What is the best towel for swimming?

For most pool swimmers a microfibre towel is the best all-rounder: it is light, soft and dries quickly. A chamois is smaller and wrings out, so it suits a swimmer who just needs a quick dry before getting dressed. Our overall pick is the Fit-Flip microfibre towel, with the Flow Swim Chamois as the compact alternative.

Is a chamois towel better than microfibre for swimming?

It depends on what you want to carry. A chamois absorbs a lot for its size and can be wrung out several times in a session, but it is small and feels odd on skin when it dries out. Microfibre feels more like a normal towel and covers more of your body, but it stays damp longer in a closed bag.

How do you look after a PVA chamois?

Wring it out after use and store it damp in its tube, because a chamois that dries completely turns stiff. Rinse it in fresh water now and then, and follow the care label. Do not leave it in a hot car or a sealed bag for days.

How do you stop a swim towel from smelling?

Smells grow when a damp towel is left rolled up in a bag. Hang it open as soon as you get home, wash it regularly and let it dry fully. A mesh bag helps with a cotton towel, because air can reach it between sessions.

Do you need a towel or a changing robe for outdoor swims?

For a short pool session a towel is enough. Outdoors, wind is the problem, and a towel does little against it. A longer waterproof changing robe lets you change underneath and stay covered while you do. Many open water swimmers carry both.

Best Swim Towel 2026

The best swim towels in 2026: PVA chamois vs microfibre, what dries fastest in a damp swim bag, and three picks plus a changing robe for outdoor swims.

The best swim towel for most people is the Fit-Flip microfibre towel: light, quick drying and easy to pack. The Flow Swim Chamois is the pick if you want something that wrings out and fits in a tube, and the Owntop changing robe is the better answer for cold outdoor swims.

The best swim towels in 2026

A swim towel has to dry you quickly and then dry itself before the next session. These three towels and one robe cover a lap swimmer, a squad swimmer and an outdoor swimmer.

Fit-Flip microfibre towel: the one towel for the pool bag

The listing describes a light microfibre towel in several sizes and colours, with a snap loop for hanging and a mesh bag to pack it in. The maker says it dries much faster than a cotton towel and that the fibre helps against odours.

We rank it first because it behaves like a normal towel. You can dry your hair and back with it, hang it on a locker hook and rinse it in the machine. The mesh bag matters: it lets air in on the way home.

Flow Swim Chamois: the pocket-sized dry-off

Flow sells this chamois in a range of colours with a storage tube. The listing gives 33 x 43 cm when wet and calls it absorbent, quick drying and reusable. It is used for swimming, diving, triathlon and travel.

The tube is the key detail. A chamois that dries out becomes stiff, so you keep it damp inside the tube. Treat it as a quick dry before a proper towel, not as a replacement for one.

Microfibre set: a big towel and two small ones

This set contains one 200 x 100 cm towel and two 80 x 40 cm towels, with a mesh bag with a drawstring. The listing recommends washing it separately first to avoid colour transfer.

It is the pick for a family or a swimmer who wants one towel for the body and a small one for hair, with a spare for the next session. The large towel is more than most lap swimmers need.

Owntop changing robe: when a towel is not enough

A changing robe is a longer, looser waterproof robe you change underneath. The Owntop is the one we link in our swim parka and changing robe guide , where we explain how it differs from a swim parka.

We include it here because a towel does little against wind. For a lake or a beach, get a robe for warmth and keep a small towel for drying your hair and face.

Swim towel comparison

The picks differ mostly in size and in how you store them. The microfibre towels are general purpose, the chamois is compact and the robe is for warmth.

PVA chamois or microfibre: which dries better?

A chamois is a better dryer per gram, and microfibre is the better towel. The part most guides skip is that you wring a chamois out and store it damp in its tube, which is the opposite of how you treat microfibre. If you let a chamois dry flat it goes stiff, and if you pack a damp microfibre in a sealed bag it can start to smell.

That makes the choice about habits. If you shower at the pool and want something to dry off in the cubicle, take the chamois. If you want to walk out of the changing room with one towel and hang it up at home, take microfibre.

How do you choose a swim towel?

Choose by size, packing and the weather you swim in. A big towel is comfortable but slow to dry, and a small one is easy to carry but leaves you damp.

Keep it with the rest of your kit in a good swim bag , and see our swimming gear guide for everything else you might pack.

How do you dry a swim towel in a damp bag?

Take the towel out as soon as you get home and hang it open. Wash it regularly according to its care label and let it dry completely before the next session. If you use a cotton towel, carry it in a mesh bag so air can reach it, and keep microfibre away from fabric softener.

Plan your towel around your sessions. Build the week in the free swim workout builder and you will know on which days you need a fresh one.

On 23 October 2026 we compared swim towels on Amazon by material, size, packing and how well each suits a pool or an outdoor swim. We ranked them on fit for common swimmer needs and not on customer reviews.

Limitations: we did not test drying times, so claims about speed and odour come from the listings and the makers. Listings, stock and prices change. Check the product page before you buy.

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Written and maintained by AquaPlan Team, Swim Training & Product.

The AquaPlan team builds swim-training software for structured pool workouts, Garmin-compatible FIT export, printable workout PDFs, and progress tracking.

Focus areas: Structured swim workout design, Garmin-compatible FIT file export, Pool training plans and workout-library systems, Swim training tools for web, iOS, and Android.

Editorial standard: AquaPlan is built by lifelong swimmers — 20+ years in the water, competitive racing, and countless hours on deck. Our training guides come from that experience, not a content mill.

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