Whether you are travelling across the continent on a lengthy adventure or are simply spending a bit of time at your local campsite, washing and drying your clothes is essential. But when you’re on the road, it isn’t always as easy as it would be at home.
Choosing the best travel clothesline will allow you to get your clothes dry quickly and efficiently. While there are some alternatives, these products help you to get the best results without your clothes becoming stinky from not drying properly.
Latest update: October 2021
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How To Properly Wash Your Clothes On The Go
Enjoying an outdoor adventure can get messy. You might get covered in mud on a hike or cycle ride or those hot days may cause you to sweat onto your favourite t-shirt. But it is entirely possible to freshen up your garments on the go, provided you have the right equipment.
You could take a multipurpose soap with you that can be just as easily used for washing the dishes as it can for washing your clothes. Alternatively, there are several laundry soap bars that take up very little room and rid your clothes of marks, dirt and odors.
The Best Travel Clotheslines
You’ve packed all of your essential gear but there’s one thing missing; your travel clothesline. These compact accessories may be small but they provide you with the type of convenience that you simply cannot live without, especially if you like your creature comforts. We’ve been checking out a number of travel clotheslines and we felt that the following products really stood out from the crowd.
OUR TOP PICK
The best travel clothesline needs to give you lots of drying space while remaining compact and lightweight. It also needs to be durable and suitable for use in all conditions. That is exactly what you get with the Toctax camping washing line, and then some!
This clothesline fits into the palm of your hand and is no bigger than a tape measure but once fully extended, you’ll have up to 26ft of drying space. It’s super easy to use and can be hung anywhere for maximum versatility.
With aluminium hooks and a coated rope, you can feel confident that this line won’t prematurely stretch under the weight of your clothes. What’s more, it comes with handy pegs to keep everything secure.
Pros | Cons |
Lots of drying space | We couldn’t find anything wrong with this clothesline |
Durable materials | |
Easy to hang up | |
Compact and lightweight |
BEST VALUE
Whether you’re staying in a swanky hotel and need somewhere to air your clothes or going off on a weekend camping trip, this compact and lightweight travel clothesline is everything you need. It offers a simple and easy way to dry your clothes and yet is incredibly durable.
What we really love is that there is no need for pegs thanks to the double twine design which holds the clothes. What’s more, the two suction cups allow you to easily suspend the line without causing damage to any surface.
Pros | Cons |
Lightweight and compact | Suction cups may not stick to some surfaces. |
Suction cups | |
No need for pegs | |
Stretches up to 3m |
EDITORS CHOICE
When you’re headed off on a longer adventure or if you have a family, you may need more space for hanging your clothes. This retractable clothesline from Homrush is excellent because it provides you with a total of 26m across two lines and when you’re done, it all goes back in on itself for easy transportation.
We would recommend this one for something like the outside of a caravan as installing it is more of a permanent thing. However, getting set up is easy and both the plastic cover and the lines are made from durable plastic that is weatherproof and easy to keep clean.
Pros | Cons |
Great for caravans | A little more expensive than other options |
Durable | |
Long length | |
Easy to install and use |
Not only is this an extremely affordable clothesline but it also has everything you would expect from a travel product. It folds to a very compact size so you can pop it into a rucksack and you’ll barely know it’s there. If you’re off on a hiking adventure and camping out overnight, this is a must have.
But being compact doesn’t mean that you don’t have a lot of space to dry your clothes. The line quickly and easily expands giving you up to 12ft of drying space. What’s more, it comes with pegs to keep your clothes secure and is windproof so you won’t need to worry about leaving it out overnight and waking up to clothes having blown away.
Pros | Cons |
Very affordable | Not as long as other options |
Great for fitting in a rolltop backpack | |
Lightweight | |
Comes with pegs |
For a very affordable price, you get two clotheslines that come complete with pegs to make sure that your clothes stay secure while drying. OK, these might not be the longest lines on our list at 1.8m each but they are ideal for short breaks and for fitting into your luggage.
We also love the fact that the Com-Four clotheslines are made from incredibly high quality materials and are fitted with hooks at either end for easy hanging. Use them anywhere and when you’re done, they’ll pack away without being noticed.
Pros | Cons |
Easy to hang | Not very long |
Come with pegs | |
Strong and durable | |
Compact |
Choosing A Travel Clothesline
You might think that choosing the best travel clothesline required no thought whatsoever. OK, it isn’t the most complicated bit of kit but there’s still a few key things to consider before choosing the right product for your needs.
Do I Really Need A Travel Clothesline?
One of the first things to ask yourself is whether you even need a travel clothesline at all. The answer to your question is most probably no; there are plenty of other ways you can dry your clothes when you’re on the go. You might use a simple piece of rope or even a bungee cord but these things serve their purpose in other ways and you might not be able to put them to several different uses.
So, while a travel clothesline isn’t necessarily the most important piece of equipment, it’s certainly one that will make life easier. It’ll give you a dedicated place to dry your clothes without interfering with any of your other gear. What’s more, they come in very handy for longer adventures and they’re not large so can be easily stored away when they aren’t in use.
Size
The idea of a travel clothesline is that it provides you with somewhere to dry your clothes without taking up loads of room in your travel bag. For this reason, we would suggest looking for a smaller clothesline; something around the 10ft mark will be more than sufficient if you are only going to be drying a few items at a time.
Weight and Durability
In addition to the length, you will also need to consider the weight of the line. It needs to be strong enough to hold wet clothing without sagging. Over the course of time, it will naturally begin to stretch so ensure that you get a weighty and durable line that will stand the test of time and won’t falter after a couple of uses.
Material
Travel clotheslines come in a range of materials and each of these materials has its pros and cons.
- Nylon is a common material that offers excellent durability while being incredibly lightweight and so much easier to transport. That said, it does have a tendency to get slippery when it is wet. (is nylon waterproof?)
- Cotton is a great option and while it may be a little pricier, it will give you great durability.
- Plastic clotheslines are very affordable but will weaken more quickly than other types. However, you will find that it reacts much better when wet and is easy to keep clean.
Does It Come With Extras?
If you want the utmost convenience then choosing a travel clothesline that comes with a few added extras is always useful. You might look for one that comes with pegs to keep the clothes secure or attachments that make it easier to suspend.
Conclusion
Getting out and exploring the world is a dirty job and your clothes may end up looking less than perfect. But washing them on the go is easy especially when you have a travel clothesline to ensure that the clothes are properly air-dried.
There are a lot of excellent products out there but we think that the travel clotheslines in this guide are among the very best.
