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Hygiene question

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Hygiene question

Postby Osage Outlaw » 07 08, 2019 •  [Post 1]

Hope you guys don't mind another new guy question. What do yo do to stay clean while on a multi day hunt? I bought some shower wipes that you add water too and wash off with them. I want to get some of the pre-moistened wipes to go with them. What brand do you recommend? I saw some that were called dude wipes and shower pills. Any experience with those?
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 07 08, 2019 •  [Post 2]

Always welcome questions from you and our other members mister! This gives us older elk hunters something to talk and post about ;). OK, aren't all hunts multi day? The shower wipes look fine, they're really nothing more than dried, then hydrated, baby wipes (which is what many of us pack for our backcountry jaunts to save weight). First of all, get some poly shorts... they work wonders at wicking moisture, grunge, crotch rot, baboon butt, the plague, mange, etc. for multiple days at a time far and beyond cotton briefs or boxers.... trust me on this. If you're doing a base camp... a portable shower enclosure, a 5 gallon bucket, an inexpensive shower pump setup (I think mine is made by Coleman?)... is great for an every couple of day deep cleaning. Just heat up 2 1/2 GALs hot water and mix it with the same cold water and you're good to go. In the backcountry, the baby wipes are better than gold.... (they actually offer them in smaller packages than the typical plastic bin) and will keep the baboon butt away from you; I also carry a tiny bottle of concentrated soap (Cabelas, REI, etc., carries it) that produces a good cleaning suds when you wash in the local 28 degree creek or high country lake. I do use scent free deodorant also. Of course there is always the two golden rules of elk hunting.... 1. Work the wind, always..... humans always smell, regardless if they've just showered and gargled with scent free soap... and 2. Work the wind always, and avoid baboon butt :D
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Trophyhill » 07 08, 2019 •  [Post 3]

Great stuff Rory! Made me lol too :)

Unscented baby wipes get my vote for the Backcountry. A hot sponge bath at the truck is great too. I keep that green all purpose camp soap at the truck for that. I get that at Sportsman's Warehouse. I gotta have my tooth brush and paste along for the ride as well....
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Tigger » 07 09, 2019 •  [Post 4]

there was an epic thread on baboon butt on another forum a few years back. Man, I laughed at that!

Poly clothes are great, but they come in two different types. Some have an odor suppressant and some do not. You can decide which one is best for you, but I highly recommend ones with some type of odor reducing technology. Your hunting buddies recommend that type as well.

Merino wool naturally fights odors. That is a great option as well for base layers. In fact, they do a much better job of fighting odors.

One last thing. when you decide to take a wet wipe bath.....tell your buddies so they don't need the eye bleach!
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby saddlesore » 07 09, 2019 •  [Post 5]

I always used handi-wipes to guard against baboon butt.

Since camp at the truck I have a shower tent I bought mine at Kmart on sale for $36. It is a two room affair and is just as good if not better than Cabelas. My shower unit consists of a 3 gallon weed that I replaced the wand with a kitchen sink sprayer.I heat up water to a boil in a two gallon pot and ad 1 gallon of cold. 3 gallons will get you a fairly long hot shower.
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby >>>---WW----> » 07 09, 2019 •  [Post 6]

Saddlesore took the words right out of my mouth. I also use a weed sprayer. I add about 5 feet of hose to it and get rid of the wand. Just screw the nozzle to the trigger assembly and adjust it to suit you. Works great!

For my clothes, I only have two sets that I alternate every other day. Every night I take the set I wore that day and place them in a bucket of water with a cup of baking soda and stir it up real well. Then I place a rock on them to keep them submerged over night. Hang them up to dry the next morning to dry. Once dry you'll find that they are a little stiff from all the dirt and baking soda still in them. But that's no problem. Just give them a good shake and put them on. They'll soften right up. It won't get them clean but it will get the odor out of them for sure. And who cares if they may look dirty . Camo is dirt color anyhow. About once a week you can run to town and hit the local laundry mat.

If you are away from base camp, baby wipes and unscented deodorant works like others have stated. If you are the type that believes in the scent elimenator sprays, you can make your own for less that a dollar with hydrogen peroxide, water, baking soda. and a small bit of liquid soap. If you want the recipe you can PM me.
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Lefty » 07 09, 2019 •  [Post 7]

Hunting the desert I had a water hydrant
That was part of the water system
I didn’t need soap at the hydrant I had to be careful with the pressure

A couple bottles of water over the truck heater , soap shampoo
Stand on the truck floor mat and I’m clean enough for church

I use scent free wipes at times they are always in my trucks

I have one of those sun showers hang from a tree, stand on a truck mat

I’ve posted parts of this story
I use to keep a 55 gallon drum with water in the back of the pickup when hunting in the desert
While enjoying cool water in the heat of the day in the middle of nowhere , me in my birthday suit
Some young couple came up the two track
I was the naked creepy guy in the desert
I did get clothes on before I burned the gals eyes

I change underwear and bathe before I crawl into my bag
This year I have plans to use a standard 36x36. Shower in our RV
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby 7mmfan » 07 17, 2019 •  [Post 8]

I guess I'll just basically mirror what others have said. My main m.o. for staying reasonably clean and not to stinky starts with the clothes I wear. I have full merino wool base layer, including boxer briefs. Not that I suggest it, but I have worn one pair of wool boxers for a full week and at the end of the week they carried virtually no stink. So theres that.

For personal hygiene I use wet wipes. I had a package of magnum sized scent eliminator wipes that were great for doing a full body wipe down. I haven't been able to find them for a while though, I'm probably not looking hard enough. I always have a small package of wet wipes in my pack for other business, and that has been a game changer for overall stink and comfort.

If it's dry out, I will frequently do a heavy scrub/rinse of at least my base layers every couple days. Wool dries amazingly fast even in cool temps and shade, especially if there's a breeze of some form.

As others have said though, I don't put a lot of thought into overall scent reduction from the standpoint of spooking game. Play the wind, and you can smell like a dumpster full of week old fish carcasses. It's more for my own personal comfort and the benefit of those around me.
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Swede » 07 17, 2019 •  [Post 9]

I have stayed out for over a month on many hunts. All I do is use soap and water and wash daily. I use unscented deodorant. I change my shorts and tee shirts every couple of days. They get washed out in a bucket or when I go to town. I am not sure what we are calling baboon butt, but I always wash mine after defecating. I never carry wet wipes in the woods, but have a wash cloth and soap. I suspect this "baboon butt" being discussed is a result of bacteria growing rapidly in sensitive areas.

My daily sponge bath includes washing my hair and all other body parts. You will soon learn that the time to wash is during the warm part of the day whenever possible. A warm tent is also a good place to clean yourself.

I just talked with a person with a B.S. degree in microbiology and many years of experience in a laboratory. She says this "baboon butt" is a result of bacteria growth and WalMart underwear is as good as any other when we keep our butts clean. Don't want rectal and crotch problems? Wash regularly.
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby saddlesore » 07 17, 2019 •  [Post 10]

Swede wrote: Don't want rectal and crotch problems? Wash regularly.
\\

Exactly why I use Anti Bacterial Handi-wipes after very time I squat. Will also ward keep hemorrhoid problems from becoming irritated. In a wall tent or my camper, I take a sponge bath every night. Keeping clean also wards off pesky bacteria infections inside and out
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Swede » 07 17, 2019 •  [Post 11]

Except for washing your hair, Handi-wipes I too have found are great. They are a little more expensive than antibacterial soap, but they do the job just fine, and you will not have to expose your wet body to the cold air as much. Thanks for the reminder Saddlesore.
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby Lefty » 07 18, 2019 •  [Post 12]

My wife bought some huge bathing wipes Almost a buck each

I guess she didn’t like my comment about the shower in our RV being big enough for two :shock:

I have made my own mixing a small amount of scent free soap water and peroxide and put in a zip lock
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Re: Hygiene question

Postby 7mmfan » 07 18, 2019 •  [Post 13]

I was looking at this from an angle of being out in the woods on a backpack trip or something where your resources for cleaning are a little more limited. If I'm at a base camp, truck camp, wall tent camp, whatever camp that I didn't pack in on my back, I sponge/towel bath with soap and water almost every day. With a heated tent or camper, I would definitely rinse out my clothing frequently as well and let dry. No reason to punish yourself or others around you if you have the luxury of a truck to haul all your stuff to camp for you.
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