NanoDry™ Packable Shower Towel – Large

I have the older model with the old silicone case and button loop. I am glad to see the button was upgraded to a buckle.

This is my most used item in my travel kit and it keeps me DRY while also drying out QUICKLY. This amazing part of these towels is its ability to intentionally soak it in water to “wash and rinse,” immediately wring out the water, and then use the damp towel to wipe off your body and dry yourself.

When you are hiking and it is hot outside, you can soak this in water, fold it or roll it, then wrap it around your neck or place it on top of your head. It cools you off while drying out. Because it soaks up water, you don’t have to worry about not being able to use it later after a shower. Just wring out the water and use it, wring it out again, you’ll be dry.

When the sun is beating outside, I’ve used it as a sun shade / cape. It blocks out the sun’s rays. The con is that while you’re walking around blocking out the sun, it picks up a lot of dusk and dirt. The solution is a wet/dry bag. Fill it up with water, but it in the dry bag, shake and rinse, wring it out and re-use it again.

If you could only use ONE towel, choose Matador.

Future Request: A storage bag that allows it to completely dry while packed away (I know it’s probably impossible). I find that my silicone case never allows the towel to completely dry out, it also makes the towel stink due to bacteria retention. Someone also stole the carabiner off the silicone case while I was traveling. People.

Half the listed weight of 160g is the towel and half is the case (exactly 80g each, measured on my kitchen scale). The shower towel is 5" longer than the ultralight towel and without the case is only 3.5g heavier (the case is great if you like that form factor and don't mind the extra weight). I don't use the case, I just fold it flat and put it in a pouch in my toiletry kit where it hardly takes up any space. I like the extra 5" over the ultralight towel because it works better for other uses.

What other uses you ask? (I think Matador could list all these - nudge nudge):

- bandana (fold in half to make a square, and then again to make a triangle) which can be used as a neckercheif/head kercheif/headband (block the sun, or soak with water to stay cool) or over your mouth to block blowing sand or bugs
- scarf
- eye mask
- tie the corners together to make a bag or to string up as a gear sling in your tent or under your tarp
- very thin blanket (not the best use)
- pre-straining water before filtering/treating/boiling
- bandage, sling, or tourniquet
- folded to 1/8th it's the perfect size to put under your bum when sitting on cold metal or concrete benches at bus/train stations, parks, etc. (put the matador travel blanket down first if it's wet or dirty looking). It won't give much padding but will cut the chill significantly
- I'm not going to try it just to experiment, but strips would probably work well as emergency fire starter

This is hands down the best travel towel on the internet. The built quality and the amount of water it absorbs is amazing. However, it has a major flaw. This happened to me on my most recent trip.
After using it, I hung the towel with the carrying case outside on my backpack to dry, as one should. I was in a rush to catch my next train so I had to run for 1.5 miles carrying all my stuff. I never thought any of my gear would break from the run since everything is designed for adventure. When I finally sat down on the train, I realized something was off with the town case. It felt lighter. That is when I realized that my wet towel that was stored in there must have fell out during the run. I was devastated bc I just lost my own towel for the rest of my trip. I never thought this would happen. I have always rolled the towel up and tucked it in nicely. However, I believe that the case was actually a bit too big for a wet towel leaving some space for the towel to move. When it's bouncing up and down on your backpack, there is a chance that the towel could fall out, which happened to me. This towel was my absolute favor towel and I can't believe it fell out by itself. Now probably lost on some random street. Adventurers be aware. If you might find yourself running or doing some big movements, DO NOT hang the thing on the outside.

I always bring the matador packable shower towel on trips. It is very lightweight so its good to have around. Most of the time i use it to keep myself my dry after getting rained on.

Loved this towel while it lasted. Absorbent, lightweight, and sleek design. Left it unattended for 5 minutes in a hostel in Madrid and someone swiped it. Makes sense. Here to buy another one!

I've used a lot of travel towels over the years, and this is probably my favorite because it actually dries quickly and packs down incredibly small. Whether I'm camping, staying in hostels, swimming in alpine lakes, or showering in places that don't provide towels, it barely takes up any room in my backpack.

The NanoDry Shower Towel feels incredibly lightweight and compact, making it an easy addition to any travel kit. I love that it packs down so small without compromising on quality, and the Garnet color is a great addition to the lineup. It’s the kind of gear that’s easy to bring on every adventure because it takes up virtually no space.

Literally the smallest quick dry towel I've ever owned. Packs down so small and dries really quickly. Perfect for camping, beach days, or anywhere I don’t want to carry around a bulky wet towel.

Love this product, its fairly soft, soaks up lots of water, has a convienient loop attached go the towel to securly hang the towel up to dry, drys much quicker than a normal towel, packs away well, a real space saver!

Nice and compact

Drys fast and it feels good!

Haven't gotten to use but excited to try it

It could dry a little bit more!

Highly recommend this travel towel. Perfect size and dries quickly.

Perfect addition to my day-hike pack. Way more space efficient than the microfiber one I’ve been carrying for the last couple of years

Bought this towel to use at the gym. It is small and compact but I found it not to be the best at it's main job of drying me off. I washed and dried it hoping that would improve its functionality, but it did not and I reverted back to my normal towel for the gym.

Quick drying

It hardly takes up any space, works great, dries quicker than regular towels, and has a nice holder that you can clip onto the outside of your bag.

Great for going to the beach, if the gym you go to doesn't offer/charges for full size towels, or if you're staying at a family or friends place and you're given a towel to use that is "clean" but smells funky.

I like the towel very soft and efecctive

Based on the photos alone, and feeling the material, I think it'll be great during my next trip when accommodation towels aren't enough to dry me off. Another benefit that this item claims to have is you don't have to hang it out to dry and that for me is a benefit it some lodges that don't have a clothesline. I'll update this review if there are any specifics I may find out in the coming months/years of use.

Love it! Not too hard to pack away either. Super lightweight, looks pretty cool. Love that I can clip it on the outside of my bag.

Perfect size for travel

This is perfect to pack in my travel bag. Let’s me go swimming on my trips

Great towel

Space efficient, slow to smell, easy to hang, good case.

Get both the large towel and the hand towel size, makes it much easier to travel with. The small is good for sweat, drying hands, etc.

A towel, I’ve used this as my ONLY towel for three months. Hands down, this is the MOST used travel item in my pack. I have the older version when they had nice colors (red and green) with the old silicone case. From Indonesia to the Philippines, this towel keeps me bone dry. The unique aspect about Matador towels is its ability to be rinsed off in the ocean, sink, or shower, and then immediately wrung out to expel water, THEN to dry yourself off. It is a good “wet” towel that can still soak up water and “dry” you off when wet. When you hang it to dry, it is the FIRST item that drys compared to wet t-shirts or pants. If Matador made a shirt or pant out of this material, I would buy 3 pairs. When you’re in the hot sun, wet this towel and hang it around your neck or place it on top of your head. It blocks out the sun and keep you cool, then you can rinse out the dirt in a dry bag, wring out the water, and then dry yourself off. This is the best damn towel I’ve ever used. The button loop to hang is essential, sometimes you don’t want to hang the whole towel on a branch swarming with ants, the button loop is a must for future towels. If you’re a minimalist traveler and love efficiency, you won’t regret this item. I’m buying the “nano lite” next to try it out, that one does not come with the button loop unfortunately.

This little thing is awesome!