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Towels
- Thread starter DD
- Start date
Douglas the Intrepid
Beach Fanatic
One of my favorite science fiction and comedic series is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Here is what the Hitchhiker's Guide has to say about towels... 
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar
hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap
it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta;
you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V,
inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars
which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a
miniraft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand
combat; wrap it around you head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the
gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid
animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you--daft as a
brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as
a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it it it still
seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some
reason, if a strag (strag means a non-hitchhiker) discovers that a
hitchhiker has a towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is
also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits,
flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space
suit, etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker
any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have
"accidentally" lost. What the strag will think is that any man who can
hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle
against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is
clearly a man to be reckoned with.
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar
hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap
it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta;
you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V,
inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars
which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a
miniraft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand
combat; wrap it around you head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the
gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid
animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you--daft as a
brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as
a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it it it still
seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some
reason, if a strag (strag means a non-hitchhiker) discovers that a
hitchhiker has a towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is
also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits,
flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space
suit, etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker
any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have
"accidentally" lost. What the strag will think is that any man who can
hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle
against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is
clearly a man to be reckoned with.
Lynnie
SoWal Insider
One of my favorite science fiction and comedic series is the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Here is what the Hitchhiker's Guide has to say about towels...
A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar
hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap
it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta;
you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V,
inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars
which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a
miniraft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand
combat; wrap it around you head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the
gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mind-bogglingly stupid
animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you--daft as a
brush, but very very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as
a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it it it still
seems to be clean enough.
More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some
reason, if a strag (strag means a non-hitchhiker) discovers that a
hitchhiker has a towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is
also in possession of a toothbrush, washcloth, soap, tin of biscuits,
flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet-weather gear, space
suit, etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitchhiker
any of these or a dozen other items that the hitchhiker might have
"accidentally" lost. What the strag will think is that any man who can
hitch the length and breadth of the Galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle
against terrible odds, win through and still know where his towel is, is
clearly a man to be reckoned with.
FAbulous~~~
Is there is a straggett? However, I might be in between. I have a toothbrush, wash cloth, soap, flask....and, that's about it. Sweet Pea is a biscuit eater, so I'll have to ask for someone to share.....and as far as wet weather gear, it's probably better to seek cover, under the towel....been done before. I covet a space suit. ;-)
what an awesome thread! who knew towels were so interesting?
I love everyone's suggestions. JR - I'll take a look. DD - I need all new towels. I started to replace all my different towels with a basic fluffy white - bought a few of the whites to try them out. They are fine, but I think I need to shop around a bit first.
my absolute favorite towels are the smallish, not too thick or fluffy, old and really worn, kind of thin but not threadbare, all faded out. they are just so easy and comfy to me.. they don't look so good though. so they end up as cleaning rags.
Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
Consumer Reports is your friend when shopping for towels. Be aware that many towel manufacturers spray chemicals on the towels before hitting the store shelves, making the towels feel soft and cozy. That chemical supposedly washes off in a couple of washes, and guess what -- no more soft and cozy.
yes, I've experienced this a number of times with new towels. so what to do? you gotta add some more chemicals via Downey softener added to the wash - just a tad will do.
really.
Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
yes, I've experienced this a number of times with new towels. so what to do? you gotta add some more chemicals via Downey softener added to the wash - just a tad will do.
No, no, no. That doesn't work. Fabric softeners will indeed add a softness, but they also add a water repellent, making the towels not absorb the water. You can counter that by adding vinegar to the wash, but that also will take away any softness which the fabric softener adds, thus defeating the purpose of the softener.
Instead, you can simply avoid buying any of those trash towels (I believe Ralph Lauren was on that list too) which have the chemical added. I would think that Consumer Reports would carry a list of the best towels, and maybe even publish which ones to avoid. ;-)
DD
SoWal Expert
Wow. Who knew a towel discussion could be so informative?
SJ/Toots--I too have experienced the lack of fluffiness on new towels after a couple of washes. And the whole fabric softener thing making them oh so less absorbent is maddening. I will check out Consumer Reports for sure. Thanks, SJ.
SJ/Toots--I too have experienced the lack of fluffiness on new towels after a couple of washes. And the whole fabric softener thing making them oh so less absorbent is maddening. I will check out Consumer Reports for sure. Thanks, SJ.
scooterbug44
SoWal Expert
I use fabric softener on my bath towels (I use one for my hair and one for me, so absorbency is a non-issue) so they are snuggly, but not on my kitchen or cleaning towels so they absorb more.