Alfamo Cooling Towel for Sports, Workout, Fitness, Gym, Yoga, Pilates, Travel, Camping & More

I bought this towel a month or two ago, but wanted to put some good uses on it before I reviewed it. I've taken it to multiple indoor workout classes, hiking a couple times and horseback riding once on rather hot days. I don't really perceive the extra cooling properties it claims to have over regular fabric type objects, but then I never do with these types of items, despite trying a few different kinds. However, it does cool when wet, so I still say it performs as advertised. I tend to get overheated very easily, and this towel does keep me cooler than no towel or a dry towel, and at least as cool as any other wet towel would. However, even if it works only exactly as well as any other wet towel, I prefer this one for a few reasons. Its long rectangular shape is super handy. I can wrap it around my neck and tie it loosely so it will stay, or drape it so it goes down onto my chest (or down my back if I wouldn't feel like I was choking if I did that). I can put it over my head and also cool my cheeks and neck. Very versatile. Also, it's thinner and lighter than, say, a terrycloth towel of the same dimensions would be, yet still retains the moisture for at least as long, maybe longer. In the indoor workout classes, there wasn't much of a breeze, so it didn't feel as cooling as it did in my outdoor activities, but was still much better than a dry towel or no towel at all, and was a welcome relief to wrap it around my face during brief breaks. For hiking, it was great--I wet it in a creek, and it stayed damp a long time. I switched up between having it around my neck, draped over my head and down the sides, or tied around the top of my head. For horseback riding, I draped it over my head before putting my helmet on over it. I was doing quite a bit of trotting (8-ish miles an hour or so), and there was a dry hot breeze, so it dried out rather fast. It didn't become any more uncomfortable than just my helmet, but also wasn't helping any more at that point, so I removed it. Would've been nice to have a creek nearby to re-wet it, or I guess I could've sacrificed water from my bottles, but it was nearing dusk so I didn't bother. Excellent product, love the color selection, and the only improvement I can think of would be to add a grommet to the towel so the free carabiner that's included could be used on the towel itself, and not just the plastic envelope it comes in.

I bought seven of these, in different sizes and colors, on impulse during a lightning deal. They're to keep our whole party cool during a trip to Disney later this summer. In hindsight, I probably should have bought seven different ones for comparison, since I've never actually used a cooling towel before. Anyway, when I took them out of the bag, they had a plastic-y, chemical smell. I washed them as instructed on the bag though, and the smell came out completely. These towels do stay cool. They got my t-shirt a little damp, but they didn't drip, and I don't imagine any of us will mind dampness when we're in line at the park. If you're looking for one to wrap all around your head and neck, you'll need at least a large, but a medium worked well for me as I don't picture myself walking around that way. I was able to drape the medium around my neck my neck, bunched up in the back but spread out on both sides, and it was like wearing sleeves of coolness which would work amazingly with a tank top. I kind of wished there was a little hole in either side of the towel so I could use the matching carabiner (a handy little bonus) to make it into a cape. The towel stayed cool a long time, and when I dried it, it came out soft and folded nicely back into its pouch. The only downside is that the pouch is where the plastic/chemicaly-y smell came from in the first place, and now it will only stink again when I get it back out. I did wipe the pouch out a bit in hopes of minimizing that, but we may decide to package them differently for the parks if the smell keeps transferring onto the towels. Edit: I'm adding a star, because smell of the pouches aside (we ended up tossing the pouches and just bringing a ziplock bag to toss them into) these cooling towels are excellent. They were lifesavers at Disney, and we've since used them on trips to the zoo, Six Flags, and the state fair. They're great to have at the gym, and for yard work. I haven't noticed any decrease in their cooling ability, and after multiple washes they still look new.

I bought this full price, no discount, not for a review--straight customer here. I purchased an orange and a blue towel. Vibrant color and lightweight. The texture is kind of a mesh net style across the lightweight fabric. One side is smooth, the other side is rougher. It is long like a scarf and not quite like a towel. Now the burning question--does it work? Actually it does a little bit. I would not say that it is groundbreaking or significant, but it is enough to feel for sure. I spent a lot of time researching how to properly do it and the directions are not exactly thorough. The main point is soaking it, wringing it out, then "snapping" the towel. This does not mean snapping it like whipping a towel at someone to hit them with the tip. It means to grab the towel at each end and quickly pull it apart or "snap" it. Kind of like an exercise band that you use at physical therapy. If you do it properly, you'll get a mist of water in your face or on the front of your shirt. It needs to be a quick and violent snap for the towel to work. The harder you snap it, the better the result. I used this while on a hike in August-September. At first I was using bottled water which was slightly cold already on it, so I was not sure if that was the cause of the colder towel or if the towel was working. Later in the hike we came across a pond, and I could not resist soaking the towel, wringing it out, and snapping it. The area of the pond I could access was shallow, and the water was warm in the sun's light. I knew if the bottled water was the cause of the cold before, this warm pond water would be a true litmus test now. And the warm pond water became refreshingly cold. It was noticeably cooler and the other people in my group thought so too. I used it as a scarf around the back of my neck and sporadically wiped my face with it. Every so often I would take it off my next and snap the towel a few times to recharge it before putting it back on my neck. It did work. This comes with a little carrying container and carabiner to latch onto a bag or backpack. As noted with some of the other reviews, yes, there is a smell with it. After a few uses the smell goes away. The blue towel had a worse smell than the orange towel, but both had a smell. Overall, give this a try. Don't expect a life-changing coolness, but you will notice a difference and it will make hikes outside more manageable. You can use warm water to get a cold reaction too. I will start to take these to the gym to see how they do there, and I would imagine they would work a little worse inside than they did outside given the temperature controlled gym. But that is speculation. I will say that I haven't used these for the gym yet because the one side has a little bit of a rougher texture.

Bought more of these because they work so well. Got the larger one this time so I have a little more length when I wrap it around my neck, and so it will be less likely to unwrap while I am moving around. Here's the best way I have found to use them: 1) Get a small plastic cup and fill it 1/2 - 3/4 full with cold water. 2) slowly sink the towel into the cup, absorbing the water. This will conserve your water supply and you can keep the towel in the cup like this for several minutes if you're resting the shade and not ready to use it. 3) Pull the towel out, wring it out, and wrap it around your neck like a scarf, or place it over the top of your head, draping down the sides and back of your head. You can also place a cap over it if you'd like. I drape the towel over my head and rest in the shade for a while, cooling my head off, then wrap it around my neck when I go back out into the sun. 4) When the towel starts feeling a little warm or "dry" in spots, wad it up in a ball and squeeze it just a little to redistribute the water that is left in it, but don't wring out any more water. Then take the towel by a corner and snap it down toward the ground out out away from you. I'm not exactly sure how this works, but it gives it a fresh cooling feeling. 5) Wrap it back around your neck, and it will start cooling you again. Without these, I could not spend time working on my outdoor chores in the summer without getting irritable and sick from the heat. These have been a lifesaver for me allowing me to work outside much longer than I used to be able to. BONUS, they also work well as a thin scarf or windbreak around your neck in the winter - only when DRY of course :-)

Men sweat; women glow. Well my "glow" rolls down my back and puddles in my sweat socks, so cooling products matter to me. I live all the way south and all the way east in North Carolina. The daily weather forecast here in the summer is 90+ degrees, 95% humidity, with a chance of thunderstorms. We walk early in the morning and my husband comes home a bit damp but still clean enough to go to Walmart without taking a shower. When I get home my kneecaps are sweating and I look like I took a run through the sprinklers. My only other experience with cooling products is a chamois-like triangular scarf by Cool Togs. It is clammy rather than cool and dries stiff as a board. I thought I would try this towel instead and have been pleasantly surprised by its effectiveness. It is long enough to drape across my shoulders, leaving the ends convenient for dabbing my "glow." It does seem to cool me off some but probably any cool cloth would. The fact that it stays soft and absorbent during use is its best feature and makes its use pleasant, which cannot be said of the Cool Togs, which sell for twice the price. I waited to review this item until I had used it a dozen times or so and my opinion of it has not changed. I come home from my walk, throw it in the bottom of the shower to wash it, hang it up to drip dry, and it is ready for the next walk. I have also washed it several times in the washing machine and so far it remains fresh and free of those odors so endemic to athletic wear. This product is a winner.

I bought a couple of these because of the glowing reviews on Amazon. I have gone through "Frog Tog Chilly Pads" (which I love), and thought I'd give it a try. Granted, the fabric does stay cool and somewhat damp for a long time - but it just feels like thin polyester when I put it over my shoulders. Definitely not as much cooling effect as the Frog Tog. The positive aspect of it is that is lighter weight, and doesn't look as bulky and 'weird' as the Frog Tog. It could actually be mistaken for a scarf. But since I live in the desert - where it is hotter than blazes -- I'm more concerned about cooling than I am fashion. I am going to keep the one I opened, just for emergencies -- but I sent the unopened one back. So bottom line - if you live where you really, really, really need to feel cool - go with Frog Tog. (But just a note about my experience with Frog Tog -- I have bought them several times, and there must be different suppliers, because some of them are not as soft and buttery feeling as the first one I bought - which stays much cooler. I have gotten some that feel stiffer, with a different texture, and they never do cool quite as well.)

8/25: As you can see, I ordered 2 - 47x14 (Large) gray/blue cooling towels. Each package had the towel, carry/storage pouch, d-ring and instruction/information card. First impressions of the towel are large, soft and lightweight. I purchased these to replace a several year old MistyMate cooling towel. That one worked well, but it was the type that dried rock hard and it actually started to crack. I rinsed 1 out and immediately started to use it. Seems to hold water well and cooling is good. Will update with more info later. 8/27: The feel of the material reminds me of polyester gym shorts with a microfiber liner. Very lightweight and airy. The drawback of that is it does not seem to hold a lot of water, so be careful how wet you want to keep it. The water will "pool" to the ends of the towel and can drip. Without re-wetting the towel, I have been getting around 30-45 mins of decent cooling, have been around 100 degrees outside. One recommendation I have for the manufacturer, change the storage pouch to mesh on one side or at least something with holes in it. You can not place the towel into the current pouch, until the towel is 100% dry or else it will mildew and start to smell. Even though it will not really cool you down after an hour, it seems to take a couple hours to be dry enough to safely place into the pouch.

I've only used this towel a couple of times so far but I think it works great. It is soft and pliable. I got the small which was long enough for me (I'm 5.7) if you don't want a lot of extra towel in your backpack or hanging down your body. There was enough length to tuck it down the front or back of my shirt so that the coolness is against the skin. I also really like the heavy weight plastic enclosure bag it comes with. I knew I'd be on a trail without water and pre-wet it and wrung it out mostly. Stuck it in the bag and backpack and when I needed it I just wrung it out some more and had my coolness. You can put it back in the bag if you don't want to continue wearing it and don't want anything else damp. I will say that the enclosure bag sealing strip did come apart after those two uses, but I got a quick response back from the company and they agreed to replace the bag. I was thankful for that as the bag is a real bonus as it fits the product well.