There is nothing more amazing then getting out into nature with friends, family or as an escape on your own. Be it in the desert southwest, the temperate rainforest of the northwest, stunning vistas of the rockies, or the charm of the blue ridge mountains - reconnecting with nature helps to center you and reset your priorities.
Here at The Bali Market we are lovers of the outdoor and we always have a couple of towels or blankets with us on our trips. Below are some of our favorites to help you get the most out of your adventure!
Blankets
Our blankets all pack up well but some are definitely more suited to backpacking than others. If you are focused on weight or pack size but still would like a blanket then our Perfect Classic XL blankets are your go to. They are oversized, tough enough to deal with rocks and sticks, flat weave so sand and leaves will shake right off, and pack up extremely well. These blankets are 70 inches by 90 inches ( 5 feet 10 inches by 7 feet 6 inches) and weigh only 20 ounces (1 lb, 4 ounces). These are a light weight weave great for sitting on, using as a table cloth, or wrapping up in when there is a light chill.
If you are not as concerned with weight as much as with warmth then your blanket is the Essential Stripe Blanket. This is a double thickness blanket of one of our softest weaves. It is oversized at 67 inches by 87 inches ( about 5 feet 6 inches by 7 feet 3 inches) and weighs 45 ounces (2 lbs, 13 ounces). This one will hold up to sand and rocks as well with its two layers of cotton. Double it up as a mat under your sleeping bag, use it around the fire on a cold night, bring it to the beach to put some padding between you and those rocks.
Towels
Our towels are perfect for getting out in nature. They all have the benefit of turkish flat weave which will keep the sand or leaves from sticking even when they are damp. They have a large surface area so they dry very quickly compared to a thick looped towel and they pack up nice and small. They also can be used in a lot of ways on a trip - after a swim or shower to dry off, wrap it around your shoulders by the fire to keep the chill off, sit on it when you want to relax on a hike, wrap it around your head if you are getting too much sun, ball it up as a pillow in a pinch. We have the following recommendations:
If you are looking for a lightweight, tough towel then the Perfect Classic Towel is your towel. These towels use a very tight weave which softens with use and washing. They become more and more absorbent the more they are used. After a few washes these will be your new favorite for sure. If you buy one new before a trip we recommend you wash it and use it as your bath towel for a few weeks washing it every few days to ensure it is broken in before you go. Even though they dry super fast, during the break in period, we recommend drying in a tumble dryer on low heat to speed up the break in process. Once broken in, we love to just hang dry them to save on electricity. These oversized towels measure 40 inches by 70 inches (3 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 10 inches) but only weight 10 ounces! So they are perfect to toss in your pack or even just tie them to the pack and let them hang so they are handy when you need them.
Next up is our Essential Stripe towel. The Essential Stripe towel is softer than the Perfect Classic Towel from day one (but once the Perfect Classic is broken in they are similar) and doesn't require the break in period. Just make sure you have washed it once to start to open the fibers up and you are good to go. These towels feel amazing against your skin, dry fast and are pretty tough to boot. These are also oversized like all of our towels and measure in at 40 inches by 70 inches (3 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 10 inches) but only weight 12 ounces (20% more than our Perfect Classic).
Our final recommendation is a new towel we recently launched called the Modern Diamond Collection. This towel has no tassels for those that don't love tassels but otherwise has all the benefits of our tasseled towels. The Modern Diamond is a slightly thicker weave than the other two towels so it has a heavier feel when you wrap yourself in the towel. It is oversized like the other recommendation at 39 inches by 70 inches (3 feet 4 inches by 5 feet 10 inches) and weighs 13 ounces (30% more than the Perfect Classic). These start off soft and stay soft like the Essential Stripe so you need only wash them once before you go to open up the fibers.
