The Most Suitable Material for a Backpacker's Towel

A test has been done among three different types of material (named pale blue, dark blue and brown) to find out which one would be more suitable as a backpacker’s towel.


A low density, high absorbency, rapid drying towel would be made as a good backpacker’s towel. The experts weighed the fabric before wetting it and weighing it again. They then hung it on some suspended string and let a rotating fan dry them for fifteen minutes. After this time was up, they weighed the materials again in order to work out the drying rate, the absorbency and the amount of water lost. They then recorded their results in a table and analyzed these to come to a conclusion.

Part of the criteria that adds to what makes a backpacker’s towel is a high absorbency. The graph shows that the Pale Blue fabric had the highest absorbency and no anomalies, indicating accurate results. The least absorbent fabric is the brown. What also makes a good backpacker’s towel is rapid drying. The fabric with the highest drying rate is, again, the pale blue one. To conclude, the pale blue fabric was identified, from interpreting their graphs, as the best fabric for a backpacker’s towel, so at this point the pale blue fabric would probably be better that the dark blue and brown fabrics for a backpacker’s towel.

The variables themselves and the way in which the data was collected plays a major part in the accuracy of the results. Not all the fabrics were of the same size – they had different areas. This means that some could hold more water than others and eventually taking longer to dry. In most investigations and experiments, it is very rare that the data collection methods, results and interpretations are all perfect. The way in which the problem of the uneven areas of the fabrics can be solved is ensuring beforehand that all fabrics are the same size and area.

A data collection that can be questioned is also how much water is put into the fabrics. The drying of the fabric, the process was not as accurate as it could have been. The actual method of drying was also not the best way of ensuring accuracy within the results. With regards to the actual results, there can be some improvements made. There was not an even ratio of pale blue, to dark blue, to brown fabrics. There were seven pale blue fabrics handed in and eleven of the dark blue and brown ones. This could have affected the results, particularly with the fact that the pale blue fabric contained the best criteria for a backpacker’s towel.

Also, there were some blanks in the data which could have affected the overall averages and results. To improve this, all data should be collected and recorded and repeat readings would increase accuracy. A customized towel will make backpacker a different feeling. Come to SnapMade and design your own.