Most camp towels feel thin and a bit plasticky against your skin. The Sea to Summit Tek Towel is meant to feel like the towel you use at home: a thick, soft microfibre with a deep pile, that still dries fast and packs into a case. We bought the Large in Desert Brown for $40 and it’s been in our kit on every trip since.
What’s in the box
A 60 × 120 cm towel in a microfibre blend of 80% recycled polyester and 20% nylon, with a hanging loop that closes with a press stud. It packs into a moulded grey case with a zip and air holes on the back, so the towel can breathe.
What we like
- Thick, soft terrycloth feel
- Large: 60 × 120 cm
- Dries much faster than cotton
- Sturdy moulded zip case
- Press-stud hanging loop
What we don’t
- Picks up pine needles
- 303 g with case
- Costs more than basic towels
Quick Specs
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Sea to Summit |
| Material | 80% recycled polyester20% nylon |
| Colour | Desert brown |
| Weight | 303 gwith case |
| Size | 60 × 120 cm |
| Packed size | 8 × 12 × 20 cm |
| Included | Zip case |
How it feels
This is the Tek Towel’s strong point. It’s thicker than we expected, with a deep, soft pile that feels like terrycloth rather than the smooth, slippery microfibre of most travel towels. At 60 × 120 cm the Large is big enough to wrap around you after a camp shower or a swim, so it doesn’t feel like a compromise. The stitching and the rounded corners are neatly done.
Drying
The deep pile soaks up water quickly, so a few gentle passes and you’re dry. It also dries again much faster than cotton: we hang it by its loop from the awning or over the car door, and it’s ready to pack a short time later without going musty. It goes in the washing machine after a trip.
The soft pile has one downside: it picks up fine bits easily. After using it near a pine forest we spent a while picking needles off it. A good shake gets most of it off.
Weight and packing
The Large weighs 303 g with its case on our scale, about three times as much as thin travel towels, and it packs to 8 × 12 × 20 cm. For car camping that’s no problem: the case sits neatly in the drawer in the back of the Prado, next to our Kathmandu towel. For a hike where every gram counts it’s on the heavy side.
Tek Towel or Airlite?
Choose by how you travel. The Tek Towel is the comfortable one for car camping. If weight matters, Sea to Summit’s own Airlite towel is the same size at 67 g, and the Kathmandu microfibre towel is a light middle ground. Our camping towels guide compares all four we’ve tested.
The two Sea to Summit towels are the same size but opposite in every other way (weights on our scale, with the case or sack):
This one Tek Towel |  Airlite Towel | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 120 × 60 cm | 120 × 60 cm |
| Feel | Thick, soft | Very thin |
| Comes in | Zip case | Stuff sack |
| Weight | 303 g | 67 g |
| Price paid | $40 | $30 |
| Our score | 8.7 | 8.6 |
Conclusion: Sea to Summit Tek TowelConclusion
The Sea to Summit Tek Towel is the camp towel that feels most like a towel from home: thick and soft, big enough to wrap around you at 60 × 120 cm, and quick to dry. It weighs 303 g with its case, picks up pine needles and costs more than a basic towel. For $40, it’s the most comfortable towel we take camping.
The most comfortable towel we take camping.
It's thick and soft like a towel from home, big enough to wrap around you at 60 × 120 cm, and dries quickly, packed in a sturdy moulded case. It weighs 303 g with the case, picks up pine needles and costs more than a basic towel.
- Car campers
- 4WD tourers
- Travellers
Yes, if comfort matters. I paid $40 for a towel that feels like terrycloth and packs into a sturdy case. It’s heavy for hiking at 303 g.
