Have you had to do it? Wash your clothes in the bathroom sink of a hotel? How about ringing out your dripping trousers after five minutes being caught out in a torrent of rain? I know I have and a travel clothes line would have come in handy!
I promise I am not just bad at packing but I regularly wash a few items of clothing in the sink on my longer trips, especially underwear. You can even tear up some of the laundry sheets to make them handy little sizes or buy them from an outdoor shop. It makes your bag lighter and gives you more space for other items, especially important if your carrying it all on your back for long periods.
It also gives you some freedom to extend your trip should you have the flexibility to do so or as an emergency back up if things don’t go to plan.
Unexpected weather conditions can make you work through your spares rapidly unlike you enjoy wearing wet socks to dinner! Not to mention travel delays. Planes are grounded for a whole host of reasons, and a few hours delay is annoying but doable when it becomes several days you might want some fresher clothes!
Have no plan of doing laundry on holiday? These still come in useful if your clothes get soaked in a downpour or drying out your favourite bikini and towel before tomorrow’s beach day.
Yes you can use trees or your tents lines to hang up some items but that can be hit and miss and most of the time they fall off or leave you chasing after it in the summer breeze or in your hotel towel rack but space is limited. So what is the solution?
A travel clothes line allows you to dry your clothes efficiently whether you’re handwashing your clothes in the sink to get a few extra days wear or caught out in the rain. No more chaos trying to find places to hand items or fretting that they will get lost in the hotel laundry service.
These handy little items barely weigh anything at all, fold up small and some come with handy minimalist pegs. There is a wide variety of sizes, many are adjustable and come with different ways to string it up from loops to hooks and even suction cups.
I have come up with a selection the best travel clothes line to save you the time and effort of searching the vast array of options for your perfect travel line.
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How To Choose Which Clothes Line Attachment Is Right For You?
When you are travelling, it’s hard to know where you will be and which option will work with the space that you have. Fortunately, many of the travel clothes lines are made to be adaptable.
Loops
The loops are normally made out of rope or a bungee material. These are really useful for hooking over door handles or you loop the clothesline through the loop to secure to larger tree branch or poles.
These usually allow for a light weight design as no metal parts are necessary. The downside if you plan to be washing your clothes in a hotel bathroom, you likely will need to loop it onto itself around something, such as bath handles for your clothes to drip into the bath or shower cubicle. This style is best for super lightweight trips or camping.
Suction Cups
The perfect companion for drying your clothes over the bath in your hotel room. Use the suction cups to attach to the wall either side of the bath and you’re good to go.
You can always string it through itself should you need to attach it around something like the towel rack. Downside is that the little plastic cups are normally a bit bulky and may not stick to the surface.
Hooks
Lastly there are hooks, usually metal on the end of your clothing line. These are great for larger objects that you may not be able to loop around.
Same as before you can always loop it through itself giving you more choices of hanging potential. Downside is metal is usually heavy and bulky and may risk scratching surfaces.
Sometimes words are not enough and it can be hard to visulise what you need so browse the options below to find your handy little match.
1. Sea to Summit Lite Line Camping And Travel Clothesline
This is an excellent choice for the lightweight, space saving traveller. A reflective compact cord fits easily into a handy carry pouch and no need to worry about loosing your pegs. This clever design uses beads on the cord to keep your clothes in place. With over 2000 reviews praising its good design and how useful they found it on their travels, this one surely is a winner.
Key features
| Weight | 1.3 ounces |
| Length | 3.5 metres |
| Clothes attachment | Build in beads |
| Hanging attachment | Cinching loops |
2. Tri-Braided Cord Clothes Line
Another handy little option with no additional bits. Simply hang your clothes between the bungee braids and you’re good to go. The Velcro straps are versatile to attach to many pieces different places and super cheap too. Many claim it to be the best thing on their longer trips, with the only concerns being some find it a little short.
| Weight | 3.7 ounces |
| Length | 1.5- 3 metres |
| Clothes attachment | Thread through braided line |
| Hanging attachment | Velcro hoops |
3. Clothing Line With 12 Clothes Clips
Fancy a more tradition line, here your travel clothes line can look more like home. This thoughtfully designed travel clothes line also contains beads to keep the built in pegs from sliding down and clumping together should there be a dip in the line, ensuring an effective dry. Many reviewers found it ideal for their cruises. For those who are not a fan of the colour, there are similar alternatives in black too.
| Weight | 7 ounces |
| Length | 3-3.5 metres |
| Clothes attachment | Pegs |
| Hanging attachment | Hooks |
4. Suction Cup Travel Clothes Line
Back to bungee clothes line, however, this time you can enjoy the use of hooks and a suction cups. Simply hang your clothes over the line, thread it through the braids or grab your favourite pegs and you have more flexibility on how to hang your new line. The suction cups allow you to attach directly to walls should there be nothing to clip around, although others find it flimsy.
| Weight | 3.5 ounces |
| Length | 2.5 metres |
| Clothes attachment | Thread through braided line |
| Hanging attachment | Suction cups and carabiner |
5. Foshine Clothesline
This effective solution is cheap and cheerful for maximum effect. The line is long, vibrant and has well designed holes to keep even your clothes hangers equally spaced. Simply loop it around and hook it back on itself and you’re good to go. This is also our longest option, excellent for those larger families on camping trips. People like that it is easy to use although there are some mixed reviews on durability if it will be getting daily frequent use.
| Weight | 3.5 ounces |
| Length | 5 metres |
| Clothes attachment | Optional extras of pegs |
| Hanging attachments | Hooks |
Conclusion
As you can see there is a wide range of travel clothes lines to choose from. Many of which have multiple ways in which they can be used. For those backpacking; small and lightweight are likely the deciding factors. Should you want pegs, you can always bring a few with you, instead of lines where they are attached. This minimises bulk.
On the other hand, those who are not so concerned by size and weight, will likely benefit from having the choice to hang with pegs, especially where already attached so you do not have to go hunting through your suitcase!
I hope this helped open your eyes to the world of the travel clothes lines and as a hiker myself who has washed many items in the sink, think it is time I invested in one! Happy Hiking.
