Name:	Thomas Peltier II
Age:	30
Gender:	Male
Height:	6' 0" (1.8 m)
Weight:	155 lb (70.3 kg)
E-mail Address:	Thomas@Goldenautomotive.com
City, State, Country:	Bakersfield, California, U.S.A.
Date:	06/22/2004

Backpacking Background:

I have been in the outdoors since I was a toddler. My mother introduced me to backpacking when I was in the backpack. I in good turn joined the Boy Scouts to get away from Mom on the weekend hikes. My first backpack trip with the Boy Scouts was down a dirt road to a park and campsite. That was my last trip with the Boy Scouts. Since then I have been backpacking mostly in the Sierra Nevada.

I have been a professional river guide and kayak instructor for the last 11 years; however, I currently work at a family establishment in Bakersfield, California. Working a "Real Job" keeps me away from the outdoors a bit more than I would like. My summers are busy between city work and river guiding. Much of my packing is done on the river in the summer. This has driven me to long winter trips and short summer trips for the last several years. I took up snowshoeing to help get into winter packing. I have found that less is often more in my backpacking and my summer trips I find myself as happy in a pair of Chacos carrying my pocketknife as I do with a heavy pack and big boots.

Product information:

Manufacturer:	McNett
Year:	2003
URL:	http://www.McNett.com
Listed weight:	3.5 oz (109 g)*
Actual weight:	3.5 oz (100 g )
Listed Size:	20 by 40 in. (51 x 102 cm)
Actual Size:	20 by 40 in. (51 x 102 cm)
MSRP:	not listed

*weights are as posted by McNett

Report Body:

I have carried the McNett Microfiber towel with me everyplace I go for the last six months. Whether that is staying at friends houses for the weekend, backpacking in the Sierra Nevada or rafting down the Forks of the Kern River. The towel is small and easily slips into my backpack or overnight bag. I do not like using the towel after showers, it does dry me completely and does a fine job of it, however it is small and not as nice or comfortable to use as a soft cotton towel; perhaps if I had the larger model I would feel differently. While backpacking or camping in the wilderness I found the towel to be very useful. I used the towel to wash my face and hands around camp, clean up messes, dry dishes, and dry off after bathing. I like using this towel while backpacking. I do not think I would carry any larger towel than this while backpacking.

During the last six months I have used the towel from freezing conditions up to approximately 100 F (38 C) and the altitude ranged from 300 ft (122 m) to 8,000 ft (2,438 m). I have not noticed any wear on the towel at this point, if anything the towel has become softer. I have washed the towel 14 times in the last six months. The edges have not frayed the hanging loop is still attached and the color has not faded. The McNett Microfiber towel has held up very well in my opinion. I will continue to use this towel when backpacking and expedition rafting as long as the towel remains in good condition. I expect this will be a long time to come.

I would like to thank McNett corporation and Backpackgeartest.org for the opportunity to test the Microfiber Towel, this has been a good towel during the test and I will recommend this towel to other backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts. I have also always thought this towel would be good for competitive and lap swimmers. In fact I will be giving one of the McNett Microfiber towels to a swimmer friend of mine for his birthday this fall.

Tom Peltier

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