The Trail Rag, Refined

The Glacial Gear Trail Rag is a lightweight Merino wool towel built for hiking, backpacking, camping, travel, and everyday adventures.

After years of making Trail Rags and seeing them carried for thousands of miles, we took everything we learned from the original and refined the design.

Made from soft 18.5-micron Australian Merino wool, the current-generation Trail Rag combines the natural performance of Merino with reinforced edging, smooth rounded corners, and an integrated hanging loop.

At approximately 10" × 10" and just 0.6 oz, it’s small enough to disappear on your pack but useful enough to reach for all day long.

Featured in BIKEPACKING.com

Neil Beltchenko included the Glacial Gear Trail Rag in his 2026 spring/summer Editor’s Dozen, sharing how he uses it for cook-kit cleanup and as a small face towel on bikepacking trips.

Read Neil’s Trail Rag field notes at BIKEPACKING.com ↗

A Merino Wool Towel Built for the Trail

The Trail Rag was designed to handle the little jobs that happen constantly outdoors.

• Wipe away sweat on steep climbs
• Dry your face and hands
• Dry cookware and utensils
• Clean sunglasses and gear
• Handle hot cookware
• Freshen up at camp
• Clip it to your backpack to air dry while you hike

Its compact size gives you the versatility of a hiking towel without carrying more material than you need.

Whether you’re thru-hiking, backpacking for the weekend, camping, traveling, or simply spending the day outside, the Trail Rag is designed to go wherever you do.

Why Merino Wool?

Merino wool is uniquely suited for a trail towel.

• Naturally odor-resistant
• Antimicrobial
• Soft against skin
• Excellent moisture management
• Quick-drying in the field
• Lightweight and packable

Whether you’re wiping away sweat, drying your face, or cleaning up around camp, Merino wool handles moisture while remaining soft and comfortable against your skin.

Its natural odor resistance also makes it especially well suited for repeated use on multi-day hiking and backpacking trips, when washing isn’t always an option.

It’s one of the reasons Merino wool has been at the heart of Glacial Gear from the very beginning.

Refined Through Years of Experience

This generation of the Trail Rag features reinforced edging, rounded corners, and an integrated clip loop for a clean, durable finish.

Those details may seem small, but after years of real-world Trail Rag use, they’re exactly the kind of details that matter.

Clip it to a shoulder strap, hip belt, backpack, or gear loop and keep it within reach throughout the day.

Grab it. Use it. Keep moving.

Our Flagship Trail Rag

For most hikers, backpackers, travelers, and everyday outdoor use, this is the Trail Rag we recommend.

Its approximately 10" × 10" size strikes the balance we want from an ultralight trail towel: enough surface area to be genuinely useful without taking up unnecessary space or weight in your pack.

Which Trail Rag Should I Choose?

• Trail Rag: Approximately 10 × 10 in and 0.6 oz (17 g). Choose this compact towel for sweat, face and hand drying, and small camp-cleanup jobs. Made from 100% Australian Merino wool with reinforced edging, rounded corners, and a hanging loop. Designed in South Carolina; imported.
• Trail Rag Classic: Approximately 14.5 × 10.5 in and 0.9 oz (26 g). Choose more surface area and our original square-corner construction, sewn in small batches in South Carolina from premium New Zealand ZQ Merino wool.
• Trail Rag Classic XL: Approximately 16.5 × 12.5 in and 1.0 oz (28 g). Our largest Classic provides extra coverage with the same premium New Zealand ZQ Merino wool and South Carolina construction.

Compare sizes, materials, and weights in our gear guide →

SHEEPishly Superior.

Trail Rag Specifications

Material: 100% Australian Merino Wool
Micron: 18.5
Fabric Weight: 190 GSM
Size: Approximately 10" × 10"
Weight: Approximately 0.6 oz (17 g)

Care

Hand wash and lay flat to dry.

For deeper cleaning, machine wash on a delicate cycle and tumble dry low.

Origin

Designed by Glacial Gear in South Carolina. Imported.

Trail Rag Questions, Answered

Is the Trail Rag a full-size camp towel?

The 10 × 10 in Trail Rag is a compact hiking towel for wiping sweat, drying your face and hands, and small cleanup jobs. Its size is intended for those everyday trail tasks; choose a larger towel when you need full-body drying coverage.

How does Merino compare with microfiber?

The Trail Rag is made from 100% Merino wool, a natural fiber with odor resistance that is useful on multi-day trips. Microfiber towels use synthetic fibers, with different blends, sizes, and textures depending on the product. Choose based on the jobs you need your towel to do and compare the actual size, weight, and care instructions.

How do I wash and dry it?

Hand wash and lay flat to dry. For deeper cleaning, use a delicate machine cycle and tumble dry low. Follow the care instructions for your particular Trail Rag model; the Zpacks collaboration uses a different fabric and has its own care guidance.

How do I carry it while hiking?

Use the integrated hanging loop to attach it to a backpack or gear loop, keeping it within reach. Let it air dry after use before putting it away.

Where is this Trail Rag made?

The current 10 × 10 in Trail Rag is designed by Glacial Gear in South Carolina and imported. Trail Rag Classic and Classic XL are separate products, sewn in small batches in Taylors, South Carolina.