As nice as it would be to have a towel handy in the car, keeping a beach towel in the glove box just isn't practical. A sudden downpour, a pack of wet dogs, a spilled super Big Gulp, or a tempting rope swing over a sparkling Rhode Island pond and we wish that we had that towel handy.

I was contacted by the makers of Lightload towels to sample one of their products, the compact beach towel. Figuring that this might help our problem with the wet, soggy beach towels and lack of space, I offered to try it out for them. My husband and I travel a lot and are always looking for different ways to make our packing as simple as possible, so this compact towel could be a nice solution for traveling light!

The fact that this towel is made of biodegradable material, viscose, which is a plant cellulose material like rayon really scored big with me because I am one of those green conscious people that are overrunning the world right now. Can you imagine using a towel and then throwing it away after it has been used? Well, it's not a woven fabric, so it is intended to be disposable, but it's pretty tough and can be used multiple times. Without any artificial fibers, this towel can either be burned or composted into the ground.

Plus, this towel is the size of a beach towel, measuring 36" by 60", but it's compressed down to the size of a hocky puck! Imagine slipping a beach towel into your pocket! You could put a dozen beach towels in a glove box!

Light Load Towels also make other biodegradable travel items, such as hand-towel sized towel. They are convenient and easy to carry -- perfect for emergency use since they are so small, about the size of a half-dollar coin around, and a half-inch thick. In a pinch it can be used as a fire starter, for first aid, and in excessive weather conditions Light Load Towels can be used as protection from the extreme cold. My husband tossed a couple of little ones into his Ready Freddy pack "just in case".

These neat, compact towels are sold in packages of 3, measuring 12" by 24" and sell for $5.95; a smaller set of two towels, measuring 12" by 12" for $2.75, or the beach towel, measuring 36" by 60" and that sells for $6.95.

I would highly recommend these towels to anyone who has a need for a towel "just in case" but has no space to keep it handy. Its resonable price and bio-degradability earn it a "Golden Star" award in my book!

For more information on where to purchase these towels, please visit their website at: www.ultralighttowels.com and enjoy the trip!

About the author, Linda Eagleson: Linda Eagleson has been a writer for as long as she can remember. She has been published in local papers, anthologies, and columns, and participates in poetry slams throughout the state.