You’ve all seen the commercials with the annoying little Billy Mays wannabe guy who shows you how to soak up an entire bathtub full of water with that little chamois, but have you ever thought of using those super absorbent towels in your survival gear? Maybe you should.
I’ve used a synthetic chamois as a camp/backpacking towel for years and honestly I don’t know why you would use anything else. According to the ad it holds 21 times it’s weight in liquid and I can say that’s a pretty accurate statement.
It’s lighter than a regular towel by a lot so that saves weight in your Bug Out Bag. Also, you only need about 1/4 the size of a synthetic chamois than you would with a regular towel. You could easily completely dry yourself with a 6×6 or 8×8 inch square.
Not to metion that it drys quickly and you can wring it out. Cotton towels, like all cotton, stay wet forever and mold.
You already know it can soak up spilled wine on your nice carpet and is machine washable when you clean up after the dog so let’s look at some practical survival applications.
Survival
1. Collect Dew -You could wipe dew off of the top of your tent, or the grass, and wring out the chamois into a water container. Since it wrings out so well this could actually be an effective water gathering tool if you really needed it. You’d never get that with cotton.
2. Collect Dirty Water – You could dip the chamois into a tiny puddle or some other bit of water that would be otherwise impossible to collect and again wring it into a water container. That would even serve as an initial filter because you would wring out the water without the debris.
What else?
There have got to be some other cool survival uses for a synthetic chamois, or ShamWOW if you prefer. Leave a comment with your idea.
Billy Mays STILL has the Best Deal
Even more surprising because Billy May’s was well known to hate the ShamWOW because he had the same product under a different name years earlier and the ShamWOW guy crushed it.
The Shamwow brand goes for $23.00 on Amazon. (Why not 19.95?) You get 8 large and 8 small. There’s also the knockoff Absorber but you only get 1 for $8.00
Then there’s good old Billy May’s with the Zorbeez. You get 6 large (20×23) and 6 small (15×15) for $7.99. Even when his product isn’t the most famous he still wins- Awesome.
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The reviews for ShamWow are not very good… any practical, first-hand feedback or other product recommendations? Many of us probably don't care if we get 3 or 15 for our $10-$20, but rather if the ones we get are superior in performance and durable.
I purchased the Zorbeez as recommended by Survival Cache and have been pretty impressed. I can't comment on the durability of this product as I just got them, but I did do a quick test and when used as recommended the soaked up nearly a full cup of water (and that was just the small one). So far I am impressed with the product and would recommend it to others.
I read the reviews on Amazon as well and what I saw was that most people were complaining about it not leaving the surface bone dry… which it doesn't because it is a wet chamois and is well WET. For some reason people assume that this product is a paper towel… I found another great product for that purpose and I call it a paper-frickin'-towel.
Montezuma,
Thanks for letting us know how it went.
When you tested it did you do it survival style from a tent or dew or just inside?
I agree about the amazon reviews. People think it's a paper towel replacement but its actually a towel replacement.
I didn't do it "survival style", I just filled up a bowl of water and dropped the chamois in it. I put two in my B.o.B., one in each car and the rest in my at home cache.
That's cool. Yea it's good that they come in a big pack like that so you can spread them around. Let us know if you come up with any other cool uses
Dustin,
I haven't looked at the reviews of the shamwow and I've never owned any of the actual shamwow brand, but you're right the reviews look terrible.
All I can tell you is from personal experience. I've used synthetic chamois from walmart for camp towels many times and they have always worked great for me. I honestly didn't know there could be such a big difference in them.
Another thing you should consider is don't just buy the infomercial. Like anything else know what you are getting. Of course I don't think it does everything on the commercial, but I do know its a lightweight synthetic that dries a lot faster than cotton and will soak up a lot more.
A short review from PM
Shamwow vs. Zorbeez: Which works Better? As Seen On TV Lab Test http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadget…
A small one will pick up water well and it doesn't take a lot of space. and is just a few oz's can't beat them. I'll use what ever I can find. put one in my BOB a long time ago. switched from a sponge.
warthawg,
thanks for sharing. I think the one currently in my pack is a coleman or other cheaper brand like that too. Like you said I've used it for quite a while and never had any problems. I mean it must be something fairly easy to produce, they should all be about the same.
ShamWows totally work. I was a skeptic. but they work and I use them every week.
Wow… ya see what these lil sites do for a guy… this info is absolutely indespensable… LOL Shamwow… whodathunk
I found the Sham wow at Ocean State Job Lot 2 weeks ago for $1 each. Bought a bunch of em.
I use them to help dry cotton clothes. It works great if you keep getting wet and cold. Roll the clothes up, put pressure on them, and they are a ton less wet than before. I use the absorber brand. That thing can hold a ton of water!
Thanks for another prospective on what works, doesn’t and something else to use. Like others I always kept a sponge for that purpose or a t shirt and when done put it on my pack to dry. I’m picking some up and testing it up in the mountains. See if it will holds up to the outdoors test.
good info ; could sham wow be used as a dust mask in a blast situation like he world trade clouds ?
I have REI's camp towel version, it replaced my cotton towel for backpacking about 15 years ago and is still in great shape. I have used it (backpacking and jeep camping) as a potholder, a rattle-stopper (between pans and stove), a campsite location-signal/sign, a berry-sling, and (after soaking it water) as a cooling neck-wrap on hot hikes. I have also dried myself, my dog, the inside of the tent, the car seats, and the inside of the windshield.
One little feature of the REI version that I have is a small strap with a button closure on one corner, which makes it a snap ( pun intended ) to hang on a pack, branch, roof-rack for drying out. I have the XXL version, about 1' x 2'. I purchased this size knowing that it was a backpacking towel replacement, and wanting to be able to wrap it around my shoulders or bunch it up as a "laying out in the sun on a rock to dry off" pillow. The only downside to the larger size is that if it is "full" of water than it is heavy and takes some time to dry out… but that is not a downside if you are using it wet to cool yourself off. Beats cotton by a mile.
I keep 1 large and 2 small shamwows in my B.O.B. along with the bandanas.
I cut several into small strips that I used to braid a rope, a rope with which I will hang myself with if I ever see that commercial again.
HI Joanna855, see what these lil sites do for a guy… this info is absolutely indespensable… LOL
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Ummmmmmmmmm , why is that posting and not the cham wow comment ?
i can dry off with a good cotton washrag!!
I had never thought about throwing a chamois in my pack, makes sense, thanks. That being said the Absorber is hardly a knockoff. I first encountered The Absorber about 15 years ago working at an auto detail shop, it is head and shoulders a better product for drying a car, boat, countertop etc.. I bought a sham-wow set on clearance a few months back and was disappointed that it was nothing like The Absorber. Sham-wow may redeem itself with me as a better piece of survival gear however because it is significantly lighter (The Absorber needs to be wet to work) and can surve many more purposes. Thanks again for putting my brain into gear on this one.
I also bought the Scam-wow on clearance sale ( that should have been my first clue they dont work like all the hype ) and it was a big disappointment . I have the big one in my truck and another in my backpack because they are light weight for an emergency towel or just as a rag . The hype is just that, hype , your better off with one of those compressed sponge sheets they use to clean up toxic liquid , now those are worth getting .
I once tested ShamWows in a semi-scientific manner, and found them to hold 10x their weight in water.
This is really not too bad, If I recall correctly, I found paper towels to hold 4-6x their weight.
My thought exactly. The need to get out from behind the desk and books is imperative before the need to use the gear we have. having spent more years than I care to say using, experimenting, and upgrading as technology advanced has shown me all that glitters is not gold. Hi-tech does not always mean hi-quality. Tactical does not always denote longevity. Mil=Spec does NOT mean Militay Issue' You get what you pay for, believe me. When it comes down to hard use and long life, it's tough to beat "issue" products. Whatever you have, get out and USE it before you need it.