I miss my Lifeventure towel from my Round the Trip in 2012. It really is a traveller’s dream.

I breathed out in frustration as, once again, I was stuffing my fluffy towel into my carry on bag. The bag wouldn’t close. Damn.

Towels take up a lot of room in your bag but I had absolutely no problem with my Lifeventure towel that I travelled with through South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the South Seas islands over an eight month period. It was so thin, it could fold easily and be packed as a fist sized item within my backpack. I simply loved it. And that’s not talking about how quickly it dried thanks to its features. It was simply the ‘must-have’ item on my packing list. Unfortunately, after eight months of solid travel (I washed it every other day, don’t worry!), it simply packed in and met a grisly end as it was accidentally blew off the washing line in Fiji to land in an oil patch. Oh, how I wept.

So, when I was contacted by Lifeventure who heard all about my love of their towels, they offered me a chance to have a new soft fibre travel towel. I was spinning cartwheels around the room (travellers: do not try this at home, you will get a sprained ankle from a shelf.)

Life venture Soft Fibre Travel Towel
Life venture Soft Fibre Travel Towel
Soft Fibre Travel Towel

When I received the package (from £7.99 with free shipping included), I was ecstatic. I ripped the cardboard up and pulled the towel out to stare at it, panting with excitement. But before I did, I took note of an amazing special feature that will even further enhance my packing experience. It comes with its own knot that holds in the towel within. I simply had to smile at that, could it be that the packing gods are looking out for me? But let’s try out the towel while I have a shower. While you wait, check out the product video by Lifeventure.

So, here I am, wet. Will this SoftFibre Travel Towel do the job of drying eight times faster than a beach towel, and what’s more, absorb nine times its own weight in water? It did. I simply patted my droplet-strewn and average lithe body and hey presto, there’s no scrubbing to be done. I particularly liked that the towel was extremely soft, a result from being brushed intensively. Even the towel smelled fresh after I finished towelling between my legs. (thank god for no photos of this action). This is because the towel has been treated with an anti-bacterial formula to keep it feeling and smelling fresh.

<<<<< I can see why you may think this guy is me. I often model towels on the beach whilst looking outrageously handsome. 

The SoftFibre Travel Towel comes in six different sizes and two colours. I opted for the large and blue one. I could have gone for the pink but I’m not sure my London housemate would tolerate a girly feature in an already masculine bathroom.

So, will I use it? It’s a goddamn yes! Already, I’m salivating to pack this on my next trip abroad or in the UK. Maybe it’ll do the job when I’m heading off to the Nordic countries? Whatever way, I know that within an hour of showering, my towel will be ready to be packed, compact and dry.

Find out more about Soft Fibre Travel Towels here: Ed’s favourite travel towel

Expedition Wheeled Duffle Bag 120L

Life venture doesn’t just stock amazing towels, they also have ranges of other products, too! Whether they range from sleeping bags, wallets and even flasks, there’s always something for everyone. My eye caught the red Expedition Wheeled Duffle Bag 120L (From £49.99 with free delivery) that has a huge capacity for holding and transporting your items. Why did I like it? Well, as I have now gotten older and developing a taste for luxury, I will need to carry more things on a journey within the UK or abroad. No longer, can I survive with just SE Asian beer branded vests and a scruffy pair of jeans to see me through a week. I need outfits, darling. FOR EVERYDAY.

So, when I was offered to try this out, I jumped at the chance. With this, I can be a suave, suited and booted traveller where I can carry as much as I want in this Expedition bag and place it in the back of my car for a long journey. You can see it looks good on me!

When I unpacked this bag, I was pretty astounded to see how massive it is. ‘Where am I going to store this in my tiny flat?!’ I shrieked. But I needn’t have worried. Its durable material and nylon webbing allowed me to fold it up and store with ease inside my cupboard. That will do nicely. One of the big features of the Expedition Duffle Bag is that its rugged cartridge has wheels! I can just haul this bag with all my kit inside (including the kitchen sink – it’s that big). I don’t have to gingerly strain to put my backpack on and fall backwards to look like an overturned and flailing tortoise. Happy days. But if you don’t fancy wheeling around, there’s also a tough shoulder strap too.

Available in four colours (red, black, blue and purple), the duffle bag comes with high-strength lockable zips that gives you that peace of mind if you need to store it in a luggage room whilst travelling.

So, have I used it? Of course, I have. Over the Christmas break, I took it with me to several UK destinations including Yorkshire, Manchester and Oxford. It also helped for my many materials that I needed to use for my job without the need to lug them around. This duffle bag was so easy to handle, its packing is a joy and you can literally fit anything you want in it. Even my bag-phobic dog wanted to jump inside.

So, I look forward to taking it with me on my upcoming trips to Europe and to Scotland. Will it be the best duffle bag for these adventures ahead? Let’s see. But for now, I’m happy with it and I’m going to see if I can sleep inside it. Yes, you read that right. It’s THAT big.

Find out more about this duffle bag: Expedition Wheeled Duffle Bag 120L

Expedition Duffle Bag
Expedition Duffle Bag
Expedition Duffle Bag

If you want to find out more about Lifeventure, why not check them out here:

Web: www.lifeventure.com

Facebook: LifeventureUK

Twitter: LifeventureUK

YouTube: LifeventureUK

Thank you to Lifeventure for supplying me the SoftFibre Travel Towel and Expedition Wheeled Duffle Bag for this review. As always, my opinions are my own.