Aldi Crane Suede Travel Towel:An Initial Test of Worth
05 January 2017 | Mri & Rob Grout
A towel is easily one of the many travel items that I would normally leave behind when I'm trying to save space and weight - like when say, Rob and I are planning a 6000+ mile cycling expedition over the Rocky Mountains and we have to carry every single bloody ounce of equipment every step (or rotation) of the way. However, Rob's constant spoken desire to have one on our trip and Aldi's current amazing price of only £3.99 for their 80cm by 130cm suede travel towel had me purchasing one to test out beforehand. Now unlike our other travel kit reviews, this review of the Aldi Crane Suede Travel Towel is only an initial review as our trip is quickly approaching and I need to know whether or not I should buy another one fairly soon. So if you're asking yourself 'should I buy a travel towel?,' then why not read the following (and as always, honest) review by this travel towel skeptic.
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Test #1: Drying Off After a Shower
This is obviously the most crucial characteristic of a towel, but instead of just testing whether or not the Aldi Suede Travel Towel will eventually dry someone off after a shower, I only used it to go over myself once and then determined how dried off I actually was. I was pleased to note that it worked just as well as a normal towel and after only a few seconds of drying off, I could step back into my clothes. I especially liked how the color darkened (due to being damp) so that I could tell which part of the towel was already wet and thus, wouldn't dry as well (which is a personal annoyance of a regular towel). However, the one thing that I didn't like about Aldi's Suede Travel Towel was how it required you to dab and not rub like you normally would when drying off. Then again, its fantastically small pack size makes up for the weird feeling as their microfibre towel of the same dimensions (which is more like a normal towel) is twice the size when packed.Test #2: Wrapping Up in a Travel Towel
How convenient would it be if you could wrap up in a towel after a shower for a quick pop back to your hotel room or designated camping spot? Unfortunately, given this Aldi Travel Towel measures at 80cm by 130cm it's only just big enough to do so for a 5'9" skinny male. But luckily, both Rob and I are quite small, so this one works for us. However, it most definitely wouldn't wrap around an average sized adult, I don't think.Test #3: How Fast Does the Aldi Travel Towel Dry?
A towel (and any item) needs to be able to dry quickly when you're on the road, so it doesn't get everything else wet when you need to pack it away. For this reason, Rob and I both try to stay away from cotton as it's one of the worst materials for staying warm and dry. This Aldi Travel Towel however, is made out of 88% polyester and 12% nylon to help it dry off quickly as a benefit to travelers everywhere. But exactly how long does it take for this towel to dry? *Both tests were done inside of a heated house in England in January 2017; however, the bedroom window was left open to create a colder environment of around 16C in the day and one with a bit of a breeze.
A. After using to dry off from a shower
Less than 30 minutes. However, due to the water not spreading out like a soaked paper towel, one can easily dry off by using the middle section of the towel and then immediately pack it away by folding the outside (and dry bits) around the middle (ie: wet bits). I don't think placing it inside of a dry bag is needed with this method, but if you want a bit of extra security then go for it. Just don't forget to dry it out when you get the chance!
B. After it being completely soaked
Overnight (ie: less than 8 hours). For this test, I filled up the sink, then dunked the Aldi Travel Towel into it for 30 seconds so it could get completely soaked. I then hand rung it out to the best of my ability and left it out to dry.
So What's Our Verdict on Aldi's Suede Travel Towel?
Due to Aldi's amazing price of only £3.99 combined with this the towel's small pack size and 'barely there' weight, this travel towel skeptic must admit that she's been swayed to buy another one (as you can see in the photo above!). However, towels are still one of my top things to get rid of when trying to save on a bit of space and weight - especially mostly since hostels provide them if you want a shower and if it's not hot enough to dry off on some rocks, then it's probably not hot enough to swim! Though I guess that's just all down to personal preference as Rob would much rather pack one on every trip. *To see how the Alid Suede Travel Towel reviews long term, then watch this space in the coming months.Travel Tip #4
Have you tried out the Aldi Suede Travel Towel and want to add your opinion? What do you think about taking travel towels with you on a trip?