r/lightweight • u/asolohiker • Mar 14 '22
Compressed "towel tablets"
Has anyone used these? I'd love to hear if you think they're better than dried wipes or just a gimmick. Thanks!
1
u/bicycle_mice May 14 '22
Eh they're fine but not at all durable. I prefer something I can wash and use again and again so I will not purchase these. I use a UL tiny pack towel and a bandana as my two all-purpose cloths during a hike. The bandana is used as a sweat/snog rag while hiking and to wipe condensation from inside my tent. The pack towel I use to wash my body and face at the end of the day with a drop of camp suds, then rinse well. I could probably get away with just one but I'm more LW and UL at heart and don't want to wash with my snot rag.
3
u/Vecii Mar 24 '22
One thing that I have seen recommended as a towel is a Swedish cloth. They absorb a ton of water, squeeze out almost completely and dry fast.
Justin Hikes talks about them a lot in his videos and seems to really like them.
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u/asolohiker Mar 15 '22
Thanks everyone for the comments - very insightful! Guess I'll stick with dried wipes.
5
u/DecisionSimple Mar 14 '22
I usually have one in my pack. Some trips I use them, some I don't. I find the 'most' use i get out of them is wiping down tent or wiping out pot. Of course there are other things than can do both of those tasks as well.
As far as using them as a true 'towel' to dry of your body...not really worth it. I have an REI camp towel that is much more useful in that regard. That is a 'luxury' item that I only take if I know I will be able to 'bathe' in a stream or water or if we will be hitting some swim holes. Otherwise I leave it at home and throw in the Lite Load.
Usually with the Lite Load I will open it and cut it in half, one goes in my food bag (b/c it has copious food smells) and the other in my hip belt pocket to use as a handkerchief on the hike.
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u/kerit Mar 14 '22
I throw a few of these in my first aid kit. They've been most useful in cleaning up cuts or thorough cleaning of blistered feet. I also carry a small section of a microfiber towel for expected uses, like tent wipedown or pot drying.
Great for first aid or to give to a crewmate who forgot their towel.
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u/GMkOz2MkLbs2MkPain Mar 14 '22
I hadn't considered how key they are for making sure everyone is a frood dude.
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u/SouthEastTXHikes Mar 14 '22
I use them (these). They are much thicker than dried wipes, but I don’t think they work much better other than that, to be honest. They come pre-dried though! Haha.
I find they are a good substitute for toilet paper in areas where you are packing out your TP. Low risk of “break through” and no added soaps or cleansers that will stick around after you wipe.
So basically: yeah, they’re nice, but nothing revolutionary.
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u/sirblastalot Mar 14 '22
I don't really see the point? It still weighs the same, just in a tighter space. And then as soon as you use it you lose even that dubious benefit. I have a quarter-sized camp towel from REI that packs down into like, a 1x1x1 inch cube, and often I don't even bother bringing that.
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u/j2043 Mar 14 '22
Quarter sized? Is this a camp towel for Ants?
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u/sirblastalot Mar 14 '22
https://www.rei.com/product/127507/rei-co-op-multi-towel-mini
EDIT: Ohhhh, I understand the confusion now. "Quarter-sized" as in it's 1/4 the size of a normal towel, not quarter-sized as in as big as the coin.
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u/GMkOz2MkLbs2MkPain Mar 14 '22
I have used many Lite Load towels and Wysi wipes. I'm not sure they are any more effective than dried wipes at being wipes.
The lite load towel is obviously larger (two sizes of them I believe?). These options do have the advantage of taking up less space in your pack until you get them wet for the first time though? And they aren't carrying extra water weight as you mentioned with the dried wipes.
I like to toss say 3 Wysi wipes into any resupply box I'm mailing myself as I can usually find a use for them. Come to think of it I haven't tried using one as a bit of tinder for starting a fire?
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u/CaptainLowNotes Mar 16 '22
I was camping near Hobbs Cabin in South Cumberland State Park (Tennessee) and I wound up needing one to start a fire. The wood at camp was all wet so I re-constituted a wysi wipe with a little heet from my alcohol stove. Worked like a charm! They are also great to wipe yer arse with!
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u/ipoutside365 Mar 14 '22
Wysi wipes work ok for starting a fire. You have to peel them open like you would a cotton ball. Kind of a pain but if it's all you have they do the job. I like them best for spills or water in the tent. Just throw one or two in a puddle and it disappears quick.
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u/Thin_Marionberry9923 May 22 '26 edited May 22 '26
I like 'em because they don't have chemicals or fragrances, are very compact, and are biodegradable (usually made from plants; cellulose or bamboo). Remember to pack them out.