View Full Version : Heavy Duty Hiker Funk
Mother Natures Son
08-13-2018, 12:29
Today we stopped in at the Doyles after a hike. The early morning Rain along with high humidity made all the hikers in the Doyles smell extra bad. This was way beyond the normal Hiker Funk. Is there anything that can be done (On the trail.) to prevent this?
Just Bill
08-13-2018, 12:39
Visit the Doyle in the off season.
Captain Panda
08-13-2018, 13:02
Don't visit the Doyle !!!!
MuddyWaters
08-13-2018, 13:23
Of course
But few want to take time to sponge bathe or wash clothing on trail, or carry extra set or supplies for it.
If you hit town every 3-4 days, its not hard to clean up. It should take more than that to get real funk going . Eau du homeless.... With hint of urine. Someone on trail for 2 Weeks straight will knock you over from 5 ft away.
Some synthetic shirts take odor and wont get rid of it. It comes back as soon as begin sweating again . Adding vinegar to wash helps this imo. Drying such in dryer makes repulsive odor.
Slo-go'en
08-13-2018, 14:22
It's not hikers skin, it's the clothes and pack. They suck up the sweat and grow bacteria. Keep one clean "town shirt" and leave the pack outside. Having secure outside "pack lockers" would be a big help for hiker hangouts.
Or, don't hike in the summer :)
peakbagger
08-13-2018, 15:33
I have some old polypro shirts from long section hikes. They look clean, they have been soaked in bleach and washed several times. They smell clean yet once I put them on and start hiking the aroma comes back. Merino wool has its own aroma but does seem to carry less funk.
Mugthumper
08-13-2018, 16:29
I don't think there is anything that you can do in the summer months to keep the stench away. Even if I shower and wash my clothes I always smell like I rolled out of a dumpster after an hour or two of being back on trail. Pack stench is the worst by far.
After last years section hike in July/August I truly felt bad for the people who had to ride the train with me into NYC. Hiked from Harper's Ferry to Harriman over 3 weeks and I rinsed my clothes out most days but hadn't washed them with soap but once in a bucket. Same thing with the bod, bandanna wipe down every day but only one real shower at a church in DWG. I walked out of the woods and into Harriman Station and barely had enough time to buy my ticket and a Coke from the vending machine before it was time to depart, so I didn't have a chance to change my clothes or even rinse off. I'm certain that I managed to completely disgust about half the city before eventually finding my hotel.
I've been considering going back to carrying some campsuds and either a cut off milk jug or maybe even my Sea to Summit bucket during the summer months. I figure it can't hurt.
Strongly recommend Lysol laundry treatment. If you add a capful to your wash it really makes a huge difference not only in immediate stink , but also seems to ward off stink for awhile. I would gladly pay an extra dollar to add it to my laundry if it were offered at hostels or laundromat. Also, clothes wouldn’t stink up dryers, to the chagrin of next customer.
Product looks like this. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lysol-Laundry-Sanitizer-Additive-Crisp-Linen-90oz/198281212?athcpid=198281212&athpgid=athenaItemPage&athcgid=null&athznid=PWVUB&athieid=v0&athstid=CS020&athguid=466001f5-6fe3308c-9230d12bd2b18d52&athena=true
another consideration, skin is an excretory organ like the liver, kidneys and lungs. If a person is in poor health, has certain metabolic disorders, or is shedding extra toxins (after a drunk weekend say), they will have very strong , oftentimes very specific smell. Certain diets give the sweat a specific odor . There is also a rare metabolic disorder which gives the sufferers an odor of bad fish. Can’t metabolize some byproduct of metabolism due to dna quirk. Then again, some folks see a thru hike as an excuse to leave normal hygiene practices at home. To each their own. ��
Has any one tried febreeze spray on stinky packs? I rather doubt it would be enough, just wondering. Maybe a wipe down with that Lysol product diluted a bit. Hopefully it would not damage waterproofing of item. ��
cliffordbarnabus
08-14-2018, 01:50
we messed up when we, as humans, stopped wanting to smell like humans. instead, we want to smell like chemicals.
ldsailor
08-14-2018, 11:05
This may be slightly off topic, but then again...
I was very impressed by a hostel on the northern end of the White Mountains. The Rattle River Hostel in Gorham, NH receives hikers in a reception area. Before they even go through the door, they have to take off their shoes and put them in an enclosure outside. Then they go into the reception area where there are showers. The backpack is hung there in the reception area and must stay there. The hiker goes into the shower/dressing room, removes clothes, puts clothes in a mesh bag and then takes a shower. The hostel provides loaner clothes while the hiker's clothes are washed. Once the hiker has taken a shower, he/she is allowed into the hostel proper. The result is no hiker funk in the hostel.
Of course, I haven't hit every hostel on the trail, but this is the only one of which I know that does something like this. Some require removal of shoes before entering the hostel and one other that I stayed at required the backpack be left in a "pack" room, but nothing like what Rattle River does.
Kind of? You can realistically only reduce funk. I don't think that you can eliminate it. After a week hiking in the woods you'll still smell, the question is more one of how close can someone stand to me without gagging?
- merino wool clothes are way better than nylon from a stink perspective
- daily body wipes (I like individually packed "shower" wipes0
- 1 oz travel deodorant isn't really that heavy
- Gold bond powder for the hair and feet and night helps too
daddytwosticks
08-14-2018, 15:26
This may be slightly off topic, but then again...
I was very impressed by a hostel on the northern end of the White Mountains. The Rattle River Hostel in Gorham, NH receives hikers in a reception area. Before they even go through the door, they have to take off their shoes and put them in an enclosure outside. Then they go into the reception area where there are showers. The backpack is hung there in the reception area and must stay there. The hiker goes into the shower/dressing room, removes clothes, puts clothes in a mesh bag and then takes a shower. The hostel provides loaner clothes while the hiker's clothes are washed. Once the hiker has taken a shower, he/she is allowed into the hostel proper. The result is no hiker funk in the hostel.
Of course, I haven't hit every hostel on the trail, but this is the only one of which I know that does something like this. Some require removal of shoes before entering the hostel and one other that I stayed at required the backpack be left in a "pack" room, but nothing like what Rattle River does.
Ha Ha! Sounds like decontamination practices used in nuclear facilities. :)
This may be slightly off topic, but then again...
I was very impressed by a hostel on the northern end of the White Mountains. The Rattle River Hostel in Gorham, NH receives hikers in a reception area. Before they even go through the door, they have to take off their shoes and put them in an enclosure outside. Then they go into the reception area where there are showers. The backpack is hung there in the reception area and must stay there. The hiker goes into the shower/dressing room, removes clothes, puts clothes in a mesh bag and then takes a shower. The hostel provides loaner clothes while the hiker's clothes are washed. Once the hiker has taken a shower, he/she is allowed into the hostel proper. The result is no hiker funk in the hostel.
Of course, I haven't hit every hostel on the trail, but this is the only one of which I know that does something like this. Some require removal of shoes before entering the hostel and one other that I stayed at required the backpack be left in a "pack" room, but nothing like what Rattle River does.
http://humannaturehostel.com/hostel/ does something similar in Andover, ME. Went for a swim in Dunn's falls one afternoon after hiking Rumford Whitecap and gave a couple hikers a ride to this place. Quite aways from the trailhead, but he shuttles hikers back and forth from East B Hill Rd and South Arm Rd. I didn't stay there, but one of the hikers slackpacki g that we picked up raved about it.
Ban synthetic fiber clothing!
Offshore
08-15-2018, 08:18
I have some old polypro shirts from long section hikes. They look clean, they have been soaked in bleach and washed several times. They smell clean yet once I put them on and start hiking the aroma comes back. Merino wool has its own aroma but does seem to carry less funk.
I tried vinegar, baking soda and all the home remedies but nothing really worked. I have had really good results on synthetic performance fabrics by washing them in a specialty sport detergent. (Win and Hex Performance have both performed well). I even wash packs with these detergents. I soak larger packs, working the wash water through the foam padding. I put day packs in a mesh bag and toss in the washer.
Never use the dryer - just line dry.
Regular detergents, or even worse - soaps, coat the fabric and add a fragrance that masks the odor temporarily. Once the fabric heats up with activity, the old odor reemerges. It may take a couple of washes in the specialty sport detergent to uncoat the fabric, but it works. It also restores and maintains breathability. I keep a separate laundry bag for hiking and gym clothing made from performance fabrics and always wash it using the specialty detergent. It's also important to let the clothing dry completely before tossing it in the hamper unless you're washing it immediately.
Offshore
08-15-2018, 15:27
This may be slightly off topic, but then again...
I was very impressed by a hostel on the northern end of the White Mountains. The Rattle River Hostel in Gorham, NH receives hikers in a reception area. Before they even go through the door, they have to take off their shoes and put them in an enclosure outside. Then they go into the reception area where there are showers. The backpack is hung there in the reception area and must stay there. The hiker goes into the shower/dressing room, removes clothes, puts clothes in a mesh bag and then takes a shower. The hostel provides loaner clothes while the hiker's clothes are washed. Once the hiker has taken a shower, he/she is allowed into the hostel proper. The result is no hiker funk in the hostel.
Of course, I haven't hit every hostel on the trail, but this is the only one of which I know that does something like this. Some require removal of shoes before entering the hostel and one other that I stayed at required the backpack be left in a "pack" room, but nothing like what Rattle River does.
Way too fussy. Sounds like the owner should have opened a B&B for the high tea in a fine china teacup customer.
I tried vinegar, baking soda and all the home remedies but nothing really worked. I have had really good results on synthetic performance fabrics by washing them in a specialty sport detergent. (Win and Hex Performance have both performed well). I even wash packs with these detergents. I soak larger packs, working the wash water through the foam padding. I put day packs in a mesh bag and toss in the washer.
Never use the dryer - just line dry.
Regular detergents, or even worse - soaps, coat the fabric and add a fragrance that masks the odor temporarily. Once the fabric heats up with activity, the old odor reemerges. It may take a couple of washes in the specialty sport detergent to uncoat the fabric, but it works. It also restores and maintains breathability. I keep a separate laundry bag for hiking and gym clothing made from performance fabrics and always wash it using the specialty detergent. It's also important to let the clothing dry completely before tossing it in the hamper unless you're washing it immediately.
This. Once I discovered sports specific laundry soap a few years ago, it changed my results immensely on dealing with synthetic fabrics.
T.S.Kobzol
08-16-2018, 07:26
first a disclaimer: I have not done a thru hike and my usual long expeditions are around 10 days or so.
Here is what I do :
1. Small bottle of Dr.Bronners concentrate and a Sea To Summit collapsible soft sink/bucket
2. Strip (:banana wohoo)
3. Fill bucket full of water. (if plenty of water available: Dump it on me head to toe. Refill the bucket.)
4. Few drops of Dr.Bronners concentrate on my hair to act like a shampoo. Soap it up.
5. Hold the soft sink by the handles, raise it, hold my head and dunk my entire head into the bucket. Repeat few times to get the suds out.
6. Wash everything from neck down
7. Pour bucket on my head and repeat a few more times if plenty of water is available.
8. Dry with tiny camp towel. Put on my camp/sleep clothes.
Not hard to do and you feel like a million bucks in your sleeping bag.
Night Train
08-16-2018, 09:31
I didn't realize there were different levels of hiker funk, at least not beyond the ordinary hiker funk. Can you please extrapolate the different levels, so we are all on the same page?
My solution like TS Kobzol is to get clean. I carry a MSI 6 liter Dromedary which gives me a one stop(no multiple trips to the stream etc) camp water supply that is large enough for the next days bottle fill ups. Showering does make it two trips of course. Its also used to carry extra water for the dry areas of a hike.
For approximately 3oz weight penality I carry the the MSI shower hose/attachment and with the Dromedarys hanging eye, its easy to hang the water for a stand up shower. I generally heat 1 liter of water from the Dromedary to boiling and add that back to the Dromedary which warms up 50* creek water nicely. After 2 week long outings I returned to my wife who certified me funk free, right off the trail.
As stated above its SO worth the effort to get clean after the days hike, you sleep better and your bedding stays nicer.
I didn't realize there were different levels of hiker funk, at least not beyond the ordinary hiker funk. Can you please extrapolate the different levels, so we are all on the same page?
I propose that we use a Funk Level system that corresponds to how close a normal citizen can stand to the rated hiker (in feet) without needing to back away due to the reek.
FL1 - You can stand 1 foot away from this person without being repulsed by the stench. A fresh day hiker may be FL1.
FL2....
FL3....
FL10: If you stand within 10 feet of this person you want to back away slowly. A stinky section hiker that doesn't carry toilet paper because they are UL might be FL10.
:banana
BuckeyeBill
08-20-2018, 02:45
I worked with a guy who came to work and smelled so bad our Sergeant sent him home to clean up. He came back and the Sgt figure out it was his jacket. he placed him on desk/dispatch duty for the night with order to purchase a new winter jack before he returned to work.
Now as far as hiking funk, I carry an extra set of clothes to change into after taking my shower and shaving. Once that's done, it's off to the laundry-mat with any dirty. Once finish, it time to eat and maybe have a brew or two. Sleep Get up and find the best place to get breakfast. I eat then try to find a subway shop and get a 12" to go, with all the condiments on the side. I now have lunch and dinner; or at least lunch. Regular use of soap on the trail and doing all of your laundry in town will help hold down your odor problems. My Dr. told me not to use antiperspirant as you need to sweat through every pore to avoid health problems, mostly heat related.
According to some, you can tell section hikers from thru hikers because they don't stink.
So invite some section hikers to the Doyle.