Guest Author - Shasta Wilson

Light load towels are billed as the "lightest, most versatile towels around," and they certainly represent a useful and unique product available to adventurers today. Made of lightweight, biodegradable material, light load towels come packed initially in a waterproof plastic shell, and expand out into two sizes: 12in x 24in or 36in x 60in. Order online at lightloadtowels.com for about $6 (one beach towel or a three-pack of standard size). Light load towels are also sold at sporting goods stores or specialty shops.

Pros:
Size
The initial size of the standard towel is about the size of a poker chip, and the larger 'beach' towel is about the size of a drink coaster. They're easy to toss into a backpack or toiletry kit in case you need something absorbent. The expanded size also gives users a fair amount of towel to work with. The beach towel size is large enough to use as a lounge chair cover or body wrap.

Durability
Though cheap enough to be disposal, the towels can also be washed, dried, and reused. It took a good amount of strength for me to tear the towel even slightly, so they probably can withstand strong scrubbing or rough surfaces. It is recommended that you machine wash them in a mesh bag, though.

Absorbency
Light load towels are super-absorbent, and work great as a wash cloth or damp compress. I personally saturated one of the standard size towels to wipe down my dogs, and it worked very well with no ripping or tearing. I then used the beach towel size to dry, and it seemed to soak up any moisture in the fur.

Versatility
The website lists a whole host of possible functions, and it seems likely that you could find some sort of way to put a light load towel to use while traveling. A product like this seems especially advantageous for outdoor travels like hikes or camping trips.


Cons:
Absorbency
Though the towel absorbs well, it saturates fairly quickly, especially when soaking up large amounts of water. When wet, it won't be dry to the touch like a chamois.

Material Texture
The light load towel is more about function instead of comfort. If you're looking for a light, fluffy towel to relax on, you'll be disappointed. The towel material is rough and scratchy to the touch. Once wet, and then dried again, the texture becomes much softer.

Ink/Printing
The logo and pattern printed on the towels could be problematic. When exposed to heat for a few hours after being left in my car, the ink stained other parts of the towel it was touching. I'd be concerned that this ink might transfer to luggage or clothing. It must be noted, though, that my attempts to force staining didn't yield results.

Packaging
The compact initial size is great, but it's a bit tricky to pull the towels open to their full size.


Add to the Packing List?
I definitely would take a few of these on my next trip. The compact size is unbeatable, and it never hurts to have an absorbent material on hand. They're basically a heavy duty paper towel, but how many times have I needed something like that! Though a bit scratchy when dry, they're not too abrasive when wet, and they have the right amount of texture to clean up a huge mess. The fact that they stay damp when saturated is also useful in the event of an injury or heat-related illness. And I was able to fully dry the standard size towel with a hairdryer in about 5 minutes.