bamboo vs cotton bath towels

[wurm]

Color me ignorant. I grew up with cotton bath towels. I need a new bath towel. Well, in the course of looking, I see lots of bamboo towels. All I want from a towel is to dry me off, quickly and easily. I like terry. I don't like thick, plush towels that just seem to push the water off. I just want it to dry me off. Is a bamboo towel worth considering? Thanks.

[mattkime]

Bamboo is just rebranding for rayon. You want cotton. I wear a lot of synthetics for workouts - I'd only get cotton for towels and I've never had a great experience with bamboo/rayon.

[Fritz]

dunno about the bamboo towel.
but, bought these 4 years ago and they do the job.
they do shed a fair amount in dryer, but they are still quite good.
Based on a shower once or twice a year. ;-)

[RAMd®d]

I like terry. I don't like thick, plush towels that just seem to push the water off.


I feel ya.

I've used towels that look and feel like velour; maybe that's what they are.

Very soft, very comfy, very warm.

They just don't dry.

I've tried the Onsen waffle towels, overrated as far as I'm concerned.

My concern is the only one that counts.

I've got a pair of Audioengine speakers with bamboo enclosures.

Gorgeous, and they sound quite nice.

That's the extent of my adult experience with bamboo.

Imagine my surprise when AMZ suggested I might like bamboo skivvies.

Whisky Tango...

Given my experience with Onsen (I think that's Japanese for 'hot spring') I'm not in a hurry to try out bamboo underwear.

I'm thinking it would wear well, so I'm open to anyone's personal experience.

[wurm]

Thanks, folks. I'm going to go feel a few towels and get this done.

[Tiangou]

“Bamboo” (rayon) feels soft, but is not absorbent and will shed in the wash/dryer.

[wurm]

I went with 100% cotton. $4.99. If it sucks, it gets relegated to car/bike wash duty.

[hal]

My last purchase of towels was so disappointing. They were big and fluffy, but just pushed water around my skin.

Leaving them outside in the brutal UV for a while and then an aggressive washing or two improved them a bit, but the 30 year old towels that are falling apart that these were meant to replace are still here because they work much better...

[RAMd®d]

“Bamboo” (rayon) feels soft, but is not absorbent and will shed in the wash/dryer.


Two strikes, so bamboo is out.

[JoeH]

Yeah, that description holds for almost any rayon cloth whether made from bamboo or another source of cellulose.

There is actual bamboo fiber cloth made from the fibers extracted mechanically along with enzyme degradation of the woody part of the stalk. It is a similar process to how they get linen fiber from flax. It is sometimes sold as bamboo linen, but it is not easy to find. It is supposedly a bit more absorbent than bamboo rayon cloth.