbency 4.3 times its own weight
• Cotton towel 3.26 timesFor a towel comparison

It’s slightly lighter than the cotton towel and still beats it comfortably. The Luxe is one of my most absorbent camping towels.

Wringing

After soaking it, I wrung out as much water as I could and weighed it again.

• Weight after wringing 24.4oz
• Water left in the towel 30%
• Cotton towel 46% leftFor a towel comparison

Both towels are about the same size and weight, so this is a clear win for the Luxe, and one of my best wringing results.

Drying Test 1 (After Wringing)

This test measures how long it takes to dry after a full soak and a hard wring, which is what happens when you wash it at camp.

It dries in 1 hour 30 minutes outdoors and 14 hours indoors. The cotton towel took 2 hours 15 minutes outdoors and a whopping 27 hours indoors.

Outdoors	Weight	Dry
0 hours	24.4oz	0%
30 mins	19.2oz	38%
1 hour	14.5oz	73%
1 hour 30 mins	10.8oz	100%

Indoors	Weight	Dry
0 hours	24.4oz	0%
2 hours	21.9oz	19%
4 hours	20.3oz	30%
6 hours	18.4oz	44%
8 hours	17.0oz	54%
10 hours	14.8oz	70%
12 hours	12.9oz	85%
14 hours	10.8oz	100%

Drying Test 2 (100mL/3.4 fl oz)

For a fair comparison I add the same 100mL/3.4 fl oz of water to every towel I test. It also recreates drying off after a shower at camp.

That takes it from 10.8oz up to 14.3oz. It dries in 30 minutes outdoors and 4 hours indoors, against 40 minutes and 7 hours for the cotton towel.

Outdoors	Weight	Dry
0 mins	14.3oz	0%
10 mins	13.0oz	37%
20 mins	11.8oz	70%
30 mins	10.8oz	100%

Indoors	Weight	Dry
0 hours	14.3oz	0%
1 hour	13.3oz	29%
2 hours	12.3oz	55%
3 hours	11.5oz	78%
4 hours	10.8oz	100%

That’s about 30% faster than a cotton towel, though only average against my other camping towels. My PackTowl Personal dries a good six minutes quicker.

Odor Resistance

I ran three odor tests. The Luxe is treated with Polygiene odor control, so that explains why it did so well in all three.

• Soaked in seawater, then bagged 4 days No smell at all
• Showered and dried off, then bagged 4 days No smell
• Used daily for 7 days, hung indoors between uses No smell at all

I could have gone weeks without washing it. The cotton towel smelled like rotten food after the same seawater test.

Grass and Dirt Test

I dragged it along some grass and stepped on it. Being fluffy, it picked up quite a few stray leaves and some dirt.

It all fell off easily though, without much shaking. The cotton towel picked up less, but what stuck would not shake off.

Sand Test

I covered it in sand at the beach to see how much would stick.

One light shake cleared all of it, which is the best result of any towel I tested. The cotton towel needed several shakes.

Portability

The extra fluffiness does come at the expense of portability though. It’s one of my heaviest and biggest camping towels.

• Weight 10.8oz

• Cotton towel 11.9ozA similar-sized non-fluffy one, for a towel comparison
• Packed size 9.5 x 8 x 2in

• Hanging loops On both the towel and the pouch

Hung straight off the pack it drags on the ground, since I’m not tall.

Comfort

Comfort is the reason to buy the Luxe. It’s extremely soft, not stiff at all, and comes the closest of any camping towel I own to a regular cotton bath towel.

It dries me off properly with no damp feeling afterwards, and the Body size is the perfect size for a shower towel.

Durability

• Stitching Tight and consistent, with no gaps and no fraying
• Material Entirely intact, with no loose threads
• After 4 months of light use Same weight, so no material lost
• Color A little bleeding on the first wash only
• Hanging loop High quality and secure
• Storage pouch Loose threads and slight fraying inside, though it still works fine

I have also read that the Luxe smells out of the box. Mine didn’t, and after 4 months the quality has been excellent.

Pros and Cons

Would I recommend the PackTowl Luxe?

My most comfortable camping towel

It’s so close to a regular cotton towel that it doubles as my everyday shower towel.

High quality and durable

Tight stitching, no fraying, and no material lost after 4 months.

Completely odor resistant

No smell at all after a full seawater soak sealed in a bag for 96 hours, thanks to the Polygiene treatment.

Very absorbent, and it wrings out well

4.3 times its own weight, and only 30% of the water stayed in after wringing.

Not lightweight

At 10.8oz it’s one of my heaviest camping towels.

Not super compact

9.5 x 8 x 2in packed, more than double the packed size of my non-fluffy towels.

Pricier than average

It isn’t expensive as such, but it does cost more than most.

Bonus: Must Read!

I measured every number on this page myself.