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Storing Clothes Questions

Hawk32

Hawk32

PMA Member
Boring day at work Question


Would like to hear peoples method/routines of storing their hunting cloths. Anyone putting anything in the storage totes with their cloths? Carbon filters, battery operated scent lok ozonics, fresh earth wafers, etc, etc. Totes vs bags. Separate totes for underlinings and exterior cloths? Hanging cloths outside? Using smoke or not?

Mine

I'm kind of annal and I'm sure there some worse than me, but I wash and store my cloths separate. Light layers, heavy layers, and exterior layers. Store them in plastic totes. I do use the battery operated ozonics things in each tote. Can't say for sure if they work or not but I do it anyway. Can't bring myself to spend 80 bucks on the scent lok totes so I just use cheaper ones and a scent lok bag for the exterior. My exterior stuff I leave hang outside as often as I can and transport in the scent lock bag. Last I spray everything down the best I can. Always used scent-a-way products which I have thought about trying something new as well. I used to put earth wafers in with all my cloths but have went away from that. Never used the carbon filters or have never tried using smoke either but it has always intrigued me.
 
Wash my clothes at least once a season. They are always in a tote after that. Not a scent lock tote so it is NOT air tight. In the past I have always thrown some leaves in there just to add some natural cover scent. I received a clothes smoker for Christmas last year and am giving it a shot this year. I'm not a big fan of the smoke smell, although I did use a little bit of hickory so it kinda feels like I'm smoking some ribs when wearing my hunting clothes! If I see positive results with the smoke method, I'll stick with it. If I see marginal results, I'll likely ditch it just for the fact of not wanting to smell like smoke all the time.
 
Pretty similar to you, except for the ozonics units. Bought some activated carbon filters from petco to put in the totes this year. We'll see how they work. I also make a home brew scent killer spray each year. It's just 2 cups distilled water 2 cups hydrogen peroxide and 1/4 cup baking soda and it works just as good as the store stuff.
 
Keep mine in totes,,with some cedar branches..Made mistake last year though. Put clothes away in totes with some cedar and put out in garage. Took out a month ago and mildew was growing all over my clothes. Had to wash and wash and hang out in air for 2 wks to get the smell out!:mad:
 
Dedicated washer/dryer in pole building. Nothing but scent free allowed. Clothes line out there right by window so clothes in breeze. If it touches my skin it gets washed after every single set (socks, base layers, etc). Wash outwear at least once a week. I have a big wood locker I built, but haven't moved it yet. So for now, clothes line.

When I drive somewhere the gear goes in a tote with cedar branches. Osage Orange works for cover scent too. Cow shit on boots if near pasture.

As the years have gone by I have realized it all barley matters. Wind and thermals have to be right regardless.

I have no opinion on products such as ozonics. Never used one. It would be nice to know if the science is legit or not. I am skeptical.

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Wash, tote, dress, hunt, tote, wash if I walked up a mountain, tote, repeat.

I keep stuff clean but don't over think it when I'm hunting the right winds. If I'm pushing it, I put in a little more effort.
 
For those of you on city water are you concerned about the additives in the water leaving residual odor on your stuff?
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
As the years have gone by I have realized it all barley matters. Wind and thermals have to be right regardless.
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No way to get scent free in my experience. Lot of wasted time, money and effort spraying clothes inside and out, coconut carbon and you name it. Get high and hunt the wind.

One way to go scent free is wait to hunt till conditions are where a bird dog can't smell squat and then you have a chance. :)
 
Gotta say after starting out always wearing a facemask, gloves, scent lok spending tons of money I don't think it makes much difference. Whether you use something to cover it or not deer smell thru our lame attempts at beating one of Gods marvels. I wash my clothes, store them in a tote or hanging out, spray with scent killer or dead downwind to take the edge off and hunt the wind and use thermals. 25+ feet and thermals are the key. I sweat every time I walk in anyway so how do you combat that. Oh and breath I think is number one, no cover scent for me as unless it's natural to the tree I am in its unusual to the deer that pass it regularly, so not for me. No ozonics either, even if it works I won't use it.
 
I give it "my all" but still know it's not 100%. I think I get smelled much less if I watch every little detail. Of course wind is key and thermals but if I do it right to a
T- "better". Clothes in full time scent free dryer & washer. Hang dry for a good week outside. Put in my bins with my bags filled with cedars so doesn't get stuff on clothes. Then, shower, spray, scent free towel, etc. my hunting vehicle is as "scent free" as they come. I don't ever touch anything that's obviously bad. Scent free toothpaste, etc. I do think it helps but not 100% for sure.

Here's what I think happens with a lot of guys.... Do "everything right" but miss ONE thing- breath wreaks, they touch something with gasoline, old residue of soap or deodorant residue, wipe off with a towel that has smelly detergent on it, FILL IN THE BLANK. Kinda like gun season- I walk out "scent free" but my gun wreaks of gun oil. Game over. So what's the point. I still stay as scent free as possible but it's darn hard. I have no objections to cover scents either - science or not- I'll step into a mashed hedge Apple, manure, whatever. Nothing is 100%. Even if a "spray or something was" - u still can overlook something else that puts scent out to alert deer. Tough battle. Wind is king but sure don't mean I don't try and help.
 
Oct-Lull said:
Gotta say after starting out always wearing a facemask, gloves, scent lok spending tons of money I don't think it makes much difference. Whether you use something to cover it or not deer smell thru our lame attempts at beating one of Gods marvels. I wash my clothes, store them in a tote or hanging out, spray with scent killer or dead downwind to take the edge off and hunt the wind and use thermals. 25+ feet and thermals are the key. I sweat every time I walk in anyway so how do you combat that. Oh and breath I think is number one, no cover scent for me as unless it's natural to the tree I am in its unusual to the deer that pass it regularly, so not for me. No ozonics either, even if it works I won't use it.
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This is me.....I get a little less worried about it every year. I still wash in scent free soap and store everything in totes, but beyond that I don't get too crazy. I see the same amount of deer every year regardless. It's all about the wind and thermals for me. A guy could drive himself crazy and take the fun out of it worrying about every little scent.
 
Over the years I am more worried about my boots and touching things walking in and out and leaving a scent trail. I wash my clothes and use the sprays but I don't go over board.
 
Wash clothes in dead down wind detergent, dry with dead down wind dryer sheets, place in tote, leave boots and geat outside on nice days as much as possible then in the garage inbetween, scent free shower and deodorant before each day's hunt, then put on clothes once out of the truck, spray down with scent killer and hang a natural wafer if my stand. I sit about 17 ft up and rarely get winded, if I do get winded they don't even show or make a noise so I can't verify they were even there. Typically see at least 15 deer a sit and don't ever know I'm there. It's hard to know what works but this method seems to get the job done fore me
 
Let's see...wash clothes in scent free detergent, dry, goes in tote (I like Homz brand because the lid seems to seal better than the others I saw...not 100% air tight tho). One tote for all clothing, but wouldn't mind having more to separate layers. Last year I tried cedar branches and dry leaves in the tote and liked that it still smelled "fresh" each time. Think I might try the branches/leaves in some sort of bag this year to keep them together. Try to shower before each hunt with "scent free" body wash (quotations, because scent free still seems to have a scent to it...maybe should be called "fresh scent"). Scent free deodorant. Dress outside of truck when I get to hunting spot. Spray down with purchased scent killer (again, should be "fresh scent" because it does have a smell to it)...keep thinking I should try homemade or smoke (wife tells me no on that, because it will make you smell like smoke, even if it's just on your clothes at first). Usually spray each layer and hit boots generously. I've used evercalm on my boots to walk in...not sure if it made a difference. Take a bottle of the scent killer with me to the stand to "freshen" up once in a while. Try to walk in with least amount of layers on as possible, then layer up in the stand. Will step in as many cowpies or horse droppings as possible on the way to the stand. Try to let anything that touches skin or gets wet/sweat on air out before going back into tote. Wash if needed, but try not to wash outer layers too much.

Guess that was more than just storage.
 
I will chime in on one other thing. I've gone through a couple different scent eliminating sprays. Wildlife research and muddy execute to name a couple. I was NOT impressed with muddy at all. That stuff has a VERY obvious smell to it. Through a Facebook competition, I won a bottle of carbon synergy. From what I've tried in the scent eliminating department, this stuff is hands down the best. The main issue I had with it is trying to find a bottle that will spray the stuff without clogging up. It comes in a powder form and you mix it with water to make a spray. I've also used the powder straight. Just as an example of how good this is, when I first got it I wanted to try it out so I sprayed some on a dirty shop rag that had fresh used motor oil on it. We all know how that smells. Sprayed some carbon synergy on it and I could not smell the oil anymore. That spoke volumes to me as far as how well it works. Plus, it does not have a scent of its own like some of the others.
 
A few people are using cedar branches or leaves mixed in with your cloths. Is there a difference in using that vs using the fresh earth wafers. I can't believe no one has tried using the little ozonics deals that go in the totes. I thought those would be a little more popular.
 
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