Shamwow

In my relentless quest for size and weight reduction, I’m considering what to take as a towel. In the past, I tried drying myself with T-shirts, but found that it didn’t work very well. I need a dedicated towel. What could I use that’s small and light?

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At the local flea market, they were selling Shamwows at 3/$5, or $2 each. I got one, and plan to use it as my towel. Actually, I cut it in half, to make a towel 14″ x 20″. “Made in Germany” is stamped right on the towel. And you know the Germans make good stuff.

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Regular towel on left, hand towel in middle, Shamwow on right

My friend Ahmad advised me never to try something for the first time on a major trip. Respecting that wisdom, I’ve been using this half-Shamwow as my bath towel for the past few days. It seems to be enough. My trick after a shower is to ruffle my hair to get most of the water out, then squeegee as much water as I can off my skin using my hands. That leaves only a little bit of moisture for the Shamwow to pick up.

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There are only two drawbacks that I can think of for now:

  1. It’s too small, too thin, and too stiff to use as a wrap for warmth; and
  2. It’s too small to wrap around myself to walk around after a shower, unless I want to give someone an unexpected thrill (or unexpected laugh).

6 Comments

  1. Julie Mac says:

    All of us will be cheering you and Elliot on! We feel confident in knowing that you are thought of every detail 🙂 and have the means to stay dry.

    Travel safely friend,

    Julie

    • Roderick says:

      Hey, Julie.

      I wouldn’t say we’ve thought of EVERY detail. No doubt, we’ll face some tests of character along the way.

      Thanks for your encouraging words!

  2. Marilyn Lang says:

    We hope you have a wonderful, adventurous trip! My daughter took that kind of towel with her when she went to Japan a few years ago and said that it works very well, so you are all set for showering. I don’t know about staying dry in a Midwest thunderstorm, though!

    Marilyn

    • Roderick says:

      Hi, Marilyn!

      Another validation of the Shamwow. Maybe I should make Elliot take one, too, instead of a regular towel.

  3. Lorna says:

    Hi, Roderick.

    You and Elliot are embarking on a huge adventure most of us can only admire. And say, “ouch!” Just a suggestion for a towel that maybe Elliot would like. Have you tried Costco’s yellow microfiber towels–16’x16″ in a pack of 36 in the automobile section? We use them all over our house and I use them to wipe away the stickiness after exercise. They’re as soft as a baby chick.

    Will you be with other people on your tour? Clyde asks if you’re camping out or whether you have accommodations along the way. We’re rooting for you.

    • Roderick says:

      Hi, Lorna and Clyde.

      Good idea, I’ll check at Costco sometime this week. The Shamwow is stiff, like a thin sponge. It picks up the water great, but is no good for blowing my nose, should it come to that.

      It’s just Elliot and me, but I doubt we will be alone very often. This is a sort of popular route with cyclists, so we’ll probably meet transient friends along the way, and at campgrounds. Yes, our plan is to camp, say, 5 days a week, and 2 in motels. We won’t necessarily be in formal campgrounds – many small towns allow cyclists to camp in their city parks free.