Question about towels

[TCsaba]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

 

[Bradypus]

Albergues will very rarely provide towels. Bring your own. Lots of different opinions about what sort. My own choice is a lightweight piece of cotton cloth (an Indian lungi) which has very little weight or bulk and will dry very fast.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Mine is a lightweight flannel cotton baby swaddling blanket. Packs up small, weighs very little, absorbs well and always dries quickly draped over the end of the bunk by morning. A large person could sew two together. They are only about a dollar or two at resale shops.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

TC, here is a little video I did about what towel(s) I take. Maybe it will be helpful:
What Towel I Take on the Camino

 

[Stephan the Painter]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

Just search for "travel towels," or "backpacking towels," on the Internet and you'll be offered hundreds of options and blog posts and reviews, etc.

This is the one I used, a microfiber towel made by a company called Rainleaf, which works really well and dries really fast. Surprisingly, for me, something just a little bigger than a dish towel worked fine after a shower.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

A cotton wash cloth works wonders if you keep wringing it out.

 

[Coverbid]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

Hi, On my first Camino that was the only thing I forgot to bring. Definitely bring one with you. A quick dry towel. Mine is full body length and i also use it inside my sleeping bag for additional warm or as a layer under my sleeping bag. I hope to walk the Le Puy summer of 2025. Good luck. How is your French? Thanks, Mike

 

[backlasher]

I've got a Turkish Cotton one. It dries quickly and is very thin so, rolled up, it takes little space.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Mine is microfiber, dries quicker than most other materials and is big enough that I use it as a blanket when needed.

 

[jpwu]

I prefer cotton because the synthetic tent to stink.

 

[C clearly]

I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not?

Only because they forgot to mention it, or they have not refined and applied their lists over several Caminos! Also the towels many of us carry on the camino can almost be missed as they are not big fluffy bath towels. They might just be the size of a large handkerchief.

 

[Sue127]

I use a hamam towel. It's big, light, dries quickly and when the sun is really hot it also protects my head and shoulders

 

[Damien Reynolds]

TC, here is a little video I did about what towel(s) I take. Maybe it will be helpful:
What Towel I Take on the Camino

So cool to hear you talk! I personally bring a huge microfiber towel. I remember walking with a woman who actually carried a full sized normal bathroom towel and remember being so jealous. The weight tho... won't go there.

One thing about towels tho, they are probably the #1 thing I've forgotten at albergues in the past (power adapters being #2). If you hang it up to dry, remember that it is out there!

In those cases where I forgot mine, China stores / Decathlon / fabric stores come in handy.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I cannot imagine carrying a full size bath towel from hime...heavy, takes up lots of room as they do not fold up small, and if you need to hang it inside due to a rainy day, I'm not sure how well it would dry...I'd not be jealous.

 

[Damien Reynolds]

I cannot imagine carrying a full size bath towel from hime...heavy, takes up lots of room as they do not fold up small, and if you need to hang it inside due to a rainy day, I'm not sure how well it would dry...I'd not be jealous.

Totally, me either (I'd never)... but I was jealous because she looked so comfortable with it. It was an early walk though, so just learning.

 

[Tandem Graham]

If you buy a camping/backpacking towel, my tip is to use it and wash it a few times at home before you travel. They feel like drying yourself with a cardboard packing carton to start, until they soften up a bit. They do dry quickly though and are a fraction of the weight of a bath-towel at home.

 

[Anniesantiago]

I use a hamam towel. It's big, light, dries quickly and when the sun is really hot it also protects my head and shouldersView attachment 161551

I just got one of those to go to Hawaii and didn't use it. I wondered about taking it on the Camino but I feel it's too large - maybe I'll cut it in half. But honestly, i already have so many pack towels. lol Looks useful though.

 

[Tickbush]

I have a very threadbare 50-year-old beach towel that I cut down in size. It’s just big enough to wrap around me if necessary. Dries as quickly as microfiber.

 

[lovelyshell]

I carry a PackTowel and a lightweight sarong. The sarong is to wrap my body when I exit the shower as I don’t like to put on my clothes in the shower. The sarong can also be used as a pillow cover.

 

[Frankybaby66]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

I always take a microfiber towel with me. Light and dries superfast. Available at all (I think) Outdoor stores.
more and more Albergues offer towels for €1 a go, but you can't rely on them all the time.
Hope this helps,
Buen Camino/Bom Caminho

 

[Roland49]

Hello! I am planning to do the French route at the beginning of June.
I've seen a lot of gear and most of them contained the necessary stuff, but I didn't see a towel in any of them. Could you guys tell me why not? I think they certainly don't provide it in shelters.

Thank you in advance

Yip, bring your own. I used on my CF and CP two very lightweight microfiber terry-towels (that are widely used by hairdressers). Cheap and very fast drying.

 

[Jim]

Albergues will very rarely provide towels. Bring your own.

I agree, having served as one of the hospitaleros. But I have known of albergue staff providing a towel to a pilgrim in case of an emergency-- lost towel, etc. I can't say if the staff simply lent the pilgrim one of their own towels. It just isn't usually provided in most albergues.

 

[WanderingScot]

Towels are not generally provided and it’s recommended you take your own. Many favour microfibre towels but I’ve also read a few pilgrims regret not taking a ‘real’ towel. I plan to take a cotton towel in April / May. There will be plenty facilities to wash & dry towels along the way, the main issue being space in your rucksack if you are carrying everything. I’m using baggage transfer to take a case with things I wouldn’t want to carry each day so thst allows for a decent towel - I think its just what you feel comfortable with, microfibre v cotton. Buen Camino!

 

[TheRealPixie]

It’s just big enough to wrap around me if necessary. Dries as quickly as microfiber.

This is my big question: Would I need one big enough to wrap around? Or is there room in the showers to dress? If the answer is room in the showers, I see no point it bringing a full size towel. I can dry off with something the size of a hand towel. I will go microfiber but want to save weight and bulk if a hand towel suffices.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have always been able to dry off and wiggle into my clean clothes in a small shower cubicle. I only bring a very lightweight cotton flannel infant swaddling towel, but am surprised at how much water it absorbs and how quickly it dries. That said, I am a small/average build and my hair length is off my shoulders. A larger person or a woman with longer hair would probably need a larger towel. I've never felt the need to wrap a towel around me after showering in albergues. Where would I walk to in order to gain more privacy to get dressed anyway, especially as a woman?

 

[GPeachy]

Decathlon makes an excellent microfiber towel in various sizes. We also use them when we go to the beach to dry off after being in the ocean. I brought a different kind last time, but will definitely take the decathlon one on my next Camino.

 

[KDub]

So, over the years I have been able to get everything down to a sub-20 liter backpack and less than 10 lbs base weight. The one thing that I have actually gotten that’s larger than when I first started was my travel towel. I just want a big one for coverage out of the shower and also to hang as a privacy screen for the bunk room. I am using the PackTowl ultra lite beach towel.

 

[TheRealPixie]

Where would I walk to in order to gain more privacy to get dressed anyway, especially as a woman?

I don't know. That's why I'm asking.
I imagined maybe you exit the shower stall and in the main ladies room there is a bench or something you go to, in which to change. Like at a locker room at the gym. If this were the case I would want a large towel to cover me as I wriggle into the undies, etc. But if you are saying there is room in the shower to change into clothes, I will go with a small towel. Thanks!

 

[trecile]

But if you are saying there is room in the shower to change into clothes, I will go with a small towel. Thanks!

Usually there is room in the shower to change clothes, but every albergue is different, so occasionally there is not. And some albergues don't have separate men's and women's shower areas - though there are curtains or doors on the individual shower stalls.

 

[KDub]

I have stayed in albergues where the shower stall itself was so small that you could barely get in/out of clothes. Other albergues had a small, private changing area right before the shower itself which was really nice and handy. Some even have little benches to sit on or to place your shower items. You just never know until you get there. I will still vote for a large towel, not a small one.

 

[CWBuff]

WOW! Ask ONE question.....

Well... to add to the heap - I am in favor of microfiber fast drying as well.
This is what I took: Fit-Flip Travel Towel
actually i had 2 - for bath purposes I got a Large (27.5" x 55") and for something to wipe my head, fact, hands while walking I got Small (12" x 20")
The large one has its own bag that it packs into very nicely.

Obviously I dont have the issue that ladies have where thy have to cover themselves a bit more "broadly" whence in my case just around my waist does the trick, but IMHO that large one may even work for them

 

[trecile]

I will still vote for a large towel, not a small one.

I agree. I have a Packtowl Ultralite, which is both large and lightweight.

The body size is 25" x 54"/64 cm x 137 cm, and weighs 3.4 ounces/100 grams.

UltraLite PackTowl - Lightweight Packable Towel | PackTowl®

Lightweight and packable towel for ultralight hiking, travel backpacking and more. Super soft towel is highly absorbent and dries fast.

www.packtowl.com

 

[Pafayac]

Towels are not mentionned because we pilgrim never have a shower, nor a bath.
That is why the Botafumeiro has been made: dispel odors.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have always been able to dry off and wiggle into my clean clothes in a small shower cubicle.

*Edited to clarify...Most of the responses above have adequately answered the question asked of me in lost #28. Others then have described in detail the various shower scenarios for getting dressed.
If there is not a small private outer area for changing into my clean clothes, I still do the Houdini wiggle act in the cubicle as I don't prefer to be naked, even in a ladies' bathroom. I say it often; we are all different.

 

[CWBuff]

@Camino Chrissy - I'm confuuuuused.... (see above)
Are you having conversations with yourself?

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@Camino Chrissy - I'm confuuuuused.... (see above)
Are you having conversations with yourself?

Go back and read post #28, and I have now edited my #34 to avoid more confuuusion.

 

[dreaming]

I carry a very old, small Katmandu microfibre towel. It dries me and my long hair very well. I get dressed in the shower cubicle. I save the weight in my backpack for other luxuries.

 

[Anniesantiago]

These are the towels I take:
Which Towels I Take