PackTowl Original Review

Overview

The PackTowl Original is a thin, plant-based utility towel that predates the company’s polyester microfiber lines and still sells on one trick: it holds a lot of water for almost no weight. At 17 g and 10 x 14 in, it suits hikers who want something to wipe down a face, a stove pot or a wet tent fly. The trade-off is feel and durability. Viscose is absorbent and compostable, but it is not a fluffy bath towel, and it is more delicate than synthetic rivals.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	17 g (0.6 oz)
Dimensions	10 x 14 in (25 x 36 cm)
Material	90% rayon (viscose) / 10% polypropylene
Absorbency	10x its weight in water
Drying speed	Over 40% faster than comparable cotton towels (manufacturer claim)
Compostable	Yes; PackTowl recommends an industrial composting service
Included	Snap hang loop, mesh zippered storage pouch
Care	Machine washable
Made in	Germany

Performance

Absorbency. The 10x figure is the headline, and owners generally back it up. By the manufacturer’s math, a 17 g towel at its limit holds roughly 170 g of water, which is more than a hand-size towel will ever be asked to handle on trail. Reviewers describe it soaking up spills and wringing out almost dry, then going back for more. One Amazon owner who compared it with a newer synthetic PackTowl-style product from a big outdoor retailer found the original viscose felt more absorbent, more comfortable and quicker to dry.

Skin feel. This is where expectations need adjusting. The fabric is a thin, smooth felt, not terry. One critical reviewer noted that it tends to move water across skin rather than lift it off the way a cotton bath towel does. Others find the smooth surface more pleasant than the fuzzy hand of microfiber. At 10 x 14 in, it is sized for hands, faces and necks, plus a sponge-down after a creek rinse, not a full-body dry-off. Larger sizes in the same line cover that job, up to a 25 x 54 in XL at 4.4 oz.

Drying. PackTowl claims it dries more than 40% faster than comparable cotton. That is a modest claim next to the 70–80% the company makes for its polyester lines, and the Original’s own users are the best argument for it. Owners report it drying in a matter of hours on a hang loop or pack strap, and overnight when strung up in a hostel or tent. The snap loop and mesh pouch make it easy to clip to the outside of a pack.

Durability. Here the viscose shows its limits. Owners who like the towel say it softens and becomes more absorbent with washing, and PackTowl says as much. The company also warns that the fabric shrinks slightly in the first wash. A less happy early reviewer reported heavy pilling after a cold, delicate cycle. Another buyer in 2023 said the current fabric feels thinner than the towel they remembered. One long-time owner described the viscose felt as bulkier and more delicate than synthetic alternatives. In practice, that means gentle handling: this is a towel to wring, not to scrub boots with.

Versatility. The towel’s strength is utility work. Hikers wrap wet socks or a shirt in it to wring out water before hanging them to dry. It also handles camp-kitchen cleanup, wiping condensation off a shelter, and pot drying. The small size makes it a very weight-efficient answer to those jobs.

Compostability. The fabric is plant-based and PackTowl calls it compostable. The company is careful to add that it needs specific conditions to break down and recommends industrial composting, so it should not be treated as something to bury at a campsite.

Against the company’s own UltraLite. The small UltraLite, a polyester-nylon microfiber towel, is listed at 15 g and 9 x 20 in with about 4x absorbency. It is a bit lighter and a different shape, but it holds far less water per gram. The Original gives up some robustness to hold more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 17 g for a towel that holds about ten times that in water
• Wrings out easily, so it can be used again and again
• Dries faster than cotton and hangs from a snap loop
• Softens and absorbs better with washing
• Plant-based fabric made in Germany; compostable via industrial facilities
• Mesh zippered pouch included

Cons

• At 10 x 14 in, too small for drying off after a swim or shower
• Thin felt feel; some users say it pushes water around on skin
• Viscose is delicate and has been reported to pill and wear
• Shrinks slightly in the first wash
• Drying claim (40%+ faster than cotton) is less impressive than synthetic rivals

Who Should Buy This

Ultralight hikers and thru-hikers who want a face-and-hands towel, a camp-kitchen rag or a sock-wringer, and who like the idea of a plant-based fabric, will get a lot from it for 17 g. It also works as a supplementary towel for stream baths when paired with a larger one. Anyone who wants a single towel to dry off fully, hikers who are rough on gear, and people who prefer a soft, fuzzy hand should look at the XL Original or the company’s polyester Personal and UltraLite lines instead.

Verdict

The PackTowl Original is a good small, absorbent, low-weight utility towel with a compostable fabric, and it does the wipe-down and wring-out jobs well. It is a poor choice as a body towel and needs gentler care than synthetics. Buy it as a trail wipe, not as a bath towel.