Don't be fooled by cheaper suction cup knockoffs. Suction cup clotheslines won't hold a wet sock! You have to tie the ends down either way so why not have a strong line that is designed to be tied. The braided feature allows you to do without clothespins because you can pinch your clothing in between the braids... Although I always throw things over the top. This line is worth the extra dough and will help keep your luggage weight down. I suggest buying some Woolite packets as well. Rick Steves Travel Gear Clothesline, White
I admit it--my husband and I are "pack light" addicts. We only take carry-on luggage, which automatically means doing laundry. Bought this clothesline last fall and took it on a 10-day trip to Paris, along with only 3 pairs of (acrylic) socks and 3 sets of (microfiber) underwear.
This clothesline is GREAT! I was able to put it up in whatever shower/tub configuration we found in our hotel rooms. We did laundry every night, filling the sink with soapy water and allowing the garments to soak while one of us took a shower, then rinsing well, blotting in an already-used bath towel (or viscose hand towel) and hanging them up on this clothesline.
No need for clothes pins--you can insert the garment between the braids on the line.
I have osteoarthritis in my fingers and as other reviewers have noted, I did have some problem separating the braided rubber on the clothesline. But I found that inserting the garments into the braiding while the line was not taut made it much easier. I then stretched the line out for the garments to dry.
I hung blouses and pants on it too. (We wear nylon/polyester travel pants and nylon or polyester shirts/blouses. These wash/dry very well in the hotel room.)
I found that using a small viscose handtowel (think Shamwow, but there must be other manufacturers--just make sure it is really viscose) really helped get the clothes dry. Viscose can be wrung virtually dry by hand, and it pulls water out of hand laundry like nothing else.
I was very impressed by this clothesline and highly recommend it!
Best clothesline I have used. Sure beat packing safety pins and/or clothespins to attach clothes to line. It was very easy to attach washed clothes, especially socks, underwear, and shirts. The velcro makes it easier to attach to most things available in a hotel room.
This is a very well-made product. I bought it for a trip to China and used it several times. The braided design makes clothespins unnecessary and the straps attach to any variety of objects in the hotel room or bathroom. My only complaint is that it is quite pricey for a clothesline. That said, if you travel a lot and do essential laundry in your room you'll probably be very happy with this product.
On a recent trip to Italy, I took the Rick Steve's Clothesline with me for a first-time trial run. Packing lightly, I needed to wash items any number of times. The clothesline was a lifesaver! The main component that makes it better than others are the strong velcro ends...held tight to balcony ledges, shower racks, any object that I needed for an anchor. Also, the rubbery twisted line does away with the need for clothespins...and prevents the embarrasment of finding your "delicates" laying on the ground below, having blown off a less secure line! I'd certainly recommend this item to any traveler. The only thing that might improve it is having a choice for a longer version. Rock on, Rick Steves!
I travel light, which means laundry. To forgo the pleasure of clothespins, I take this line. It has worked well on 4 major trips now. With a very small load of laundry (my usual every-other-night wash) it is fine. For larger loads I add an "extender." In the past it was a bit of cord, but I now use a 60 inch web belt (which has several other uses when I travel.) The belt allows me to attach the clothesline in (so far) any hotel and extends the line for large loads.
This thing is exactly what it says it is, and does what it says it does, if you can find the right place to use it. In 2 of the 3 hotels I stayed in while I was in the Philippines, I could not find two suitable end points close enough to each other to attach it to. In the third, I was able to find several end points to attach it to, but none were strong enough to stretch it from one to the other without risking damage to the things I attached it to. (When stretched the distance needed there was upwards of 50 to 150 pounds of force on the line, which was enough to pull the endpoints out of the wall if I were to have used them. The picture of the item is a little out dated since there are also Velcro straps on the ends. Those Velcro straps help you attach the line to larger things like wide posts but often by cinching the Velcro strap around the line itself, cutting down on the available length.
I ended up leaving this behind with my host family in the Philippines. (I don't know what they will do with it, because their home construction certainly isn't strong enough to attach the line either.) One of the younger girls was using it alternately as a jump rope or as a leash for her younger cousin. Ha-ha!
I think that the line could be useful if it were maybe 2 or 3 times longer. You could always tie off the extra length if needed.
Confession time: I'm cheap. Really cheap. And one of the ways I express it is by doing a good bit of my laundry at home in the bathtub. (Ahh, the joys of apartment living!). And I am very impressed by this line--it's strong, sturdy, mounts very easily in my shower, and holds a TON of clothes (even multiple really heavy items like wet towels). I was skeptical about the velcro strips, but so far they've never let me down and I love the versatility they offer over suction cups--if the bathroom is unavailable, I can mount this thing just about anywhere. And, of course, the braided design allows you to hang a lot of items on it in a secure fashion.
I wouldn't use it outdoors, as other reviewers have noted--it is rubber, after all, and probably doesn't respond to temperature changes. But otherwise, this is one of my favorite apartment-living purchases ever. - Travel Clothesline - Travel Laundry - Rick Steves - Clothesline'
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