Are Turkish towels good for travel? You better believe it! While there are still times when that tiny microfiber pack towel serves a purpose, the HPL team generally ALWAYS recommends a Turkish towel when traveling.
Known as peshtemals, Turkish towels were originally designed for use in public bath houses. In recent years, they’ve grown in popularity as beach/pool towels, travel towels, and even as gym towels (I take mine to the gym!) thanks to their large size, high absorbency level, and quick-drying nature.
Even though they are cotton (which is not typically on our quick-dry clothing and travel gear list), they dry fairly quickly.
The size is not even comparable to pack towels, but since the material is thin, they still pack up small.
Unlike the sticky feeling of other pack towels, like my old faithful from Kathmandu, Turkish towels pat down more like a normal towel given the fluffy thread of Turkish cotton.
All thanks to Turkish cotton.