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DiscontinuedPackTowl has since discontinued the UltraLite, so it’s no longer available to buy. I’m leaving this review up as a record of my testing. Watch the name, though: PackTowl now sells its Personal towel as the “Personal UltraLite”, so anything listed as an UltraLite today is that towel, not this one — it’s double the weight (6.5 oz vs 3.2 oz). Here’s my PackTowl Personal review if that’s the one you’re looking at. If you’re shopping for a backpacking towel today, take a look at my Best Backpacking Towels. The Matador NanoDry is my top pick, with a budget option in there too.

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. There is no storage pouch, so you get the towel and nothing else.

Specifications

These are my own measurements, for the Body size:

• Size 54 x 23.5in
• Weight of towel 3.2oz
• Packed size 7 x 2.5 x 2in
• Blend 70% polyester + 30% nylon
• Made in Assembled in the U.S.Materials made in France

Features

• Hanging loop Yes
• Machine washable Yes
• Tumble dry Yes
• Storage pouch None

Absorbency

I soaked it in a measured bucket and worked out how much water it held against its own weight.

• Water absorbed 13.5fl oz
• Absorbency 4.4 times its own weight
• Cotton towel 3.26 timesFor a towel comparison

This is an extremely thirsty towel. Even a much fluffier cotton towel doesn’t come close.

Wringing

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

• Weight after wringing 6.9oz
• Water left in the towel 27%
• Cotton towel 46% left, at 29.7ozFor a towel comparison

That’s one of the best wringing results of every towel I own.

Drying Test 1 (After Wringing)

This is to recreate the situation where you’re drying your towel after you wash it while backpacking, so I measured the dry time after a full soak and a hard wring.

After wringing	PackTowl UltraLite	Cotton towel
Outdoors	23 mins	2 hours 15 mins
Indoors	3 hours	27 hours

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 to 6.7oz.

With 100mL/3.4 fl oz	PackTowl UltraLite	Cotton towel
Outdoors	22 mins	40 mins
Indoors	2 hours 45 mins	7 hours

That works out about 82% faster than a regular cotton towel.

Odor Resistance

I ran three odor tests. It has no Polygiene treatment, unlike other PackTowl models, so I wasn’t expecting much.

• Soaked in seawater, then bagged 4 days A faint smellAnd no mold
• Showered and dried off, then bagged No smell after 3 days
• Used daily for 7 days, hung indoors between uses No smell at all

So you can pack it away without drying 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. It picked up a few tiny pieces of dry grass.

They shook straight off. The cotton towel picked up more, and still had bits stuck when I got home.

Sand Test

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

A few good shakes cleared it. The cotton towel behaved the same.

Portability

• Weight 3.2oz
• Cotton towel 11.9ozA similar size, for a towel comparison

• Packed size 7 x 2.5 x 2in
• Storage pouch None

I’m 5’3″, so it drags on the ground when I hang it off my pack.

Comfort

It’s velvety soft, very smooth and not stiff at all. It does feel thin though, and nothing like a regular cotton towel.

It’s a little sticky so I pat rather than wipe, but I never feel damp afterwards. It’s true to size, and the Body size is perfect for a shower towel.

Durability

• After 2-3 months of light use Same weight, so no material lost

• Edges Still holding up well
• Material Durable, with no shedding or breaking down
• Color The Bloom Noir bleeds for the first 2-3 washesIt did not stain the towels I washed it with

• Hanging loop Useful, secure and high quality, and the catch is not stiff

I’ve read that the material breaks down on these. Mine hasn’t, after 3 months of use.

Pros and Cons

Would I recommend the PackTowl UltraLite?

Super absorbent

4.4 times its own weight, the highest of any towel I own, and it dries me off properly. The Matador NanoDry Shower manages only 2.2 times.

Very comfortable for a backpacking towel

Velvety soft and the perfect size for a shower towel, which is uncommon in this category.

High quality and durable

No signs of wear after 3 months, and no material lost.

Good overall performance

It dries 82% faster than a cotton towel, resists odors well, sheds dirt easily, and weighs just 3.2oz.

No storage pouch

You get the towel and nothing else, so you’ll need your own bag for it.

My most expensive backpacking towel

The quality justifies it for me, but it’s the priciest of the five.

It bleeds for the first few washes

My Bloom Noir bled for 2-3 washes, though it did not stain anything else.

Bonus: Must Read!

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