Field Report

Field Report of
McNett MicroNet Advanced Microfiber Towel
By Michael Jay Lissner
24 February 2004

Contents of Review:
1. Tester Biographical Information
2. Backpacking Background
3. Product Information
4. Product Description
5. Description of Tests
6. Comments
7. Plans for Further Testing
8. Conclusions

1. Tester Biographical Information:
Name: Michael Jay Lissner
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Height: 198 cm (6’6”)
Weight: 86 kg (185 lb)
Email Address: yourmothership at hotmail dot com
City of Current Residence: Depending on time of year: San Diego, CA / Claremont, CA

2. Backpacking Background:
I was first introduced to backpacking through the Boy Scouts, and it was my love of backpacking that made me stick all the way through and get my Eagle. After becoming too old to continue in Boy Scouts, I had trouble motivating myself to plan my own trips, and did not backpack for a few years, until I realized that I should thru-hike the PCT. I am currently in a multi-year training program, practicing techniques, studying backpacking literature, getting in shape, planning the many wee details and perhaps most importantly, converting my ultra-heavy Boy Scout techniques into ones more suited to ultra-light thru-hiking. My current style is a fairly minimalist one relying on more intelligence and discomfort and less on safety gear and toys. I would describe it as nearly ultra-light status, but not quite there yet. My usual stomping grounds are the Laguna Mountains (when in San Diego), the San Bernardino Mountains and deserts of southern California (when in Claremont), and occasionally -when money allows- the southern Sierras.

3. Product Information:
Manufacturer: McNett
Product Name: MicroNet Advanced Microfiber Towel
Year of Manufacture: 2003
Suggested Retail Price: $24.95 (US)
Manufacturer’s URL: http://www.mcnett.com
Advertised Weight of Towel and Bag: Not Given
Measured Weight of Towel and Bag: 278 g (9.8 oz)
Advertised Weight of Towel Alone: 213 g (7.5oz)
Measured Weight of Towel Alone: 210 g (7.4 oz)
Advertised Dimensions of Towel: 76 x 127 cm (30 x 50 in)
Measured Dimensions of Towel: 74 x 125 cm (29 ¼ x 49 ¼ in)
Color of Towel Tested: Burgundy
Measured Dimensions of Bag: 17.8 X 25.4 cm (7 X 10 in)

4. Product Description:
As mentioned in much greater detail in my Initial Report, this is a large-sized microfiber towel that comes with its own two-pocketed zipper bag.

5. Description of Tests:
Since the initial report, I have used this towel as my standard at home towel as well as during several three day backpacking trips. These trips all took place between the months of December and February in the mountains east of Los Angeles, California, and consisted of an altitude of about 1200 – 2000 m (4,000 – 6,500 ft) and a temperature range of about -12 – 21 degrees C (10 – 70 degrees F).

6. Comments:
In regards to the bag:
In my last report, I said that I was planning on doing further tests of the snap handle on the drying pouch of this towel. I did do some preliminary tests, but, as my results from these were mixed, I did not end up doing very in-depth tests of the handle. To wit, before leaving on my first trip with this towel, I stuffed the towel in its sack, and snapped the sack to the outside of my pack. I jumped around a bit to see if the snap would fail. While it did not fail during this test, I noticed something else that was somewhat annoying: The bag flips and flops all over the place when snapped to a pack in this fashion. Hence, I considered strapping down the bag, but then I decided that I might as well just not bring the bag at all, and strap down the towel itself if I need it to be dried. I knew before beginning this test that using this bag might prove to be a challenge for me, as I tend to shave all unnecessary grams off of my pack, and indeed at 69 g (1.4 oz) I simply could not rationalize bringing it.

In regards to the waterproof pocket that I was considering might be reasonable in my earlier report, I see now that my logic was faulty. Why would a waterproof pocket be necessary? If the towel is wet, it can be put on the outside of the pack, rain or shine. In retrospect, I do not believe I would ever need a waterproof pocket to isolate this towel in my pack.

In regards to the towel:
Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that in addition to being a poor tester for the bag, I am probably currently not the best tester for this towel. As mentioned above, the testing period for this towel thus far has been between the months of December and February. Although I live in one of the warmest areas of the continental United States, during this time of year the weather is not exactly the most conducive to jounces in my swim wear, or even to getting my hands wet while on the trail. Thus, I have not yet been able to have very many in-depth trail experiences with the towel. During the aforementioned trips, I brought the towel along, but it was only on the second trip that I found any conventional use for the towel.

During that trip, I began using the large towel as if it were a small dishrag to see if its claimed ability to wipe up oils would prove to be true. Pleasingly, I have to admit that it performed in this capacity rather well. Whether or not it is better at wiping up oils than the average cotton terrycloth towel is a question I have yet to take sides on. It does the job well, but in my opinion so do run of the mill towels. However, I did find it useful for drying my hands after wetting them while washing my dishes.

One thing that I am particularly happy about in regards to this towel is how rapidly it dries. As promised, I have been using it 2-3 times a week as my at home bathroom towel during the majority of this testing period, and as of yet, I really have not had the necessity to wash it. It has always been a bit of a riddle to me as to why it is that something that only touches my body when my body is at its cleanest would get so smelly after so little time. My theory had been that it is not the dirt on my body that makes the towel become smelly and dirty, but rather that it was the bacteria and such that got on the wet towel that sat and multiplied and germinated that created the smell, and this towel supports that theory marvelously. I had heard before getting this towel that synthetic cloths were notorious for being smellier than cotton, and I had feared that this would be the case with this towel. However, after having used this towel, it seems that its superior ability to dry out after being used lends it not to being smellier, but rather to being less smelly.

As promised though, I have taken the time and quarters to wash this towel a second time. Again, I have washed it in a top-loading washing machine with a medium detergent, medium heat and one white sock. This time, I have to admit that again the towel managed to turn my sock noticeably pink. This sock is less pink than the one from the first test, but at this point I would still hesitate to wash this towel with any white clothes that I cared about.

In regards to the size of the towel, I have found it to fit nicely around my 34” waist with ample coverage to traverse around the house without worrying about the roommate seeing too much actual flesh. However, although the towel does reach all the way around, it is not as thick as your average towel, and is therefore somewhat more revealing, and as far as the size goes for backpacking, I think I made a poor choice. Although I hadn’t really realized it before receiving the towel, rarely when backpacking do I use a towel for coverage purposes. Usually, I use it only for purposes of drying myself and for wiping out my pots, and based on the fact that I do not saturate the entire towel – or even the majority of it for that matter – when using it to dry myself, it seems reasonable that the next size smaller would probably serve me better by saving me yet more weight, while still being sufficiently large to dry me without too much trouble.

As a lightweight backpacker, I constantly strive to find multiple ways to use my gear, and this towel is no exception. In this vein, the best use I have discovered for this towel is as a pad under my head. It is not especially cushy when folded up, nor is it especially fuzzy or soft, but it does serve the function of keeping my head off the ground when I lay on my side. I’ve considered using it as a blanket or as some sort of ground cloth, but I am pretty convinced that its insulating abilities are not that great, and that as a ground cloth it would just get too dirty. One thing I have been meaning to test, and will test on my next trip so I can report it in my final report is how well it serves in the capacity of adding loft (and hence warmth) to my fleece anorak.

One thing that I have found to be a bit of an unavoidable problem with this towel is its tendency to roll when used to dry a wet body. Generally, if I take the towel to my wet self, and attempt to use it to wipe off the water, it sticks to my skin and does not want to be pushed, causing it to kind of roll along my skin. For me it is not a big issue with the towel, but it does deserve mention that drying oneself with this towel requires a bit more conscious effort than does the average towel.

7. Plans for Further Testing:
In the next four months of testing, I plan on testing this towel more thoroughly in the field. The weather here will be getting warmer, and I will be less reluctant to get myself wet. With spring coming on, there will actually be water in the river bottoms to use to get myself wet. However, before the weather turns, I will see how well it serves as a loft builder under my clothes. Also, I plan to continue testing the towel’s ability as a dishrag to see if my opinion on it versus the average towel becomes stronger in this regard.

8. Conclusions:
At this point, I remain happy with the towel, but I am not sure that I would be taking it along on my winter trips if I were not testing it to write these reviews. I am happily impressed with the towel’s ability to not get smelly over a long period of semi-daily use, but I am annoyed with the thin material’s tendency to roll when on wet skin.

Read more reviews of McNett Corporation gear
Read more gear reviews by Michael Lissner

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