washing clothes on extended hunts

[dieselgenset]

Hey everyone
this is my first post, been reading up on clothes for late season hunting in the forums. It got me thinking about something that I haven't noticed anyone talking about.

Does anyone wash there clothes on their backpack hunts to keep smell down and stay comfortable?

I went on my first DIY elk archery hunt last year in CO and took a tiny bottle of non-scented hunting laundry detergent. I also cut a piece off of an unscented bar of soap and travel size unscented deodorant stick.

Me and my buddies stayed on the mountain 8 days and hiked 96 miles. Every 3-4 days I would wash my clothes in a creek and hang to dry at camp to keep the funk down. Also took a quick bath(like Olympic sprinter quick lol that mountain water is cold!).

We were within 10-30 yds of multiple elk several times on the trip and they had no clue. I think the excellent calling of my hunting partners and playing the wind had a lot to do with it, but I also think not smelling like sasquatch's backside on day 8 helped too. I think mentally feeling fresh and clean gives me an energy boost or more positive vibe.

So with all that being said I don't see that happening on a late season hunt when there is snow/ice. What do you guys do in the winter on 8-10 day trips?

 

[GKPrice]

We've always showered on our late season hunts, it's brisk yes indeed but over quick enough,heated water in a solar gravity bag works well enough - I'd not use any sort of soap in a stream anywhere but if you want to go to the trouble of washing clothes I sure can't see anything wrong with it

 

[5MilesBack]

I don't bother washing them until I get home. I'll wear the same merino base top and bottom and camo for a week + straight. If I'm in base camp I might change them out......or I might not.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I bring 2 full sets of light merino base layers on every hunt...and maybe 3 pairs of boxer briefs. About every 3 days I completely change base layers. I wash the last-worn set if possible (as in water available and I think they'll dry in a couple days). I just rotate through them and keep them as fresh/clean as I can. I don't worry at all about my mid or outer layers. For washing I just bring a small 2 or 3 ounce poly flip-top bottle (REI) with my favorite detergent.

Incidentally, I brought a small bottle of Dr Bronner's Organic Soap with me recently. Castille soap is extremely gentle and great for face/hands/hair. I got the peppermint scented soap, as I like the freshness and have repeatedly seen animals not be affected by the smell of mint.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

For 8-10 days I don't typically bother with washing clothes. If hunting from a base camp for longer than that (rare) I have been known to wash an article or two in a basin at the wood stove.

Esse quam videri

 

[orionsbrother]

I bring 2 full sets of light merino base layers on every hunt...and maybe 3 pairs of boxer briefs. About every 3 days I completely change base layers. I wash the last-worn set if possible (as in water available and I think they'll dry in a couple days). I just rotate through them and keep them as fresh/clean as I can. I don't worry at all about my mid or outer layers. For washing I just bring a small 2 or 3 ounce poly flip-top bottle (REI) with my favorite detergent.

Incidentally, I brought a small bottle of Dr Bronner's Organic Soap with me recently. Castille soap is extremely gentle and great for face/hands/hair. I got the peppermint scented soap, as I like the freshness and have repeatedly seen animals not be affected by the smell of mint.

My buddies and I refer to D Bronner's as the "Hippie Soap"!! I am a big fan.

I bring a second set of base layers as well. I wear one during the day, hang them to air out and dry overnight, do some "maintenance" with a couple of baby wipes and a tiny drop of hippie soap and put on the other base layers to sleep in. If it's wet and humid, I'll do my best to dry them by the stove or a fire and pack them.

I feel better and sneakier if I'm not rockin' six to nine days worth of accumulated funk and I sleep better too.

I buy some small plastic bottles in various sizes from a science surplus place that I use for spices to hippie soap. One ounce of hippie soap, if used carefully, will ward off the stank of a couple of guys for an amazing period of time and works well for clothes too.

I don't normally do laundry, but my feet sweat perpetually, so I've been known to wash out socks when they reach that aged roadkill state. Ditto with boxers.

 

[Kevin Dill]

"Hippie Soap"...I gotta hang on to that one OB. Outstanding.

Cleanliness begets cleanliness. If a guy can keep his 'dark' areas from getting fertile his clothing will stay in much nicer shape. I suffer the extra weight of bringing a couple packs of No Rinse Bathing Wipes on extended hunts. Just be sure you start with your face and work away from there!

I've converted to mostly soft-shell and/or other synthetic garments for extended hunts. I usually come in from a 1-2 week hunt looking as clean as when I left. Sitka and KUIU outerwear does a great job shedding moisture, soil, debris and dirt.

 

[MIKEYB]

I use a dry bag as a "washing machine". Hang dry in early season or in the shelter if running a stove late season. I use wipes as a daily body maintenance. Keeping things clean can be a moral booster and good midday chore.

I try not to introduce soaps and what not to streams and springs.

 

[charvey9]

I take a small bottle of baby soap on all my hunts. I've found its a universal soap that is good for just about everything from washing your hands/face, laundry, and dishes.

I also take a couple light load towels to use as a wash cloth. You would be surprised how well these hold up, and can even be put in the washing machine when you get home. I think I've had the same ones for 3 years now. These work well for washing up in a creek, or even a "bird bath" if you can't find a big enough hole to dip into.
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For washing clothes and other stuff I have an eVent dry bag that I roll down to make a little sink and fill it with warm soapy water. You use far less soap than trying to wash clothes directly in the creek and can really knead and work your clothes around in there to get the grime and smell out. It also double as a dry bag for your gear and can be used as a game bag.
Amazon.com : Granite Gear 18-Liter Event Uberlight CTF3 Drysack (Green) : Sleeping Bag Stuff Sacks : Sports & Outdoors

 

[justinspicher]

ive often thought about it, but haven't ever done it. I think I'm too lazy for that, but it's probably a good idea. Especially since I don't like to take extra anything. Last year we did 11 days in Montana and cover a ton of miles and I didn't think I smelled to funky. Moral of the story is that either FL merino works or my hunting buddy has a nose that doesn't work.

 

[rewild]

I do extended hunts out of a drop camp, but do a lot of hiking from camp to wherever the elk are... sometime several miles round-trip per day (sometimes a few hundred yards from camp... if I'm lucky). I use the scent-killing stuff in a spray bottle for clothes. I put up a clothes line in camp and whenever I'm in camp, change out of my hunting clothes, hang it on the line and spray it with scent-killer (mostly chlorine, I think).... concentrating on the stinky parts... armpits, neckline, waist, crotch. In an hour or less, it's dry and has no smell that I can detect. Before I put my hunting clothes back on, I use one of those big scent-killer wet-wipes and wipe down my whole body (starting from the top and bottom and working toward the... um... middle). You can warm them up over a stove if you want a warm bath. I also have a clean pair of lightweight (polypro) undies for each day. I stay scent-free (as far as I can tell) this way for a 9 day hunt. My brother will sometime use one of those solar showers a few days in... but they don't get warm enough for me... guess I'm a wimp that way (no way would I dunk in a mountain creek!). This all my be too much to carry if you're backpacking.

 

[orionsbrother]

I use a dry bag as a "washing machine". Hang dry in early season or in the shelter if running a stove late season. I use wipes as a daily body maintenance. Keeping things clean can be a moral booster and good midday chore.

I try not to introduce soaps and what not to streams and springs.

Yeah. I'm not banging them on rocks midstream. I use a dry bag too and often warm some water. But I do it to get more effective cleaning. I would have to hypothesize that anything washing out of my crunchy, matted socks and gutter-azz boxers has more environmental impact than 1/32 of an ounce of hippie soap.

 

[rodney482]

2 FL tops (rotate them)
2 pr FL boxers (rotate them)
2 pr darn tough socks (rotate)

Good for 10 days

 

[dieselgenset]

I try not to introduce soaps and what not to streams and springs.

Sorry my post was misleading, I don't wash directly in the stream either. My buddy used a plastic bucket to carry his food in which we turned into our washing machine. That or a contractor bag

I just pull water from whatever stream we are by is what I meant



I agree about sleeping better if I clean up a bit or have some designated sleep clothes. Good rest is important

 

[Kotaman]

2 FL tops (rotate them)
2 pr FL boxers (rotate them)
2 pr darn tough socks (rotate)

Good for 10 days

This is pretty much what I do, but I add a third pair of FL Boxers to reduce crotch funk. I've never even considered washing clothes on a hunt.