In the directions in the link for Reload application, it states that two separate towels should be used. One for spreading, and one for excess removal.
Corey also mentions that he prefers the Microfiber Madness Crazy Pile towels for this purpose.
After using Reload for the last 5 years, and trying a plethora of different towels, I'd have to agree with him. However these towels are not 100% necessary, but they are the best towels I have ever used for any type of sealant/wax excess removal. Other towels will work. These just work better.
If your using only one towel without wearing nitrile gloves, oils from your hands are getting on the towel. When you flip it over to wipe excess, you are now wiping oil on the surface, mixing it in with the uncured Reload (Reload takes 1 hour to cure), and compromising the bond.
Where it states "tips" in the link about Reload, it states that the surface must be completely free of oils, solvents, or waxes. Just washing and drying the car will not leave the surface free of these. It must be prepped properly.
You can use IPA or a prepping solution to remove these. IPA dissolves them on the surface. I don't use IPA, I use Carpro Eraser. It lifts them off the surface, so they can be wiped away. I've also tried a ton of towels for this purpose, and the RC Everest 1100's are the best I've used.
Since the surface has to be absolutely oil free, wearing nitrile gloves is imperative to achieve this, because oils from your hands will get on the towels, and as you flip them to fresh sides, you will be redistributing oils back on the surface.
Regardless of what type of protection you are applying to clear coat paint, prepping the surface with IPA or a prepping solution will maximize durability, because if no oils, solvents, or old waxes/sealants are present on the surface, the product will have the best surface to bond to, with nothing coming between it and the surface, or being mixed in with it.
Claying if needed, will also add to maximizing the durability of protection products. Like you, I do not use regular clay anymore, unless the clear coat paint is super soft. I have been using my SM Arnold Speedy prep towel for years. The benefits of it vs. clay make it a "no brainer" alternative. Only fine grade should be used, as medium grade clay alternatives are very abrasive, and will scratch even hard clear coat.
You can skip these steps, and as you have already seen, the Reload lasts about 3 months.
It has been my experience in my use with Reload on my ungaraged daily driver to get 5-6 months of durability by prepping it first. Durability will vary based upon what type of conditions the paint is exposed to.
A garaged car for example, will usually have longer durability, a car that is exposed to a lot of rain will have less, a car that is driven in the snow and gets a lot of Magnesium Chloride on it from the roads will have less, etc.
But in all situations, a prepped surface will always have longer durability vs. a non-prepped.
I'm not stating this to "toot my own horn", it's just been my experience in 35 years of detailing vehicles.
If you want 3 months of protection from a silica based product doing no prep, I would suggest Carpro Hydrofoam. All you have to do is wash the car with it, rinse off, do a pooling rinse to remove excess water, dry, and your done.