Activated Carbon Clothing

[FLaker]

My camo is the same vintage as the 15 year old bow I just updated. I'm looking to get some new camo clothing and was wondering everyone's opinion on activated carbon gear (scent lok, blocker, etc. ). What do you have? When are the sales on? Do I need AC underwear and outerwear? Any advice would be appreciated.

FLaker

[huntnfish]

I personally don't believe in all the carbon clothing. I wash my clothes in scent killer and try to shower before I go out and then I just play the wind. The carbon clothing might be better but I don't think its all that much. I think if you try to be as scent free as possible you will be better off and save a little money.

[Scoot]

I personally don't believe in all the carbon clothing. I wash my clothes in scent killer and try to shower before I go out and then I just play the wind. The carbon clothing might be better but I don't think its all that much. I think if you try to be as scent free as possible you will be better off and save a little money.

I agree with everything huntnfish said, except when he said "carbon clothing might be better"- that part I don't believe. Do an internet search on this and you'll see why it's a bunch of hogwash. Scentlok's in a huge legal mess right now, basically because they lied to the public about virtually everything their product does. All their product does is make them a lot of money. I'm sure plenty will chime in and say I'm wrong- that's fine- I won't argue the point or say any more. But... what huntnfish said is right.

[vister]

I agree with the last two fellas. To effectively "recharge" carbon, you'd have to burn it with a torch. Like mentioned, people will curse me for not liking a product they couldn't live without.

Last fall I too updated my old camo. I got rocky scent iq. I didn't buy it for it's scent blocking properties!!!!! It was the perfect camo pattern I wanted, mossy oak breakup, and it is so dang comfortable!! That was the selling point. By the way, I've had some strong bo before, and couldn't smell it through my camo. Maybe it does work?!?!

[Bear55]

Carbon clothing may help a little but you are better off keeping your regular hunting camo clean, showering before the hunt, wearing rubber boots, and maybe spraying yourself down with scent killer. This alone will help you see and shoot more deer. Now if you are after a mature buck I don't believe you will be able to fool them, you may however buy yourself those few extra seconds to get a shoot off by keeping your body odor down. Most importantly always play the wind above everything.

[FLaker]

Thanks guys! I will buy what is comfortable and QUIET.

FLaker

[Rippinlip]

Great advice guys!

I look for the comfort, warmth(breathable), quietness first, play the scent game with washing hunting clothes in scent free laundry soap, showering and playing the wind..

Bought some nice clothes at your ...Marts, .....Farms,

Mark

[GatorBait]

Ya know, I was working at Gander when this stuff first came out. I purchased some this past year and tested it out. During our first part of bow season, it was a sweat fest, a great testing opportunity. Well, I hunted in that and in my regular non carbonated cheap clothes every other day and got the same results. Never spooked a deer or got winded during any of it. I did this for 2 weeks straight. It did't sell me enough to consider spreading the word. LIke above, I worry more about comfortable and quiet clothing, in which the gear was, but it's main purpose is a flaw imo. Fred Bear wasn't wearing all this hoopla and look at his success.

[harvey lee]

I will use anything that may help me be as scent free as possible. I guess there is no way for the hunter to know if it helped them as deer can get spooked from many different situations.

As stated above, washing clothes will really help. I believe the biggest key is to pick a great stand location and get as high as possible and don't move.

Without a doubt, the higher one gets, the more one can get away with and playing the wind is even bigger.

Fred bear didn't use a compound either but I will.

[buckhunter21]

Like others have said go with quietness and comfort first and then just take as many steps as you can to keep yourself scent free. Not sure if the carbon works, the science suggests it doesnt but like Harvey said any little thing can help, if you are willing to spend some extra money I dont think a carbon suit will make your chances any worse.

[propster]

Scoot, love your disclaimer: "I'm not going to argue with you, I'm just telling you you're wrong." I also like how Scentlok is guilty because someone brought a lawsuit - I forgot our new slogan is guilty until proven innocent. And I'm glad to hear there's no frivolous lawsuits binding up our courts. I also get a kick out of people who will spend the money on and trust a little bottle of chemical spray but don't trust a full layer of activated carbon between them and their quarry. Just from a purely scientific standpoint, activated carbon has been proven time and time again to be one of the most effective and highest volume materials for adsorption of colorants and odorants and impurities that man has ever used. How many of you are willing to give up carbon filtration of your drinking water supply or wastewater treatment or countless other uses? The other comment about having to "torch" your carbon to recharge it is simply inaccurate, and trades on the common understanding that to reactivate carbon requires high heat in the neighborhood of 800-1100 degrees celsius to completely purge organic impurities. That may certainly apply to 100% regeneration, and especially to ac that is used to adsorb hazardous or industrial waste. In that scenario a chemical bond is actually created between the substrate (ac) and the impurity, and it does take very high energy (heat) to overcome that bond. But come on, we're talking about human odor here, one of the lowest level volatiles that exist, that binds to carbon with a physical attraction. The energy required to overcome that bond is pretty low. I certainly don't mean to come off as a know it all because there's all kinds of guys smarter than me that know this same stuff. I don't believe all the claims that these companies make, but I do have the kind of background where I can recognize that it is based on pretty sound science, and should maybe be judged on that vs purely anecdotal evidence. But if you want some of that too, I will say that since I've been using it I get away with murder in spots that I'd always get busted previously. Most guys I see, even some of the celebrities that endorse their product on tv, do all the right things then run into the fast food joint wearing their camo or wear it while driving or numerous other no-no's. It's no wonder people don't believe. But that's alright with me, all you naysayers keep on relying on hunting the wind only and hope it doesn't change on you. I'll keep using the stuff. Just my $.02.

[Bear55]

propster I will agree with you that there probably is some gray area where human odor can be removed in the dryer but the question is how much is actually removed and how long before the suite becomes ineffective? Don't most carbon companies say you need to buy new gear something like every 3-5 years?

Also most all industrial use of carbon filters that I am aware of are used once and then thrown away or they have to reactivate the carbon at extremely high heat to reuse the material. Its not like the water or chemical filters are thrown in the dryer and reused.

I think was most of us are trying to say is that while carbon clothes may help some its not necessary and a lot of us have the same results by showering and keeping our clothing/gear as clean as possible.

I kind of classify carbon clothing with all the other legal hunting products out there, they can and do work but a lot of it is about marketing and sales and making $$$. There are also so many variables when we are out in the woods, for every person who claims to have had a deer downwind while wearing carbon I can find a guy who had a deer downwind of him while smoking or doing other things with no care for their scent.

[Scoot]

Scoot, love your disclaimer: "I'm not going to argue with you, I'm just telling you you're wrong." I also like how Scentlok is guilty because someone brought a lawsuit - I forgot our new slogan is guilty until proven innocent.

propster, if you're going to quote me, please quote what I actually said. Writing it the way you did makes it look like I typed what you put in quotes, which isn't the case.

My comment about not arguing was intended to mean I wouldn't be interested in a back and forth discussion rehashing the "for vs. against" info about Scentlok. This is a tired, old discussion that I have no interest in joining in on.

If you think Scentlok works, buy it. If not, don't. I really don't care what you do. I'll take what I know about the product and conclude that it provides no benefit and is expensive. If you conclude otherwise, that's fine by me.

Also, I didn't conclude that they lied (i.e., were guilty) because they are in a legal battle. I said they are in a legal battle because they lied. I believe their product is a sham and that has nothing to do with the fact that legal action was taken against them.

[vister]

Originally Posted By: propster

Scoot, love your disclaimer: "I'm not going to argue with you, I'm just telling you you're wrong." I also like how Scentlok is guilty because someone brought a lawsuit - I forgot our new slogan is guilty until proven innocent.

propster, if you're going to quote me, please quote what I actually said. Writing it the way you did makes it look like I typed what you put in quotes, which isn't the case.

My comment about not arguing was intended to mean I wouldn't be interested in a back and forth discussion rehashing the "for vs. against" info about Scentlok. This is a tired, old discussion that I have no interest in joining in on.

If you think Scentlok works, buy it. If not, don't. I really don't care what you do. I'll take what I know about the product and conclude that it provides no benefit and is expensive. If you conclude otherwise, that's fine by me.

Also, I didn't conclude that they lied (i.e., were guilty) because they are in a legal battle. I said they are in a legal battle because they lied. I believe their product is a sham and that has nothing to do with the fact that legal action was taken against them.

Im going to side with scoot here. i believe the money spent, 500 bucks complete, for a scentlock suit is outrageous, and unnecessary. everyone says play the wind. in the real world, while sitting in a woods or on a field edge, especially at dusk and dawn when deer are on the move, wind swirls and changes constantly, along with air thermals as the sun starts coming up. these thermal carry scent uphill just like wind.

take the worlds most renowned archer for instance. fred bear. did he wear scentlock. no. why, because it wasnt around for him while in his prime. but you know as well as I do that the hunting industry has become flooded with the must haves and other gimmicks. So fred would have been completely outfitted with the stuff. and im sure his furniture would have been upholstered in it too. only because marketing guru's would have gave it to him and said tell everyone it works! im sure it does, but i wont use it. i dress at the field approach. after washing my clothes scent eliminating detergent, drying them with earth scented dryer sheets, spraying them with earth scented odor eliminator, putting earth scented wafers in a tote with my clothes, rubbers boots from season start to finish, i think u get my point!! im very conscious of my scent elimination, so a 500 dollar suit i feel is wasted money. but, wear it if you want, theres a dozen other things i'll swear by before i swear by scentlock!!

the best cover scent out there is all over the countryside. walk through a dairy barn in your camo. you'll stink and deer are not bothered by it one bit!

[propster]

Hey Scoot, didn't mean to offend. It wasn't intended as a quote but as a paraphrase. I had hoped to make it obvious enough you could see I wasn't quoting you. Sorry, no blood no foul And I did misread your lied/guilty reference, I perceived it as more of a statement of fact.

Bear, I hadn't seen the instruction from either company that it lasted only 3-5 yrs, that's a new one on me. Must depend on how it's used, stored, and cared for. And as for the industrial filter use of carbon, I thought I agreed that was the only way to regenerate it was with high heat (or use a new one). Human odor is a very low level volatile and does not adsorb to carbon the same way as other stuff.

And I fully agree that much of what we buy for hunting stuff is based on marketing. How else do they get us to buy a new $800 bow every year when the one we have works perfectly well?

This stuff does work, but it's okay some others don't use it, gives me another edge - where I don't have to worry about the wind swirling. All good.

[Scoot]

Hey Scoot, didn't mean to offend. It wasn't intended as a quote but as a paraphrase. I had hoped to make it obvious enough you could see I wasn't quoting you. Sorry, no blood no foul And I did misread your lied/guilty reference, I perceived it as more of a statement of fact.

No sweat. I think I was crabby when I replied to you... My work is a mess right now, Fargo's flooding, and my kids don't seem to want to sleep-- yeah, I'm pretty sure I was crabby.

Like I said- if you like the product and believe it gives you an edge, then go for it. I don't believe that, so I won't. If people ask about it, I'll give my thoughts on the matter. If we don't agree... I'm ok with that.

I'm off to work and throw sandbags...

[Wanderer]

I think Scent-Lok was originally designed for those who wanted to hunt on the way home from work. No scent free wipes back then to wipe down the cologne or sweat after a full day.

Then the marketing geniuses got hold of the idea after they found out people were ready to throw money at em they way we did.

I have one of the original suits and swore by it the first couple years but don't even pick it up any more. I think part of the increase in success that I experienced had just as much to do with the fact I was getting more scent concious across the board and the suit was just one element.

I'm in the camp of "If you want to take every precaution you can and don't mind spending the dough - go ahead". But I wouldn't call carbon clothing a necessity anymore.

[Bear55]

Bear, I hadn't seen the instruction from either company that it lasted only 3-5 yrs, that's a new one on me. Must depend on how it's used, stored, and cared for.

propster

This is from the FAQ page on the scentlok website.

Q: “How long will my Scent-Lok suit last?”

A: The lifespan of the product really depends on how you use it. We roughly say that it should last 3-5 years; about what you would expect from other hunting camo. If you are a knee walking, belly crawling extreme hunter in the woods five months a year, the life span may be shorter. If you are in the field for 20-30 days a year and follow our instructions, 3-5 years can be expected. Some hunters are still wearing our original suits today!

[vister]

This probably wont help any, but when i was in jr high school, i would go straight from the barn in my milking clothes to the bow stand. And to be honest, half the reason i went out there was to smoke so mom wouldnt catch me. sounds dumb, but i still saw deer. Little did I know having to wait for a deer to get so close would have me hooked for life. none of my friends bow hunted, and my dad shot in an archery league, so i was able to buy an old loud pse nova or something like that with arrows, flipper rest and sights with no fiberoptics. just metal pins. never killed an animal with that rig, but boy i lost lots of arrows!! My next bow was an old eagle oneida. i know some of you guys know of them, the recurve lookin limbs with the pulley system just above and below the riser. fast and loud.

i guess to get my point across, scent control has a lot to do with getting mature bucks into range. if anything is going to pick you off it will be an old doe. if you can fool them, you'll have a better chance at having an eary buck come by. if you feel scentlok will help, go for it, however, there are many other things you can and should do as well.

[ANYFISH2]

I have worn my scentlok suit for 7 years now, and hope it holds up another 7. As far as its effectivness I can not say for sure, I wash and use other scent killing products just as if I was not using scentlok. It's never a good idea to leave every thing to chance.

I will tell you that it is the most comfortable and quietest hunting garment I have put on! It must have been cheaper 7 years ago because I only payed $150 for my suit, not alot more than alot of other camo nowadays.

[leech~~]

I thought that I read somewhere that they tested the suit's out with dogs, and the dogs found the person or what was wrapped up hinden in the suit everytime. I don't think it is as much of what the suit blocks, but what smells you got on the suit as you filled up at the gas station on the way to the cafe, with your buddy smoking in the truck and wearing your hunting clothes out at the fire or to the bar the night before!

[propster]

I think that's a big part of it too Leech. As for the dogs, that doesn't concern me too much because it's not an apples to apples deal. Those dogs are unbelievably well-trained, and there's some that can track a person just by the grass or vegetation being broken, or by dandruff (and dead skin cells) falling off a person. Thank god deer aren't trained to find you, though sometimes it seems like it. I believe with care you can get it (your scent) to such a minimum that while they may still catch something it's not enough to spook them. Good luck up there in Fargo Scoot. We got our fingers crossed, relatives in Moorhead who live with this every year it seems.

[Scoot]

Good luck up there in Fargo Scoot. We got our fingers crossed, relatives in Moorhead who live with this every year it seems.

Thanks for the well-wishes for Fargo. We're holding our own so far. Nothing like last year at this point, but still a ton of work and effort. I sure hope a long-term fix can be figured out that will work for everyone.

[Sproguy]

I will jump into this one, maybe I shouldn't! LOL

Carbon suits do work (or at least the testing shows they do) but only for a short time (1 to 5 seasons depending on amount of wear). The issue with Carbon suits is they can't be reactivated like we the consumer had originally hoped.

There is a solution, Silver! Silver is coming out in a lot of different options and in some cases it is good for the life of the garment and it works. (Again, the testing shows). I wore Medalist clothing with what they call Silvermax last season and had several different deer come in from down wind on me. Not always directly down wind and not always with nothing on their mind (buck with nose down!) so I feel it works. The best part is it works for the life of the garment. It also can be washed and worn like regular clothing, no really hot dryers needed.

I washed my clothes in Scent wash and used Scent killer spray and tried to make sure my body was free of orders with the proper soap and such so maybe it part of the process, either way, I am sold on Medalist. For now! 3 years from now we may be talking about something other than Silver as many are saying the same about Carbon. Kind of "older" technology, still works but has draw backs.

[propster]

Spro, just curious, what makes you say it can't be regenerated? Is it all the stuff you've read about regenerating ac that's been used to adsorb industrial waste, hazardous waste, or many things other than human odor? What are you basing it on? Also regarding silver, glad to hear you've had good luck with it, but what you seem to base it on is purely anecdotal experience. Which in today's age maybe that's as good as anything - if it appears to help, hard to argue. However, silver works as an antimicrobial, and it can only help prevent the formation of odor by bacteria acting on perspiration, but only if it is in constant contact with the skin. It does almost nothing in an outer garment because antimicrobials do absolutely nothing to most already-existing odors - they can't neutralize, adsorb, trap, oxidize, or prevent an odor that already exists. They do have their place, but here's a perfect analogy of how. If you go to work out in regular cotton gym clothes, work up a good sweat, put some perspiration odor into the clothes, then throw 'em in your bag and get home and forget about them for a week. Open it up and you go "Aaarggghh" - really smells. But if you were wearing an outfit made from antimicrobial fabric and do the same thing, you'll notice a little difference. Open it up after a week and it still smells, but not nearly as bad. It's because the am treatment prevented additional odors from growing in the fabric itself, unlike the cotton. What it didn't do though is get rid of the body odor you put into it a week ago, so while it can help, it really doesn't do everything most of them advertise it to do.

[MichaelSwan]

I've used Scentblocker forever, its quiet, comfortable, designed for bowhunting - exactly what I need plus it has scent control. And with the weather we've had, the new 1.5 shirt I bought is so thin and cool, next weekend, I'll be chillin!

[Bear55]

Fun read from 2010. I'll stick with my stinky camo and careful attention to wind and thermals.

[wannafish2]

spend your money on some good scent free shampoo, body wash, anti-per spirant/deodorant, clothes wash with UV killer, and dryer sheets. Then get some scent killer gold, or whatever suits you, and use it before you go into the woods. Watch the wind, and enjoy yourself.

[wannafish2]

It can't be "re-generated" because the temperature has to be 212 *F just to partially de-sorb some odors in the clothes, and most household dryers don't get hotter than 150*F. Here is part of an article about it:

"In defense of the statements that their suits can be re-activated Scent Lok maintains that the word "reactivation" is a loosely used term. In reality "reactivation", as it applies to activated carbon, means that the adsorption capability of the carbon has been totally and completely re-activated. Scent Lok has stated that the garments aren't "totally reactivated" after they are first washed and put in the dryer, but that they are partially "regenerated" or "desorbed". Supposedly this partial regeneration is enough to allow the clothing to again adsorb more odors. While some desorption or "regeneration" can occur when activated carbon is exposed to temperatures lower than 750 to 1200 degrees F, there is a point when the temperature is too low to "reactivate" activated carbon."

Seems to me that the simple process of washing any clothes would remove some of our stink so if that's what Scent Lok is calling "partially regenerated" then I do it every day. I'm saving my money and buying what's comfy.

[Boar]

bigfoot is real too. I had work for the DNR as an intern in college, on grunt job was to keep public landings clean at Theif lake WMA during waterfowl season. What we had to do with the latrines was scoop five gal. buckets of ash and coal from our wood burer and sprinkle it into the bottom of cra pers. this process is wher its gets wiered I know, it was to keep the scent down. it worked. so what im not saying is scent lok can throw their suits in the cra per. I cleared that before someone twistd it. Another oder absorbing material we all use everyday, that we compleatly over look everytime we open the fridge to see if something new has accumalated in there is baking soda. I burn wood, so I put chunks of charcoal in my clothes bag and spinkle baking soda in their to. dose it work? I dont know, and in my opinion, I dont think anybody really knows if scent lok clothes work or not either. just like bigfoot. no and yes. the money I save from buying into marketing and just keeping it basic and simple I used to fund my night investigation to go squatchin'