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wordstew
02-14-2018, 11:24
Maybe I've been spoiled living with running hot and cold water and flushing toilets but I have little tolerance for overwhelming hiker funk to include the scent of my own musk.

Now don't get me wrong, in the military I've experienced and accumulated hiker funk that would make a skunk envious but I try tried to mitigate it whenever possible.

Some hikers appear to consider Super-funk a badge of honor...I just don't get it.

While hiking the AT I see no reason for folks to hop into the shelter stinking to Hi-Heaven. For crying out loud drag a wash cloth across your backside, pits and nether regions. I'll add to that you can carry 1/2 ounce of tree oil and add a few drops to your washing water to keep the bacteria count down. If you're concerned about gram counting then shave your exceptionally long beard, trim your pit and nether region hair, you'll lose some grams and reduce your bacteria count and stinkability.

OK...just my two cents

Sarcasm the elf
02-14-2018, 11:41
Lots of first time hikers, typically thrus, seem to revel in their terrible hygiene. Every year there are also large scale outbreaks of Norovirus and reports of hikers dealing with staph infections severe enough to put their hike at risk. I highly doubt this is mere coincidence.

chknfngrs
02-14-2018, 11:47
In fairness to thrus everywhere, it’s gear too, not just armpits and crotches. Deet and sweat soak into packs, clothing, quilts, etc... not really ok to assume it’s their lack of hygiene or whatnot.

Seatbelt
02-14-2018, 11:49
Some types of clothes react to sweat in an "odorous" way, more so than others. Polyester seems to be the worst. Wool is almost non-odorous in my experience. Point being, your clothes will still stink after you wash yourself off.

Slo-go'en
02-14-2018, 11:51
It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack. These two items soak up a lot of sweat and start to stink after awhile. I always change into a "clean" non-hiking shirt before hitch hiking or going into a business. Not a lot you can do about the pack.

Tipi Walter
02-14-2018, 11:53
The longest I went without a bath was 76 days when I was living in my tipi during the winter. 0F temps will automatically curtail any attempts at bathing, sponge baths, or hair and scalp washings in a nearby creek. In fact, it's been proven by Swedish/Finnish outdoorsmen that not bathing off body oils in severe cold keeps you warmer.

My solution for you Wordstew would be to avoid AT shelters at all costs---a rule I follow to the letter. Another solution would be to do all your extensive backpacking during the winter. Carry a tent and call it your home. Backpack trails with no box shelters and get on more remote trails ergo less people.

Time Zone
02-14-2018, 12:24
It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack.

It's the body too. Sniff your armpits next time you shower after your shirt has contracted a case of the funk (which it got from your body, btw).

FreeGoldRush
02-14-2018, 12:42
This isn't helping my shelter phobia.

Lnj
02-14-2018, 12:47
Shelter phobia is a good thing. Wrap your arms around it and squeeze! :)

nsherry61
02-14-2018, 12:47
It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack. . .
With my experience, I'd say it's safe to say it's pretty much everything that stinks. And yes, synthetic shirts are probably the biggest contributors.

I've always found it quite enjoyable to try and bath, often with just water and to regularly rinse out my shirt along the trail, preferable mid day so there is time for things to dry, or in the evenings after a long hot day where I can get the trail crud off my body and sleep better. I've gone at least a couple of weeks without a shower in cooler weather and didn't think I was or anyone else in my party was particularly stinky. I've also bathed more than once a day along hot dirty trails because it felt good and I didn't have to smell myself.

In the end, I agree with the OP in that stinking isn't anything to take pride in. Although, sometimes a little stink is just the cost of living, so get over it.

garlic08
02-14-2018, 12:57
At a lunch break at a picnic table at an AT shelter somewhere in New England, a horribly filth hiker came in to a chorus of greetings from friends. He proclaimed proudly that he hadn't bathed since PA, and that he was fighting an intestinal bug. I packed up immediately and got out off there, while his buddies were shaking his hand. They would probably blame the drinking water on whatever pestilence they caught from him.

But yeah, during the hot Eastern summer, my pack alone smelled very bad at resupply stops, even though I frequently washed everything. I was pumping out sweat in quantities to soak my pants down to my knees, and I normally don't sweat like that. But I could not imagine not bathing and laundering whenever possible. Skin problems have stopped many hikes. Many don't realize that the skin is the body's largest organ and it's important to care for it.

MuddyWaters
02-14-2018, 12:59
When you been wearing the same clothes everyday for 2 weeks without washing in hot sweaty weather, they gets a bit funky.

rocketsocks
02-14-2018, 13:12
Bunch a filthy hippy’s...go put your butt up to a water fall once and awhile :D

MuddyWaters
02-14-2018, 13:16
It's really special scent when tinged with a little bit of urine and an old beer. Eau de homeless.

rocketsocks
02-14-2018, 13:29
It's really special scent when tinged with a little bit of urine and an old beer. Eau de homeless.
...and soup encrusted beards, which isn’t a terrible look for a dude, but the lady’s, C’mon!

kestral
02-14-2018, 13:37
Amen to original post!

I try to pick up hiker hitchhikers when I am doing my section hikes so they can do their resupplies or just get to town. All are a bit wiffy, one was so rank I swear my car stunk for 2 days! I didn’t have the heart to throw him out at initial contact, but I should have. Febreeze and 2 days of windows open was needed. I travel with a farty dog and am no snowflake, but this stink was overwhelming.

I know that certain metabolic disorders can have distinctive smells, also food choice can alter body odor as the skin is an excretory organ along with liver, kidneys and lungs. Perhaps this young man was ill. Some homeless people with fecal and urine incontainance who do not change their clothes can smell this bad , these poor souls are often mentally ill.

i know we are last to “smell our own smell” but some folk’s funk I just don’t get.

I use marino wool and try to wipe down every evening so I can live with my personal stink. My dog cleans her butt every evening without reminding.

MuddyWaters
02-14-2018, 13:58
Amen to original post!

Some homeless people with fecal and urine incontainance who do not change their clothes can smell this bad , these poor souls are often mentally ill.

i know we are last to “smell our own smell” but some folk’s funk I just don’t get.

.
A lot of skid row homeless drunks will piss themself when they're passed out or something and that's part of their stank . For everyone else, a dribble here and a dribble there starts to add up after a week or two.

Berserker
02-14-2018, 13:59
I agree. As I'm getting older my tolerance for my own funk and filth has gone down. That's why I typically try to hit town every few days if possible to get cleaned up. I have come to really hate stinking and feeling dirty. It's tough to get truly clean out in the woods unless you just flat out submerse yourself in a stream or lake. And not to get too detailed, but being a hairy male makes things even worse.

To address the funk of others, I will also do as others in this thread have stated and stay clear of super foul smelling hikers. That's a potential petri dish of nasty bacteria going on there.

colorado_rob
02-14-2018, 14:08
Maybe I've been spoiled living with running hot and cold water and flushing toilets but I have little tolerance for overwhelming hiker funk to include the scent of my own musk.

Now don't get me wrong, in the military I've experienced and accumulated hiker funk that would make a skunk envious but I try tried to mitigate it whenever possible.

Some hikers appear to consider Super-funk a badge of honor...I just don't get it.

While hiking the AT I see no reason for folks to hop into the shelter stinking to Hi-Heaven. For crying out loud drag a wash cloth across your backside, pits and nether regions. I'll add to that you can carry 1/2 ounce of tree oil and add a few drops to your washing water to keep the bacteria count down. If you're concerned about gram counting then shave your exceptionally long beard, trim your pit and nether region hair, you'll lose some grams and reduce your bacteria count and stinkability.

OK...just my two cents I resemble this!

And I agree with a post below, the stink is mostly clothes. Wearing merino wool helps a lot, I find, though stinky hikers (including myself) are really no bother to me.

Tipi Walter
02-14-2018, 14:20
That's why I typically try to hit town every few days if possible to get cleaned up.


I can't imagine breaking up my long backpacking trips by hitting a town every few days just because of funk and personal stank. In fact I go out hiking to avoid roads and towns and civilians and folding money etc. The longer the better.

I long ago got used to going long periods of time without bathing---it's all part of the outdoor life, especially in winter. What's the priority---Living outdoors or relieving Funk? ALWAYS LIVING OUTDOORS.

tawa
02-14-2018, 14:22
Hiker trash smells like hiker trash!! Embrace the suck and keep hiking towards the next trail town!

HooKooDooKu
02-14-2018, 14:25
When you been wearing the same clothes everyday for 2 weeks without washing in hot sweaty weather, they gets a bit funky.
So wash them from time to time... with some pack soap, a water proof stuff sack, and bandanna, I had no problems keeping me and my cloths reasonably clean for a JMT thru.

Seatbelt
02-14-2018, 14:28
Amen to original post!

I try to pick up hiker hitchhikers when I am doing my section hikes so they can do their resupplies or just get to town. All are a bit wiffy, one was so rank I swear my car stunk for 2 days! I didn’t have the heart to throw him out at initial contact, but I should have. Febreeze and 2 days of windows open was needed. I travel with a farty dog and am no snowflake, but this stink was overwhelming.

.
Be thankful you don't live in a northern state where it's too cold to roll down the windows!!

Chair-man
02-14-2018, 16:01
As far a stinky clothes go, I saw that Lysol now makes a laundry sanitizer so I thought I'd give it a try mostly for my gym clothes cuze who knows what kind of funky stuff you might pick up in a gym:eek:. It works really well on my polyester shirts and my shirts seem to last longer before they get funky and they smell good too. My only gripe is it's a bit expensive. It's made to go in during the rinse cycle. Lysol says washing clothes in detergent alone doesn't necessarily kill bacteria.
Here's a link to the product> http://www.lysol.com/products/see-all-products/lysol-laundry-sanitizer/

MuddyWaters
02-14-2018, 16:11
So wash them from time to time... with some pack soap, a water proof stuff sack, and bandanna, I had no problems keeping me and my cloths reasonably clean for a JMT thru.

That's what towns are for. Usually once a week for me, i take zero, and do laundry

Wyoming
02-14-2018, 16:42
Well the first and most important item is to avoid shelters like the plague. It saves you from smelling the stinkers, getting sick from the concentrated bugs, all the places dirty hands have touched which you have to touch, etc. Shelters are likely dirtier than any other place you could likely come into contact with.

Use wet wipes and your butt will never stink from poop. Sweat yeah but not poop.
Rinse your shirt out every chance you get.
Rinse your socks out every chance you get.
Even your shorts can be rinsed out periodically but you have to find a good location for this.
Carry a bandana to get wet and wipe yourself down once in a while - then rinse.
If it is warm then let it rain on you and wash you off. This is really nice actually.
Shave from spring to fall (not in winter as the beard is useful then) and that will help a lot.
Buzz cut your hair before you start and every month or so after that (clean up in town and hit a barber and just tell them to shave it all off).

Polypro shirts are the worst offenders and once they get the deep stink in them it never goes away. If you can stand the slight extra heat then switch to a shortsleeved smartwool lightweight top and that will get rid of about 50% of your total stink.

Dogwood
02-14-2018, 19:00
Another AMEN to the original post. I don't care what the heck it is gear or whatever wash your shart...literally! Stop putting the blame on the gear or saying it's just about smell too. It's also about humans spreading disease!



At a lunch break at a picnic table at an AT shelter somewhere in New England, a horribly filth hiker came in to a chorus of greetings from friends. He proclaimed proudly that he hadn't bathed since PA, and that he was fighting an intestinal bug. I packed up immediately and got out off there, while his buddies were shaking his hand. They would probably blame the drinking water on whatever pestilence they caught from him.


...I could not imagine not bathing and laundering whenever possible. Skin problems have stopped many hikes. Many don't realize that the skin is the body's largest organ and it's important to care for it.


+1


Mice follow the food. The food follows the humans. Humans equal mice. https://whiteblaze.net/forum/images/smilies/think.gif Don't want mice maybe....don't follow humans?


Should I go on with giardia, noro virus, human generated negative black bear encounters, rats,...And, yet in humanity's infinite wisdom and hubris we indiscriminately destroy rat eating snakes.


While humanity is collectively patting itself on its back perhaps we're at historical all time highs ignoring our genus' accountability.

wordstew
02-14-2018, 19:22
I might have to utilize my casino riff-raff strategy which is to light up a big fowl smelling cigar in hopes of driving them a comfortable distance away.
The first time someone with hiker superfunk says "dude that thing stinks" I think i'm gonna have a pretty good chuckle

Reverse
02-14-2018, 19:46
1 Hiker funk is an excellent reason for only having 3 walls in a shelter. :) While bodies get stinky, they can be cleaned, but the real problem I have found is the pack which absorbs sweat and the shoes. Shoes that get no chance to dry throughly from sweaty feet and river crossings = stank.

Elaikases
02-14-2018, 19:57
I find a little bleach in the wash, everysooften gets the terrible smell out of my polyester rash guards in my work-out gear.

kestral
02-14-2018, 20:36
I have used this product before for stinky things. ( my son’s friend’s sneakers). You put a squirt in a bucket with a little detergent and submerge for a few hours. Dry sneakers by putting wicking rags inside and set in sun.

https://www.healthykin.com//p-3886-coloplast-hex-on-odor-antagonist.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2Y_UBRCGARIsALglqQ0Y l5nNjBCYet2lw4sUDyy0fGfXJOP9MZdoCDJD4saRoPq9Z3spF1 EaAk-VEALw_wcB

Maybe if if one is particularly concerned with odor this type of product could be used in a ziplock bag with a few drops dr Bonner’s soap. Or just after you are home if you want your clothes a little less stinky. Can usually find similar product at medical supply store.

I have a sensitive nose and it worked when my dog rolled in poop and another time when the delightful item of her desire was a dead possum. Gave here a bath that didn’t cut it, put 2 squirts in a gallon of warm water and bailed it over her. Amazing how well it works. I keep it in my car now so it’s available during a trip, I learned from previous mistakes!

kestral
02-14-2018, 20:40
One ounce version of biological odor spray for gram weenies. ;)

https://www.healthykin.com/p-2932-bard-medi-aire-biological-odor-eliminator.aspx

evyck da fleet
02-14-2018, 23:00
Another reason to avoid shelters....

People who are too lazy to clean up excessive funk are usually too lazy to set up a tent. There’s a reason why noro outbreaks aren’t tied back to bad water sources. Stay in the shelters at your own risk.

Singto
02-15-2018, 00:19
It's just like anything else, when a certain level of something (hiker stink in this case) is an accepted norm, there will be a group of people who think it's OK to push norm level higher and higher. Tolerating these people is enabling them.

KDogg
02-15-2018, 02:34
lol...can't really believe what I'm reading here. Myself and my hiking two hiking partners were very ripe and going to town every five or six days to shower and wash clothes didn't really help. Thing is...we couldn't smell it! I didn't smell it on other thru hikers either. No, I'm not a dirty hippie. I didn't get sick on the trail and neither did my partners. The funk is a part of life for a thru hiker. Everything we had was filthy. Our pack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Do you think you are going to carry a change of clothes for every day? The best you will do for a shower every day would be a cold sponge bath. Don't even think about washing your clothes on the trail. If you think that you can do a thru and stay smelling minty fresh the whole time then don't bother to leave the house. You are fooling yourself. This is just about the dumbest thread I have read on here for quite a long time.

blw2
02-15-2018, 07:29
As far a stinky clothes go, I saw that Lysol now makes a laundry sanitizer so I thought I'd give it a try mostly for my gym clothes cuze who knows what kind of funky stuff you might pick up in a gym:eek:. It works really well on my polyester shirts and my shirts seem to last longer before they get funky and they smell good too. My only gripe is it's a bit expensive. It's made to go in during the rinse cycle. Lysol says washing clothes in detergent alone doesn't necessarily kill bacteria.
Here's a link to the product> http://www.lysol.com/products/see-all-products/lysol-laundry-sanitizer/
Think I'll look for that. Since we got one of those HE machines a couple years ago we sometimes get a stink in the clothes form the machine. Cleaning the machine takes it away, but I have one of my several underarmor synth t-shirts that just holds it. Borax knocks it down but it comes back.

I might have to utilize my casino riff-raff strategy which is to light up a big fowl smelling cigar in hopes of driving them a comfortable distance away.
The first time someone with hiker superfunk says "dude that thing stinks" I think i'm gonna have a pretty good chuckle

many many years ago I used to chew tobacco. I rarely ever did it around others and even less often in "public", trying to keep in mind that it is an unsightly nasty habit that folks just don't want to see. Anyway, I used to think about smokers, wonder what they would do if I went over to them and spit a big old tobacco juice mouthful into their face. No different really than their lung full of toxic stink into my face..... Had a roomate in college for a week or two that used to go into the bathroom and smoke. I asked him how he'd like it if I used his bath towel as a spitoon. I never did any of those things, it was just a logic thought process. Anyway, I get that in this context you are just "paying it back" for the hiker funk....but come on...you can't control others, but think about what YOU are doing.....

LittleRock
02-15-2018, 10:07
Hiker funk in the shelters isn't a problem on rainy/windy days. The shelters are open, and the smell gets pushed out quickly. Hot, stagnant days in the summer are really the only time it's a big problem IMO.

I keep seeing people knocking synthetics, but they are so light you can carry 2 or 3 pairs for the same weight. Personally I like the feeling of changing into clean clothes halfway into a week-long section.

Dogwood
02-15-2018, 12:06
Rainy days with dirty wet smelly hikers with their dirt wet smelly gear is worse. Rain does not absolve the funk.

Tipi Walter
02-15-2018, 12:21
Another reason to avoid shelters....

People who are too lazy to clean up excessive funk are usually too lazy to set up a tent. There’s a reason why noro outbreaks aren’t tied back to bad water sources. Stay in the shelters at your own risk.

My point all along. Like you I also see reliance on AT box shelters as a laziness issue---unwilling to carry the extra weight of a tent and unwilling to set up such a tent. And thereby avoiding the shelter system at all costs.

wordstew
02-15-2018, 13:08
Another AMEN to the original post. I don't care what the heck it is gear or whatever wash your shart...literally! Stop putting the blame on the gear or saying it's just about smell too. It's also about humans spreading disease!





+1


Mice follow the food. The food follows the humans. Humans equal mice. https://whiteblaze.net/forum/images/smilies/think.gif Don't want mice maybe....don't follow humans?


Should I go on with giardia, noro virus, human generated negative black bear encounters, rats,...And, yet in humanity's infinite wisdom and hubris we indiscriminately destroy rat eating snakes.


While humanity is collectively patting itself on its back perhaps we're at historical all time highs ignoring our genus' accountability.

I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.

egilbe
02-15-2018, 13:14
I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.

I've wondered that, too. Most viruses and bacteria can't live in sunlight for very long. Outdoorsy places become sterile after awhile. During peak thru-hikers bubble, I bet it gets pretty nasty. It's curious that in the early Spring up here, very rarely see rodents around the shelters.

reppans
02-15-2018, 13:42
... Do you think you are going to carry a change of clothes for every day? The best you will do for a shower every day would be a cold sponge bath. Don't even think about washing your clothes on the trail...

I'm not a LD or thru hiker but for me, it's the heat and sweat that causes funk and gross stickiness - I personally hate sleeping like that and navy shower every evening when it's hot. I just keep an extra 1-1.5L of water from the last watering hole in my dirty Sawyer bladder before setting up camp. Stand on a rock, wet down with 1/3rd of the water, lather up lightly with unscented Dr. Bronners, rinse off with 2/3rds of the water, dry off with a bandanna.

When it's hot, I hike in a LW synthetic T-shirt/running shorts. I also keep some spare water in the dirty Sawyer bladder to repeatedly wet down my shirt/shorts/hair as evaporative air conditioning while hiking. If they're getting funky, just remove and soak/ring a couple times. Together, that leaves the same hiking shirt/shorts dry and reasonably unfunky by the end of each day.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-15-2018, 14:09
I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.
I heard way back when that when hikers got sick, it was in groups, and had no correlation with water filtering practices. I think there's something there.

jj dont play
02-15-2018, 14:53
Do longer trips and you won’t be able to smell it anymore...
For real though I got pretty stinky a few times on my thru. Quick bathes and trying to hand wash clothes only goes so far. Sometimes logistics just don’t work out and you have to go longer than planned before you can wash up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

gpburdelljr
02-15-2018, 16:48
In the 1800s most everybody smelled funky.

Dogwood
02-15-2018, 18:47
I few drops of essential oils such as peppermint that's included in a homemade almond oil base herbal insect repellent or Dr Bronners Citrus or Peppermint soap, or a mint toothpick or mint favored floss and some fang paste can go a long way to reducing funky smells. It's not that hard folks...especially if you call yourself a hiker.

wordstew
02-15-2018, 19:07
I few drops of essential oils such as peppermint that's included in a homemade almond oil base herbal insect repellent or Dr Bronners Citrus or Peppermint soap, or a mint toothpick or mint favored floss and some fang paste can go a long way to reducing funky smells. It's not that hard folks...especially if you call yourself a hiker.

I will second the flavored tooth picks... I use FLAVOR FOREST HOT CINNAMON

wordstew
02-15-2018, 19:07
I few drops of essential oils such as peppermint that's included in a homemade almond oil base herbal insect repellent or Dr Bronners Citrus or Peppermint soap, or a mint toothpick or mint favored floss and some fang paste can go a long way to reducing funky smells. It's not that hard folks...especially if you call yourself a hiker.

I will second the flavored tooth picks... I use FLAVOR FOREST HOT CINNAMON

Dogwood
02-15-2018, 19:16
You seconded it a second time. ;)

evyck da fleet
02-15-2018, 19:46
lol...can't really believe what I'm reading here. Myself and my hiking two hiking partners were very ripe and going to town every five or six days to shower and wash clothes didn't really help. Thing is...we couldn't smell it! I didn't smell it on other thru hikers either. No, I'm not a dirty hippie. I didn't get sick on the trail and neither did my partners. The funk is a part of life for a thru hiker. Everything we had was filthy. Our pack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad. Do you think you are going to carry a change of clothes for every day? The best you will do for a shower every day would be a cold sponge bath. Don't even think about washing your clothes on the trail. If you think that you can do a thru and stay smelling minty fresh the whole time then don't bother to leave the house. You are fooling yourself. This is just about the dumbest thread I have read on here for quite a long time.
I don’t think all of us are referring to normal thrus. I usually spent 5 days and 125 miles between resupplies. Did I stink and not smell myself on the trail?Sure. But that wasn’t an excuse to not shower for weeks and brag about it. Yes I stunk about 15 minutes after showering at the Denton shelter due to my poly clothing and pack but that didn’t stop me from buying a new shirt along the way or spraying Lysol on my pack to try and keep the funk down. If not for yourself for the convenience store workers who have to smell you when you resupply without going to town to shower first.

rickb
02-15-2018, 20:02
In the 1800s most everybody smelled funky.

And some rather liked it.

To quote Napoleon in a letter to Josephine: Ne te lave pa. Je reviens

Nathan428
02-15-2018, 20:32
To thru-hikers: how often on average did you shower?

blw2
02-15-2018, 21:09
I'm surprised campfire smoke bath hasn't been mentioned yet....

Side note on this....when we were touring the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, we learned that the entrance to the Kiva rooms was through a small hole in the roof, climbing down a ladder that passed over the fire pit. The ranger never said this and so I can't confirm, but I put 2+2 together and guess that this had something to do with smoke bathing and hygiene.

wordstew
02-15-2018, 21:49
If you're having a hard time in the field with Hiker-Funk this website might help
https://www.survivalschool.us/bushcraft-camp-hygiene/

egilbe
02-15-2018, 22:17
Hiker funk I can get used to it. Old stale cigarette smoke on the other hand, makes me gag.

Christoph
02-15-2018, 23:04
To thru-hikers: how often on average did you shower?
Once a week for sure. On the trail in between, every night I would grab an extra bottle of water and go off in the woods and wipe down with a cloth bandanna (sometimes with soap if it was available). I don't like sleeping in my own funk, so I did what I could. I found the pack was the worst and washed that in towns a few times. Also did ziplock laundry when I could, ususally once between town and resupply stops. A lot of the time was hiking in the rain without my rain jacket on so that helped as well. :)

El JP
02-16-2018, 07:16
It's really special scent when tinged with a little bit of urine and an old beer. Eau de homeless.

As someone who has had much experience in being homeless i really wonder how bad it can get on the AT. Fact of life in being stinky on the skids, sooner or later you will reek to the point that your normal human interactions are limited and either you will have to get your ass cleaned or face exile from places at the very least. Dudes have been kicked from shelters and have even gotten beat down for being stenchy and avoiding soap and water when it was available. I remember once being in the tank in jail and some guy was forced to wash up with a bar of soap and water from the toilet.

As far as the AT goes i really won't have many chances to get inside and clean up. Doesn't mean i have to be Oscar the Grouch living in a garbage can. Even something as simple as dipping yourself and clothes in a stream or pond will help some. If you only have money enough for a laundry without soap that is still better than nothing. A couple of Vietnam vets i knew years ago told of washing up the rain during the monsoon season. Where there's a will , there's a way. I'm not the most fastidious guy around but i sure as hell prefer not to let myself get to the point of causing disgust in those around on the Trail.

SoaknWet
02-16-2018, 08:00
Remember many rain showers but cigarette stink could also cause problems. Sometimes you had to wonder stink or leeches.

skater
02-16-2018, 08:39
I'm all for cleaning up on the trail, but please don't wash your clothes in a stream. Follow LNT practices. Take water away from the stream to wash yourself and your clothes and dishes.

LittleRock
02-16-2018, 08:47
I heard way back when that when hikers got sick, it was in groups, and had no correlation with water filtering practices. I think there's something there.
I think you're onto something here. This pretty much the same as what I've been observing in my 3-year old's preschool class this year. 3-year olds, like thru-hikers, tend not to have good hygiene or sanitation practices. And whenever one of the kids introduces a new virus, 2-3 days later half the class is absent.

kestral
02-16-2018, 18:41
Where there's a will , there's a way. I'm not the most fastidious guy around but i sure as hell prefer not to let myself get to the point of causing disgust in those around on the Trail.[/QUOTE]. I get this EL JP guy!

i understand normal hiker funk, and some people are just stinkier than others (often poor diet and alcohol / toxins seeping through their skin) I’m talking about a stink that wouldn’t go away for 2 days and required special airing out after giving a guy a 20 min ride! No excuse. A little self respect and basic hygiene is all I’m asking for. Profound stink gives hikers a bad rep. And probably less free rides.

Thanks for allowing my personal mini rant.

Dogwood
02-16-2018, 21:09
Where there's a will , there's a way. I'm not the most fastidious guy around but i sure as hell prefer not to let myself get to the point of causing disgust in those around on the Trail.. I get this EL JP guy!

i understand normal hiker funk, and some people are just stinkier than others (often poor diet and alcohol / toxins seeping through their skin) I’m talking about a stink that wouldn’t go away for 2 days android required special airing out after giving a guy a 20 min ride! No excuse. A little self respect and basic hygiene is all I’m asking for. Profound stink gives hikers a bad rep. And probably less free rides.

Thanks for allowing my personal mini rant.[/QUOTE]

Like it or not image and smell play into getting what we desire...in this case getting a ride. There is absolutely no doubt I have fewer getting a ride issues because I don't ignore this...and being offered places to stay on hikes, receiving better hostel/hote/retaurant/etc cooperation,....

Coffee
02-16-2018, 21:55
I almost always try to clean up at least a little before going to bed - cleaning feet, armpits, groin area, etc. A couple of drops of bronners (even if used without a lot of water) goes a LONG way.

What I do before hitching or going into any civilized establishment is wash up a little better using bronners and maybe 8 ounces of water (away from streams) focusing on the armpits and groin, and then changing into my sleep clothes which I never normally wear while hiking and are therefore cleaner even after a week on the trail. Unless extremely cold, I'll wear very lightweight running shorts that I use in camp. I then put all my stinking hiker clothes in my pack, streamline my pack so stuff isn't hanging out, and if time allows, I'll even put a little bronner on a rag and wipe down the parts of the pack coming into contact with me (mainly hip belt, back panel and straps.

I'm sure I don't smell great but I've yet to have anyone complain or recoil in horror. In contrast, I've met people in towns before who had lots of trouble getting a hitch from the trail and usually they were the ones who had zero personal hygeine and looked horrible.

FWIW.

handlebar
02-17-2018, 00:22
I find a gallon ziploc freezer bag makes a good wash basin when the sides are rolled down. It even can be used to carry water to a private place in the woods. Half a liter is plenty of water to wipe the accumulated salt off. Add a bit of soap for the hands, feet, pits and nether regions and I can go to bed refreshed and less funky. Repeat before hitching and switch to sleep clothes for the hitch and I don't smell as offensive. This is not practical though in winter.

El JP
02-17-2018, 03:58
Coffee and handlebar got the routine down for sure.

I'm off late next month and while it's still cold i'll worry mainly about the feet on a daily basis, groin and pits when possible. Once it get's warmer, cleanups will be more thorough. What i meant by dipping in a pond or stream is not to go full out cleaning at a water source. You ever see in AT videos of people crossing roaring streams or going for a swim? That's what i mean. Tie your clothes to some paracord for a stream or take yourself into the water fully clothed and just soak yourself for a few minutes. No soap needed and no trace left.

And that is only if you are in a complete @%$^ state of being and have no other reasonable way of getting things squared away.

Leo L.
02-17-2018, 04:57
Learned about sponge bath here at WB, and enjoy it almost daily while hiking.
Usually at day's end, while still heated and warm from inside, and I try to find a secret place with some last rays of sun.
I don't use soap for the whole body (no good idea to wash off all your body oils, you'll get very cold later), just a few drops for armpits and private parts.
In cold weather, the need for cleaning is much less anyway, and I do it every now and then on a suitable place during the day.

In the dry air of the desert you'll develope much less funk and the clothes are constantly aired out by the wind.
Washing can be reduced to the sensible parts, and of course nobody would waste precious drinking water you'd have to carry for multiple dry days just for washing.
But then, once at a watersource, you'll carry one or two bottles out to a secluded spot and wash up.

What I really enjoy is picking some herbs (Oregany being the best, but others will work as well) to stick them in shirt pockets, rub them in armpits etc.

We don't have many LD hikers here, but at the Alpine Huts in the bunk bed sleeping rooms stinking feet/socks are as big a nuisance as snorers, farters and nightly bathroom goers.
Places I avoid at all cost.

Coffee
02-17-2018, 19:16
Leo, I spent some time in France and Switzerland using the hut system. While I liked aspects of it, the problems you mention were sometimes bad. And it's expensive. I much prefer tenting. But the regulations on camping in the alps are so vague that I never attempted it.

4eyedbuzzard
02-17-2018, 23:02
The longest I went without a bath was 76 days ... In fact, it's been proven by Swedish/Finnish outdoorsmen that not bathing off body oils in severe cold keeps you warmer.

Ya know, in Finnish, Uncle Crusty translates to Setä Sientä
Has a nice alliterative ring to it. :D

4eyedbuzzard
02-17-2018, 23:05
Oops, that should be Uncle Fungus.

Leo L.
02-18-2018, 06:56
Leo, I spent some time in France and Switzerland using the hut system. While I liked aspects of it, the problems you mention were sometimes bad. And it's expensive. I much prefer tenting. But the regulations on camping in the alps are so vague that I never attempted it.

Europe consists of about 47 countries, and each one has its own set of regulations.
A tiny country like Austria ("The Kingdom of Garden Dwarfs") consists of 9 states and each state, some of them so small you could walk through in less than a day, has its own set of regulations again.
And then add in, that common habit in many countries, especially the Mediteraneans, are in a way that "rules exist to be broken by the bold".

Anyway, dispersed/stealth camping is prohibited in about 80% of all cases.
We envy you Americans for what you have in the outdoors.

rocketsocks
02-18-2018, 08:12
Anyway, dispersed/stealth camping is prohibited in about 80% of all cases.
We envy you Americans for what you have in the outdoors.this last thought is the main reason all hikers should be on thier best behavior out of doors, lest we loose it, and mark me, the merry band of parties are under a microscope, just sayin’

blw2
02-18-2018, 09:54
yep, agreed rocketsocks. like so many of freedoms and things that we are blessed with here in the US that we are slowly loosing. No need to expedite the loss.

D2maine
02-18-2018, 10:17
this last thought is the main reason all hikers should be on thier best behavior out of doors, lest we loose it, and mark me, the merry band of parties are under a microscope, just sayin’

they do not care about anything beyond themselves...

Tipi Walter
02-18-2018, 10:30
Oops, that should be Uncle Fungus.

It's vitally important that we adhere to the proper nomenclature. Thanks for the correction:)

Coffee
02-18-2018, 12:20
There were people wilderness stealth camping in Switzerland. They told me to set up at dusk and be gone by dawn and there would be no issues but being in a foreign country and not being fluent in the language kept me from considering it. Also, when in Rome do as the Romans. If I'm a guest in another country, I should abide by their rules.

Dogwood
02-18-2018, 13:47
I'm surprised campfire smoke bath hasn't been mentioned yet....

Side note on this....when we were touring the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, we learned that the entrance to the Kiva rooms was through a small hole in the roof, climbing down a ladder that passed over the fire pit. The ranger never said this and so I can't confirm, but I put 2+2 together and guess that this had something to do with smoke bathing and hygiene.

Good post.

Don't equate having to take a shower with consideration to trail hygiene. One can offer some level of hygiene without the need for regular consistent showers. Go jump in the river, smoke bathe, if warm enough dance in the rain...

Dogwood
02-18-2018, 13:55
I find a gallon ziploc freezer bag makes a good wash basin when the sides are rolled down. It even can be used to carry water to a private place in the woods. Half a liter is plenty of water to wipe the accumulated salt off. Add a bit of soap for the hands, feet, pits and nether regions and I can go to bed refreshed and less funky. Repeat before hitching and switch to sleep clothes for the hitch and I don't smell as offensive. This is not practical though in winter.

Yeah, but you look and act like someone's beloved non homeless retired professional non tattooed good dental hygiene considering grandpa...you're apt to get more rides. :D

wordstew
02-19-2018, 14:46
IMHO The importance of basic good trail hygiene is not stressed enough.

Leo L.
02-19-2018, 14:57
I might throw in the difference between smelling like a perumery, and what I belive you understand as Hiker Funk.
(The first one being so common nowadays, passing any (day-)hiker is going through a whaft of perfume)

Good trail hygiene for me being somewhere in the middle between those two, smell-wise.

wordstew
02-21-2018, 10:42
I might throw in the difference between smelling like a perumery, and what I belive you understand as Hiker Funk.
(The first one being so common nowadays, passing any (day-)hiker is going through a whaft of perfume)

Good trail hygiene for me being somewhere in the middle between those two, smell-wise.

Yup... Given the nature of camping/hiking at times some level of funk is to be expected however no excuse for folks who lack basic hygiene. Especially so on the AT as usually there is no lack of water.

nsherry61
02-21-2018, 13:57
. . . when in Rome do as the Romans. If I'm a guest in another country, I should abide by their rules.
But, what if the Romans practice is breaking their own rules. Are you going to do as the Romans do or follow their rules. You can't always do both. :rolleyes:

Grampie
02-21-2018, 16:37
Maybe I've been spoiled living with running hot and cold water and flushing toilets but I have little tolerance for overwhelming hiker funk to include the scent of my own musk.

Now don't get me wrong, in the military I've experienced and accumulated hiker funk that would make a skunk envious but I try tried to mitigate it whenever possible.

Some hikers appear to consider Super-funk a badge of honor...I just don't get it.

While hiking the AT I see no reason for folks to hop into the shelter stinking to Hi-Heaven. For crying out loud drag a wash cloth across your backside, pits and nether regions. I'll add to that you can carry 1/2 ounce of tree oil and add a few drops to your washing water to keep the bacteria count down. If you're concerned about gram counting then shave your exceptionally long beard, trim your pit and nether region hair, you'll lose some grams and reduce your bacteria count and stinkability.

OK...just my two cents

Before I thru-hike and had not spent much time with long distance hikers I was exposed to "Hiker Funk". I was doing a day hike on the AT in Connecticut. It was mid day and I stopped at a shelter. Some one was in a Conner, in a sleeping bag. He did not stir. I approached him to see if he was all right and the smell coming from him made me gag. At first I thought that he may have died. I called to him and he started to stir. I asked him if he was all right? I had to keep my distance from him in order to carry on a conversation. The hiker was a SOBO. He had been hiking for around three months and had not taken a shower since he started. I asked him if he washed up in a pond or stream and he told me the water was always too cold.
After meeting him, I pledged that I would never let that happen to me on my thru-hike. The longest time I ever went without a shower was once for 13 days. Most of the time it was more like 5 to 7 days at town stops. In between showers I did a lot of washing up in ponds and streams or just would wash up by heating some water in my cooking pot and washing up with a bandana.
It doesn't take much effort to stay from "Hiker Funk" but once some young people leave home, and don't have someone to tell them to take a shower they don't practice good hygiene.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-21-2018, 16:58
Can we talk about how badly day hikers reek of bug dope, fabric softener, and hair conditioner? I got to the point where I could smell dayhikers 1/4 mile away.

gpburdelljr
02-21-2018, 18:07
Can we talk about how badly day hikers reek of bug dope, fabric softener, and hair conditioner? I got to the point where I could smell dayhikers 1/4 mile away.
And they could probably smell you from 1/4 mile away.

illabelle
02-21-2018, 21:57
With all this talk of hiker funk, I have a question.

When is a sock dirty?

It used to be, before I began section-hiking the AT, that socks always went from my feet to the laundry basket no matter if they were worn for only a little while, no matter if there was no sweat. Just the simple fact that the sock had stretched and conformed to my foot was enough so that it couldn't be considered clean enough to put back on.

Not so anymore. Life on the trail has redefined the dirty sock. I frequently wear socks two or three days before washing them. Sweaty socks dry out overnight. So long as they can't walk on their own, and don't reek, I wear them again. In a small way I feel like a hiker when I do this, even if I'm just going to work and sit in front of a computer all day. I sit there and pretend to be a regular normal worker, but my feet know better!

BuckeyeBill
02-21-2018, 23:04
Illabelle,

I once saw a guy with socks so "Dirty," They not only smelled funky, they were actually crusty. I have 3 pairs of socks. 1 for hiking in, 1 for sleeping in and the final pair in case I need a dry pair from rain or accidentally getting them wet while crossing a creek.

MuddyWaters
02-21-2018, 23:12
With all this talk of hiker funk, I have a question.

When is a sock dirty?

It used to be, before I began section-hiking the AT, that socks always went from my feet to the laundry basket no matter if they were worn for only a little while, no matter if there was no sweat. Just the simple fact that the sock had stretched and conformed to my foot was enough so that it couldn't be considered clean enough to put back on.

Not so anymore. Life on the trail has redefined the dirty sock. I frequently wear socks two or three days before washing them. Sweaty socks dry out overnight. So long as they can't walk on their own, and don't reek, I wear them again. In a small way I feel like a hiker when I do this, even if I'm just going to work and sit in front of a computer all day. I sit there and pretend to be a regular normal worker, but my feet know better!
On the AT I can wear socks for a week without taking them off my feet. But I often rub down my Piggies at night time.

Out west sometimes you have to wash your socks out once every 10 miles to avoid the dirt of abrading your feet. That's the difference between a very dry environment and the AT. Soil on the AT gets damp just from dew overnight even when dont rain.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-22-2018, 01:03
And they could probably smell you from 1/4 mile away.
Why would you assume that? I was an MATC employee, and washed regularly.

Leo L.
02-22-2018, 04:44
... Life on the trail has redefined the dirty sock. I frequently wear socks two or three days before washing them...
Haha!
Having used real leather shoes and mom-knitted wool socks, I have managed to wear the same pair for the better part of the winter, while doing my daily walk to and from work, as well as all the weekend hiking and BC skiing.
Had to repair them almost every week, as the heel wore out that quick, but other than leather and wool there was no smell.

This sure would not work with any synthetics - while synthetics might last much longer, they start smelling after a few days.

illabelle
02-22-2018, 10:22
I think maybe I wasn't clear. On trail dirty socks are the norm. What I was trying to say is that I wear dirty socks to work. Didn't used to, but hey, I'm a hiker, "dirty" ain't what it used to be.

MuddyWaters
02-22-2018, 11:30
I think maybe I wasn't clear. On trail dirty socks are the norm. What I was trying to say is that I wear dirty socks to work. Didn't used to, but hey, I'm a hiker, "dirty" ain't what it used to be.

often wear my wool gym socks multiple times without washing them.
When you run on treadmill or StairMaster Etc eventually they start to really smell.

One day I noticed they were smelling really bad...
Turned out freaking cat peed on them.

Workout without socks that day.

rocketsocks
02-22-2018, 12:08
If you wake in the middle of the night and the dirty socks you threw to the corner of the tent are putting on a puppet show standing erect and awaiting the days orders...it may be time for a zero day at the local swimmin’ hole.

illabelle
02-22-2018, 12:36
often wear my wool gym socks multiple times without washing them.
When you run on treadmill or StairMaster Etc eventually they start to really smell.

One day I noticed they were smelling really bad...
Turned out freaking cat peed on them.

Workout without socks that day.

Bad kitty! :D

handlebar
02-22-2018, 14:05
Yeah, but you look and act like someone's beloved non homeless retired professional non tattooed good dental hygiene considering grandpa...you're apt to get more rides. :D. All true, but that's hard to see/know from a speeding car. Usually not an issue where near famous trails, but on remote trails (e.g. NM-AZ GET) drivers tend to see a homeless guy.

handlebar
02-22-2018, 14:09
With all this talk of hiker funk, I have a question.

When is a sock dirty?

That's easy. A sock is dirty when, after having laundered it in a trail town, it still reeks.

AllDownhillFromHere
02-22-2018, 15:35
. All true, but that's hard to see/know from a speeding car. Usually not an issue where near famous trails, but on remote trails (e.g. NM-AZ GET) drivers tend to see a homeless guy.
And even if you're close to a big trail, people might think you're Eric Randolph (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Rudolph), or you are so close to suburbia that everyone instinctively locks their doors when they see you.

fastfoxengineering
02-22-2018, 16:12
That's easy. A sock is dirty when, after having laundered it in a trail town, it still reeks.I've pretty much switched from the gold standard Darn Tough's to lightweight synthetic socks for hiking. I go back and forth frequently though.

Once the DT's become a gross soggy mess that stay that way till laundering.

Lightweight synthetics or blends are vastly easier to clean on trail and actually dry in my experience.

For a LD hike on the AT where everything is always damp. I'm leaning towards my synthetics. They seem to be a more hygienic approach.

Your feet rotting are worse than hiker stench.

And the old merino vs synthetic smell debate. I have tried it all.

AT thru hikers have a tendency to use cheap polyester shirts over nylon or merino. Because they're cheap and durable.

Polyester athletic shirts stink to high heaven and at a certain point, washing does not remove odor.



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BuckeyeBill
02-22-2018, 17:29
I have found that a lot of your "funk" comes from what you put in your mouth. Our dietary limitations while thru hiking can make a huge difference in your odor. When your go into a town and try to drink a bottle of tequila, you will smell like that bottle the next morning. Food does the same thing in that your odor will come out smelling the same.

Seatbelt
02-22-2018, 18:08
I have found that a lot of your "funk" comes from what you put in your mouth. Our dietary limitations while thru hiking can make a huge difference in your odor. When your go into a town and try to drink a bottle of tequila, you will smell like that bottle the next morning. Food does the same thing in that your odor will come out smelling the same.
I don't remember eating anything that smelled like my shirt does after a day of hiking.......

AllDownhillFromHere
02-22-2018, 18:23
I don't remember eating anything that smelled like my shirt does after a day of hiking.......
But I bet plenty of hikers are full of cheap calories, dollar-store jerky, and prepackaged pasta meals. Not exactly a balanced, wholesome diet.

Another Kevin
02-22-2018, 18:28
Yup... Given the nature of camping/hiking at times some level of funk is to be expected however no excuse for folks who lack basic hygiene. Especially so on the AT as usually there is no lack of water.
When I've smelt my worst on trail, the problem hasn't been a lack of water. (I do bring soap, a nylon bucket, and a piece of dollar-store chamois, and use them to bathe and wash socks.) It was because of an excess of water. When you've been hiking for days on a trail where the answer to, 'where's the next water?' is 'you're standing in it,' things start to reek, partly if not mostly of mildew (although beaver swamp water isn't very pleasant even when fresh). Stale DEET, and the Gurney Goo that I used to wax my feet, only added additional notes to the overall miasma. The peppermint scent of Dr Bronners was lost in the cloud.

After a trip in those conditions, my wife picked me up and we drove back to my car (rather a drive, it had been nearly a sixty-mile section, and the road took the long way round) with all the car windows open.

Despite the fact that it was snowing at the time.

And this was with bathing daily and washing a pair of socks every few hours. (I needed to do that anyway, to get the silt out of them, or they'd have rubbed my feet raw.)

Sometimes you just stink, and there's no help for it.
Fortunately, the AT isn't that wet in hiking season, even in Vermud.

Dogwood
02-23-2018, 00:11
Ditto the beaver swamp water and mud... rank wet feet...and body ohdoor...in an over packed AT or Daks lean to. Then, the cheesy burnt bean farts and snoring begin. Throw in some drunks, stale alcohol odors, rapacious mice, a safety meeting held too close to the shelter, leak roofy in the one spot over where you're trying to vainly sleep, a thru hiker holding court endlessly jawing about how everyone else is doing it wrong, and it completes the AT NOBO bubble scene. :)

DownEaster
02-23-2018, 01:12
If you're concerned about gram counting then shave your exceptionally long beard, trim your pit and nether region hair, you'll lose some grams and reduce your bacteria count and stinkability.
It doesn't work that way. Body hair wicks the moisture away from the skin where it can evaporate better, rather than leaving it to support stinky bacteria growth. The reason people who shave have less stink is because shaving involves washing with soap or shaving cream. Skip the shaving, but don'tskip the washing.

Dogwood
02-23-2018, 01:51
Hair can harbor bacteria. More hair can lead to more surface area for harboring more bacteria. This is cited by some doctors as one reason why hair is shaved before surgery. Since bacteria is one cause of armpit odor....trim your pits. I do it. Anecdotally, it makes some difference but is not a one size fits all magic silver bulllet. Other factors such as diet, behaviors, emotions, various illicit and pharmaceutical drug use, etc can also be involved. This is according to medical doctors I asked.

El JP
02-23-2018, 02:09
Ditto the beaver swamp water and mud... rank wet feet...and body ohdoor...in an over packed AT or Daks lean to. Then, the cheesy burnt bean farts and snoring begin. Throw in some drunks, stale alcohol odors, rapacious mice, a safety meeting held too close to the shelter, leak roofy in the one spot over where you're trying to vainly sleep, a thru hiker holding court endlessly jawing about how everyone else is doing it wrong, and it completes the AT NOBO bubble scene. :)

Got to fervently hope that the weather holds enough to allow convenient tent use until enough people drop out.

MuddyWaters
02-23-2018, 03:07
Got to fervently hope that the weather holds enough to allow convenient tent use until enough people drop out.
I think sheer numbers require that no matter what

fastfoxengineering
02-23-2018, 03:12
Ditto the beaver swamp water and mud... rank wet feet...and body ohdoor...in an over packed AT or Daks lean to. Then, the cheesy burnt bean farts and snoring begin. Throw in some drunks, stale alcohol odors, rapacious mice, a safety meeting held too close to the shelter, leak roofy in the one spot over where you're trying to vainly sleep, a thru hiker holding court endlessly jawing about how everyone else is doing it wrong, and it completes the AT NOBO bubble scene. :)Well said. Im trying to avoid staying in shelters however every so often that "scene" is worth eating dinner with lol. Then move on to the tent.

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Highland Goat
02-23-2018, 07:44
I like a kilt for increased ventilation.

Leo L.
02-23-2018, 07:47
It too easy to wash your parts daily?
One reason why I switched from TP to water (+soap) long ago.

wordstew
02-23-2018, 13:04
If I didn't think a bear would become a bear snack. I would leave a few tiny hotel soap bars at a few of the shelters I frequent....may a couple of free sponges

wordstew
02-23-2018, 13:05
If I didn't think a bear would become a bear snack. I would leave a few tiny hotel soap bars at a few of the shelters I frequent....may a couple of free sponges

I meant if I didn't think it would become a bear snack

Harrison Bergeron
02-24-2018, 09:57
Hate to be the one to inform you, OP, but there's going to be some discomfort involved with the idea of climbing three mountains a day for the next six months. Hiker funk is the least of it, and there is literally nothing you can do about it. A wet-wipe bath every day might feel good, but it's like spitting in the ocean -- you're still going to stink.

Instead of worrying about how you smell, worry about how to stay healthy. You can't wash your body enough to keep down that stank, but maybe you can wash your hands enough to avoid diarrhea. You gotta pick your battles.

And my tip of the day would be to avoid carrying around a plastic bag full of your used TP, as is so often suggested by internet hikers on this site. Without that festering colony of E-Coli in your pack, your funk will at least not smell like ****!

BuckeyeBill
02-25-2018, 03:40
Hate to be the one to inform you, OP, but there's going to be some discomfort involved with the idea of climbing three mountains a day for the next six months. Hiker funk is the least of it, and there is literally nothing you can do about it. A wet-wipe bath every day might feel good, but it's like spitting in the ocean -- you're still going to stink.

Instead of worrying about how you smell, worry about how to stay healthy. You can't wash your body enough to keep down that stank, but maybe you can wash your hands enough to avoid diarrhea. You gotta pick your battles.

And my tip of the day would be to avoid carrying around a plastic bag full of your used TP, as is so often suggested by internet hikers on this site. Without that festering colony of E-Coli in your pack, your funk will at least not smell like ****!

Harrison, you bring up some interesting points. You're right about wet wipes, but it takes several to do a good job. Instead people should use a cloth/bandana with a drop or two of Dr. Bonner's soap to remove the layer of dirt and sweat. Used correctly, you can really cut down on the smell. You can rinse of by using the same cloth. Take another bandana and dry off.

You are also correct about having clean hands when cooking. Also, don't let any hands touch your trail mix or food. Instead dump it into their/your hand or their pot. I also use a hand sanitizer before cooking.

Packing out your TP is part of LNT recommendations. I use two zip lock baggies, one covered with duct tape and the other left plain. The tape is just to stop people from seeing your used TP. The plain bag is the one that contains the dirty TP. It is then placed into the taped bag. It is carried in the front mess pouch next to my toilet kit. When I come to a trash can I can deposit the plain bag and get a fresh one out. I don't have to touch the used paper after putting it into the bag. I grab a small stick and push it down into the bag so I can fit more in the bag. You then use the same stick to mark your cathole after refilling the hole.

rocketsocks
02-25-2018, 07:48
Don’t people bring a haul bag anymore, or is that to much weight, I love mine and would hike without it.

rocketsocks
02-25-2018, 07:51
n’t....................

blw2
02-25-2018, 09:25
haul bag?
(more words to make the post long enough to post)

rocketsocks
02-25-2018, 15:29
Water bag.......

rocketsocks
02-25-2018, 15:35
More over, a Light weighed siliconized bag that looks like a upside down Chefs hat, at least mine does. It can be hung or placed on the Ground and wont spill due to its geometry.

PaBroadleaf
02-25-2018, 16:51
I might have to utilize my casino riff-raff strategy which is to light up a big fowl smelling cigar in hopes of driving them a comfortable distance away.
The first time someone with hiker superfunk says "dude that thing stinks" I think i'm gonna have a pretty good chuckle
You can hike with me anytime! I always have a travel humidor on me with some Perdomo and Drew Estate sticks...

rocketsocks
02-25-2018, 19:50
Arturo: Hemmingway short story’s are pretty good at cuttin’ funky butt.