Camping towels · Testing methodology
How I Rated My Camping & Backpacking Towels (9 Tests, 11 Towels)
The exact scoring system behind my towel round-ups: every test, every threshold, and every score, laid out so you can weight them your own way.
- 11 towels rated
- 9 test categories
- 4 months of use
- $0 sponsored
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This is the companion post to my two towel round-ups: the 10 best camping towels and the 5 best backpacking towels. Here’s exactly how I scored all 11 towels across 9 tests, so you can trust the rankings (or re-weight them for yourself). Prefer watching? My testing is on YouTube here.
The controlI scored every towel against a 100% cotton bath towel as a control. Fair warning: its piles are short and not fluffy, so it may have over-performed on dirt repellence and portability. I’d pick a plusher control next time.
I bought the shower size of each towel, except the Nomadix, which only came in a beach size.
The results
The scoreboard
Every towel’s final score in each of my 9 tests, plus the equal-weighted overall. The 9 sections below break down how each column was measured and scored.
| Towel | Absorb | Wring | Dry | Odor | Grass | Sand | Portab. | Comfort | Quality | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 6.0 | 9.4 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 8.6 |
| PackTowl Personal | 7.3 | 7.2 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 8.8 | 8.1 |
| PackTowl Luxe | 9.7 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 4.0 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 7.9 |
| Nomadix | 8.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 7.4 |
| Wise Owl | 6.3 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 4.5 | 8.4 | 7.4 |
| Rainleaf | 6.3 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 7.4 | 7.2 |
| REI Lite | 6.3 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 8.9 | 7.2 |
| STS DryLite | 6.3 | 8.2 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 7.0 |
| REI Multi | 9.7 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 6.1 |
| Cotton (ctrl) | 8.7 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 3.0 | 10.0 | N.A. | 5.8 |
| STS Tek | 9.0 | 5.2 | 2.0 | 6.7 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 5.9 | 5.4 |
My final scores across all 9 tests, equal-weighted into the overall. Cotton is the control towel.
Test 1 of 9
Absorbency
Three sub-tests, weighted equally: total water a towel holds, its absorbency ratio, and how well it dries you after a shower. Most campers only need to soak up a little after showering, so treat raw capacity as a bonus.
| Towel | Total water | Ratio | After shower |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| PackTowl Personal | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| PackTowl Luxe | 10 | 9 | 10 |
| Nomadix | 9 | 5 | 10 |
| Wise Owl | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Rainleaf | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| REI Lite | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| REI Multi | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Cotton (control) | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| Sea to Summit Tek | 9 | 9 | 9 |
How I scored this
Total water: ≥1,250mL = 10; 1,000-1,249 = 9; 750-999 = 8; 500-749 = 7; 250-499 = 6; 150-249 = 5; 100-149 = 4. Absorbency ratio: ≥4.6 = 10; 4.1-4.5 = 9; 3.6-4.0 = 8; 3.1-3.5 = 7; 2.6-3.0 = 6; 2.1-2.5 = 5. After shower: Excellent = 10; Very Good = 9; Good = 8; Fair = 7.
Test 2 of 9
Wringing
The more water you wring out, the less is left to dry. I weighed the water left after wringing, then timed drying, and weighted the final 20% wringing, 80% drying-after, because a towel that wrings well but dries slow defeats the purpose.
| Towel | Wringing (water left) | Drying after (mins) |
|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 7 (1.4) | 10 (8.0) |
| PackTowl Personal | 8 (1.6) | 7 (5.6) |
| PackTowl Luxe | 10 (2.0) | 5 (4.0) |
| Nomadix | 4 (0.8) | 4 (3.2) |
| Wise Owl | 8 (1.6) | 8 (6.4) |
| Rainleaf | 8 (1.6) | 8 (6.4) |
| REI Lite | 6 (1.2) | 7 (5.6) |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | 9 (1.8) | 8 (6.4) |
| REI Multi | 10 (2.0) | 4 (3.2) |
| Cotton (control) | 6 (1.2) | 2 (1.6) |
| Sea to Summit Tek | 10 (2.0) | 4 (3.2) |
How I scored this
Wringing (percent of water left): 26-30% = 10; 31-35% = 9; 36-40% = 8; 41-45% = 7; 46-50% = 6; 51-55% = 5; 56-60% = 4. Drying after wringing (minutes): 1-15 = 10; 16-30 = 9; 31-45 = 8; 46-60 = 7; 61-75 = 6; 76-90 = 5; 91-105 = 4; 106-120 = 3; 121-135 = 2.
Test 3 of 9
Drying
A straight drying-time test, scored on the outdoor readings (indoor tracked proportionally). Drying scores are in the scoreboard above, and the Matador NanoDry led at a perfect 10.
How I scored this
Drying time (minutes): 20-22 = 10; 23-25 = 9; 26-28 = 8; 29-31 = 7; 32-34 = 6; 35-37 = 5; 38-40 = 4; 41-43 = 3; 44-46 = 2.
Test 4 of 9
Odor resistance
Three smell tests, weighted equally: sealed after seawater (4 days), sealed after a shower (4 days), and 7 days of continuous use. Treated towels like the PackTowls stayed odorless throughout.
| Towel | Seawater (4d) | Shower (4d) | Continuous (7d) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| PackTowl Personal | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| PackTowl Luxe | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Nomadix | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Wise Owl | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Rainleaf | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| REI Lite | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| REI Multi | 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Cotton (control) | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Sea to Summit Tek | 4 | 7 | 9 |
How I scored this
Seawater & shower: No smell = 10, scaling down through faint / musky / sour bands to 5-2. Continuous use: No smell = 10; very faint = 9; faint = 8; faint musky = 7; heavier musky = 6; heavy musky = 5.
Test 5 of 9
Grass, dirt & sand repellence
Two field tests: I dragged each towel through grass and dirt, and again through sand, then shook it out. Thinner, smoother towels shed almost everything. Scores are in the scoreboard above (Grass and Sand columns).
How I scored this
Both tests: nothing stuck = 10; minimal but clean after shaking = 9; moderate = 8; heavy = 7; extremely heavy but clean after shaking = 6.
Test 6 of 9
Portability
I looked at weight and packed size, but scored on weight alone (packed size tracked proportionally and is harder to measure fairly). Lighter is better for the trail. Scores are in the scoreboard above.
How I scored this
Weight: ≤90g = 10; 91-130 = 9; 131-170 = 8; 171-210 = 7; 211-250 = 6; 251-290 = 5; 291-330 = 4; 331-370 = 3; >371g = 2.
Test 7 of 9
Comfort
Split 50/50 between general comfort (fluffiness, softness, sizing) and stickiness against the skin. The cotton control wins here, and unsurprisingly, it feels most like the towel at home.
| Towel | General comfort | Stickiness |
|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 2 | 6 |
| PackTowl Personal | 6 | 7 |
| PackTowl Luxe | 9 | 9 |
| Nomadix | 7 | 9 |
| Wise Owl | 4 | 5 |
| Rainleaf | 4 | 6 |
| REI Lite | 6 | 7 |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | 4 | 5 |
| REI Multi | 8 | 8 |
| Cotton (control) | 10 | 10 |
| Sea to Summit Tek | 8 | 8 |
How I scored this
General comfort: feels like a cotton towel = 10, scaling down through fluffy/soft/thin/very-thin bands to 2. Stickiness: cotton-like non-stickiness = 10, down through a-bit-sticky / quite / very sticky to 5.
Test 8 of 9
Quality
Six dimensions, weighted 25 / 25 / 20 / 10 / 10 / 10: stitching and material matter most, then weight change after 4 months of use, then bleeding, hanging loop and storage pouch. The cotton control isn’t scored on quality.
| Towel | Stitch | Material | Weight Δ | Bleed | Loop | Pouch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matador NanoDry | 9 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| PackTowl Personal | 9 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| PackTowl Luxe | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Nomadix | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | N.A. |
| Wise Owl | 9 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Rainleaf | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| REI Lite | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Sea to Summit DryLite | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 3 |
| REI Multi | 8 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Sea to Summit Tek | 3 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
How I scored this
Stitching & material: Excellent = 10; Good = 8-9; Average = 6-7; Poor ≤ 5. Weight change (after 4 months): no change = 10; <1% loss = 6; 1-2% loss = 2. Bleeding: none = 10; slight (1 wash) = 9, down to 6 washes = 3. Hanging loop: Excellent = 10; Good = 8-9; stiff/cheap = 6-7. Storage pouch: High = 10; Very Good = 9; Good = 7-8; Average = 5-6; Poor ≤ 4.
Test 9 of 9
Overall performance
I weighted all 9 tests equally, adding the nine section scores and dividing by nine, to get each overall in the scoreboard above. If a test matters more to you, weight it more heavily and recalculate; every number you need is on this page.
My adviceThere’s no single “best” towel, and it depends on which of these 9 tests matter for your trip. The Matador NanoDry topped my equal-weighted overall, but a car camper who cares about comfort might rank the PackTowl Luxe first.
The bottom line
Nine tests, equal weight, one control towel, all my raw thresholds on the table. The Matador NanoDry took my overall, but you can re-weight the tests for your own trip. Want the ranked write-ups? See my camping-towel round-up →
Quick questions
FAQ
Which towel scored highest overall?
The Matador NanoDry, at 8.6. It topped drying, wringing, odor, dirt and portability. The PackTowl Personal (8.1) and PackTowl Luxe (7.9) followed.
Why include a cotton towel?
As a control, to show how the camping towels compare to the bath towel you already own. It wins on comfort but loses badly on drying, wringing and portability.
Can I weight the tests differently?
Absolutely, and that’s why every score and threshold is on this page. If drying matters most to you, weight it heavier and re-average the nine sections yourself.
Keep going
Where to next
I tested all 11 of these towels myself, and I bought every one of them.
