This is not a travel towel. A travel towel is white, fluffy, and magically gets clean and folded if you leave it on the floor in the hotel bathroom. This, what looks like a piece of leftover fabric from the Jedi robe that your mom made for you last Halloween (you know who your are; move out already) is an anywhere you happen to be caught in a freek rainstorm, run for cover, pull it out of your pocket (yes, it will fit) and get dry towel (horrible sentence structure but great immagry).
I was told to buy this before I left for Afghanistan due to the nature of my duty here; constantly on the move doing construction. I had to be able to pack for a week in one backpack never knowing how long it would take to get back to base. I could settle for a hand towel which will fold up small and eventually get you dry or this piece of fabric. I trusted the other people's opinion on this and got two (olive drab, go military). I got the large (30" x 50"). Small enough to not be dragging on the floor when I hang it on a nail by the strategicly placed snap loop, and big enough to wrap around and not flash half my cheek to the other guys in the shower tent.
It folds (or rolls) up small; less than the size of a folded medium t-shirt. So it takes up virtually no room in the pack. And, yes, it will dry you off amaizingly well. You don't have to rub yourself dry, just pat it on you and the water is gone. My wife says that it even drys her long hair better that her regular towel. The only thing weird is, not a downside just something to get used to, the first time I used it it felt like I was rubbing myself with couch material. You get used to it pretty quick though. It doesn't bother me because, hey, I'm dry. The towel drys itself very quickly too. Just over an hour in humid Hawaii and in less than half that in dry Afghanistan. (warning, this is not a beach towel. It's light weight means it will blow away easily in the wind) It doesn't stink, even when you forget to take it off the nail for a few weeks to get it washed.
It earns a full five stars for rolling up nice and tight and whip-cracking really well. Nice big welts for those of you who find that feature in towels important.