Dock and Bay Travel Towel Review

I first heard about Dock & Bay’s towels when a clip came up on youtube of them appearing on Dragons Den in the UK (that’s Shark Tank to my US readers). I’m always looking for the latest travel tech, and when this towel got an offer from not one but three dragons, I knew I had to give them a try.

I initially bought just the one but ended up liking the design and feel so much that I bought a second. The idea was that I would have one for the beach and the other for hostel showers. I did make sure I got different designs so it would be easy to remember. I had a stylish cabana for the beach and a simple blue one for the showers. 

I love the design of my Dock and Bay travel towel, they are fun and vibrant, and offer hundreds of options. I really like their classic Cabana style. I went for a Bondi Blue towel, but fittingly the Whitsunday Blue would have been more suitable for the Whitsunday Islands. In fact, this towel looks so good its actually attracted comments. And ended up being on a few friend’s and family members’ Christmas lists when I got back.

Unlike other travel towels, the Dock and Bay travel towel is a full-size beach towel. That makes it so much better on the beach, I hate laying half off a towel on the sand. On a deckchair it’s often worse, baked in the sun they are burning hot and the towel offers some protection from it. So having that extra length really does make a difference. I loved using it on the beach, the design of the towel means that sand doesn’t stick to it, so before I left I just have to shake it off. I found this really useful as it stopped sand from getting into my bag, and also made sure it didn’t feel “gritty” when I dried myself off. 

One feature I loved that made it perfect for the shower was a handy little storage loop. It’s a lot better for hanging up on a hook in the shower so it didn’t accidentally fall on the dirty, sodden, bathroom floor. When backpacking due to the reliability of hostels I would keep one of these towels exclusively for hostel showers. Even on the scarce occasions when a hostel actually had a supply of their own towels I would often opt for my own. After a long day exploring nothing is more invigorating than a long hot shower followed by a soft towel.

I have found these towels to be really quick-drying. I have mostly used them when abroad in Australia where they say extensive use in the heat. But even in the UK, it dries really quickly. They come with a handy loop so you can hang it up in the sun. The carry bag has mesh sections allowing it to dry when stored too, but the material is thick, so it won’t dry the quickest when packed. 

The comfort of this towel does come at a cost, and that’s in its packability. In its carry case, it is on the bulkier side and larger than my other travel towels from Lifeventure. You can see from the above photo its considerably larger than the Hydrofibre I had used on previous trips. I will point out that I had been using the XL, which is the largest size available, but it is still bigger than Lifeventure’s biggest offering.

I did actually carry two of these during my month-long trip. As mentioned, I had two. One I kept exclusively for hostel showers (and I’m glad I did as the vast majority had no towels remaining) and the other for the beach. Naturally, that does double up on the bulk so had them split at all times. The one for the showers remained in the hostel and the other in my daypack. My bag has water bottle pockets on either side, so I kept one tucked there for whenever I needed it. 

The Dock and Bay Travel Towel has to be one of the best travel towels I have ever used. It may not be the most packable, but it’s certainly the most luxuriant. It’s not even priced much more than other travel towels on the market. If weight and size isn’t a priority on a trip then this is my go-to, perfect for those lazy days on a sun-lounger by the pool. They also make fantastic gifts for friends who also love to go backpacking.