View Full Version : I thought hiker stink was a fable
until my cousin told me about a hike he took in MA on the AT. The trail had high foliage and a "God awful smell." After rounding a curve in the trail, there sat a thru hiker sitting on a rock taking a break. I really thought hiker stink was a fable, an exaggeration of human body odor...my cousin said the smell was something undeniably unforgettable.
Oh for the day that I can experience it for myself and be the stinky one sitting on the rock.
fredmugs
07-04-2013, 11:16
As a guy who primarily hikes SOBO it's amazing how many times I have smelled a hiker being seeing one.
Slo-go'en
07-04-2013, 11:29
It's amazing how many day/weekend hikers I've smelt before seeing them. Some deoderant soaps are really pugnent...
atmilkman
07-04-2013, 11:39
It's amazing how many day/weekend hikers I've smelt before seeing them. Some deoderant soaps are really pugnent...
Funny that you mention that. Not related to hiking (well it is indirectly) when I was swimming laps a lot I could actually taste the lotions and potions the ladies were wearing from the aqua aerobics classes. I got to where I could tell who was who by the taste, even though they supposedly weren't allowed to wear anything and swore they didn't. I knew better. I could taste it.
That must of been awful! I think the smell is one reason i hate going to any mall...never understood why anyone (male or female) would feel the need to douse themselves with perfume.
Really like your siggy.
The hiking world and civilized world do not mix, at least with smells. When you start hiking or when you come in contact with thru hikers they smell like death. But soon you become immune to hiker stench and the "civilians" smell way not "pretty." The absolute worst hiker smell was a hiker whoses feet were basically decaying. It made me sick and I had been on the trail 250 miles already.
Hot Flash
07-04-2013, 12:50
The hiking world and civilized world do not mix, at least with smells. When you start hiking or when you come in contact with thru hikers they smell like death. But soon you become immune to hiker stench and the "civilians" smell way not "pretty." The absolute worst hiker smell was a hiker whoses feet were basically decaying. It made me sick and I had been on the trail 250 miles already.
One more reason to eschew shelters.
The hiking world and civilized world do not mix, at least with smells. When you start hiking or when you come in contact with thru hikers they smell like death. But soon you become immune to hiker stench and the "civilians" smell way not "pretty." The absolute worst hiker smell was a hiker whoses feet were basically decaying. It made me sick and I had been on the trail 250 miles already.
I saw a hiker at Davenport gap with something like this. Hadn't washed his socks since before Springer.
Synthetic clothing makes it worse, especially polyester. The only polyester I'll wear hiking is boxer briefs, and that's because no one makes wool boxer briefs with a 9 inch inseam.
Correct about synthetics. I wear merino wool (no stink).
I had to laugh at one gas station store in Virginia where the lady said "I know you're not a hiker because you don't stink".
Ha Ha I had just hiked 200 miles, but wore merino and practiced reasonable hygiene.
da fungo
07-04-2013, 19:55
Synthetic clothing makes it worse, especially polyester. The only polyester I'll wear hiking is boxer briefs, and that's because no one makes wool boxer briefs with a 9 inch inseam.
Have you ever looked at these:
http://www.amazon.com/Icebreaker-Mens-Escape-Shorts-Black/dp/B008GVXTI0/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1372981948&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=9%22+boxer+shorts+merino
Not boxers, but merino wool and long.
da fungo
07-04-2013, 20:01
Have you ever looked at these:
http://www.amazon.com/Icebreaker-Mens-Escape-Shorts-Black/dp/B008GVXTI0/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1372981948&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=9%22+boxer+shorts+merino
Not boxers, but merino wool and long.
Ignore my post, please. I looked at a larger photo and realized that they're NOT underwear. Sorry!
On my AT thru-hike, Pretty Lynda, Scottish John and I were able to secure a ride back to the Trail in a Mercedes Benz from Rainbow Springs Campground in North Carolina. If you've ever been to Rainbow Springs Campground, you'd know how silly that was.
I had the idea to make up Baby On Board signs hanging from backpacks that said, "I Stunk Up A Benz".
Sure to be the rage.
Datto
Ever smelled a wet dog that has rolled in road kill---pretty close to what a thru hiker smells like!
Ever smelled a wet dog that has rolled in road kill---pretty close to what a thru hiker smells like!
Yes, thru-hikers smell bad.
[Everyone's part in unison] How bad do they smell?
Well, I'll tell you. Thru-hikers smell so bad, they make Right Guard turn left, Speed Stick slow down, Secret obvious, and Sure confused.
Datto
peakbagger
07-05-2013, 05:49
Eve if a thru hiker is wearing fresh clothes, their gear tends to acquire a funk that accompanies the hiker. Most packs have foam in the hipbelt and shoulder straps which retain odors.
I used to use the local laundromat in Gorham NH. On occasion thru hikers with wet gear would use the driers to dry out their gear without washing it. They would contaminate the dryer for several loads. I usually watched what driers were being used by others, but on occasions tourists got a surprise.
rocketsocks
07-05-2013, 07:23
I thought hiker stink was a fable
oh no, it's quite a real thing!...
Ever smelled a wet dog that has rolled in road kill---pretty close to what a thru hiker smells like!
Ah ha...i have smelled the doggy smell, but i thought it was just some hormonal change thing on a group of boys in the 12-15 age range.
Old Hiker
07-05-2013, 11:49
Ah ha...i have smelled the doggy smell, but i thought it was just some hormonal change thing on a group of boys in the 12-15 age range.
Ah,yes, my 6th grade boys.
I kept the stink down by using a wipe every evening: face, hands, pits, crotch. Slept better as well. FELT better, if nothing else. And yes, I packed them out. Nyah !!
Whack-a-mole
07-06-2013, 20:56
Go do a big section and end up at NOC. Throw all your stuff in the trunk, then grab a shower and drive four hours home. Send your twelve year old to the car to get your stuff out of the trunk. Priceless.......
Monkeywrench
07-07-2013, 08:01
Hiker funk is real, and it is also 100% optional. It's not hard to stay reasonably clean on the trail.
just because you are in the woods doesn't mean one gets to forgo basic hygiene requirements; it is possible to bathe with a snow peak 600 and a paktowl
I have found that Febreeze works well to get the stink out of gear like backpacks and hiking shoes. Scented dryer sheets also help quite a bit with shoes. Febreeze comes in travel size at Wal-Mart. As for attracting animals with the scent, I doubt the scent is much different from freshly laundered clothing so I do not see this as an issue.
The hiking world and civilized world do not mix, at least with smells. When you start hiking or when you come in contact with thru hikers they smell like death. But soon you become immune to hiker stench and the "civilians" smell way not "pretty." The absolute worst hiker smell was a hiker whoses feet were basically decaying. It made me sick and I had been on the trail 250 miles already.
Cleaning with a Wet Ones wipe at the end of the day keeps feet clean. I can take an entire bath with two wipes.
No need to smell bad while on the trail.
Cleaning with a Wet Ones wipe at the end of the day keeps feet clean. I can take an entire bath with two wipes.
No need to smell bad while on the trail.
agree completely. Even though I am a UL hiker, I still carry both wipes and foot powder which keeps the nasty stuff that grows at bay. One other thought. Hikers should be as considerate as possible about their stench. I saw one hiker take off his shoes in a restaurant and it literally stunk up the place. (It was stench even by hiker's standards.) it is this kind of thoughtlessness that causes "rules" put on hikers in towns. Completely understandable.
Slo-go'en
07-07-2013, 11:52
Hiker funk is real, and it is also 100% optional. It's not hard to stay reasonably clean on the trail.
It's your clothes and pack which stink and those are a lot harder to keep oder free. I left my pack along with another guy's in a small hotel room in Port Clinton, closed the door and left for the afternoon. When we came back and opened the door, the funk nearly knocked us over! Nylon rain/wind shells can really, really stink if hiked in a lot. And the bandanna I use as a sweat band, yikes can that stink after a few days...
shakey_snake
07-07-2013, 12:16
To people complaining about eternally stinky nylon/polyester: launder your clothes with a cup of white vinegar.
rocketsocks
07-07-2013, 14:49
To people complaining about eternally stinky nylon/polyester: launder your clothes with a cup of white vinegar.
Will try that, though one afternoon of sweaty hiking restores the funk....so whata ya gonna do.....hike on!
I thought hiker stink was a fable.All it takes is one night in a shelter with a bunch of big mile hungry thru-hikers in summer in VA who have experienced hiking in alternating periods of rain, 100% humidity, and 90* temps to know this is no fable! If I was to routinely sleep in AT shelters on another thru-hike I would bring along ear plugs and apply a generous amt. of Bert's Bees Res-Q-Ointment under my nose.
Remember a thru hiker that told me when he finished his gear had such a terrible smell that he just took it out to his burn pile behind his house and torched it!
I've smelled it SO BAD at shelters from human funk as well as the OOOdor I was giving off that my eyes burned and I was temporally blinded. Shoes, socks, grundgy feet, and gear that never fully dries out are some of the worst smelling culprits. Those UL long distance hikers who insist two 3 oz or so pr of socks are one pr too many are BIG stinky feet culprits. Stay away from them when they take their trail runners off! BEWARE! Packs experiencing repeated sweat fests are another nasty. I wash my gear regularly, like every 2-4 wks, on a long thru-hike. Some smelly nasty long distance hikers that refuse to wash off the funk yet choose to let everyone else embrace their odors by sleeping at shelters need to be forcibly thrown into the showers at Fontana Dam or the nearest lake or river - gear and all!
I've seen animals, like dogs, after having enjoyed sniffing another dog's excrement get too close to a funky smelling long distance hiker, and literally run away from the smell. If only those dogs spoke English.
well there is good news here.. if you are a stinky hiker.. then other stinky hikers don't smell! It's only when you encounter town folk there's a problem. And besides.. there's no reason to go more than five days with out a shower as one gets off trail once a week to stay night in hostel or motel.
well there is good news here.. if you are a stinky hiker.. then other stinky hikers don't smell! It's only when you encounter town folk there's a problem. And besides.. there's no reason to go more than five days with out a shower as one gets off trail once a week to stay night in hostel or motel.
No..... There is smell and there is stench. Dogwood gives some great examples of the stench. I can relate to the single pair of sock problem. I even donated a couple pairs of my old socks after a resupply to a hiker that I was hiking with. He went days wearing the same socks. Smell is a given, stench is optional.
Different Socks
07-08-2013, 00:48
For all the UL people you can stop reading here: I carry a water bag with shower head on it on every over night hike It has a dual purpose--holds all the water I need at a shelter or campsite and i hang it from a tree and bathe under the shower head each day.
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 01:14
For all the UL people you can stop reading here: I carry a water bag with shower head on it on every over night hike It has a dual purpose--holds all the water I need at a shelter or campsite and i hang it from a tree and bathe under the shower head each day.
I love my loofah 22489 :)
TIDE-HSV
07-08-2013, 01:21
One thing I haven't seen touched on is the fact that there is an enormous difference in the amount of odor different humans give off. I happen to be almost 1/4 NA. Native American blood is basically Asian. As a consequence, I just don't have that much body odor, even without a shower for several days. We had a German exchange student for a year once. I had to educate him in the use of deodorant, partially because I couldn't stand to get within six feet of him. It's been my experience that people who have heavy body odor tend not only not to notice their own but seem to have a blunted sense of smell when it comes to the odor of those around them. I did a lot of traveling around Europe, back before there was routine use of deodorant. Being pinned up in a rail car sometimes proved to be torture. I guess what I'm trying to throw out here is that the picture around body odor is a lot more complicated than the black and white discussion so far...
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 01:26
One thing I haven't seen touched on is the fact that there is an enormous difference in the amount of odor different humans give off. I happen to be almost 1/4 NA. Native American blood is basically Asian. As a consequence, I just don't have that much body odor, even without a shower for several days. We had a German exchange student for a year once. I had to educate him in the use of deodorant, partially because I couldn't stand to get within six feet of him. It's been my experience that people who have heavy body odor tend not only not to notice their own but seem to have a blunted sense of smell when it comes to the odor of those around them. I did a lot of traveling around Europe, back before there was routine use of deodorant. Being pinned up in a rail car sometimes proved to be torture. I guess what I'm trying to throw out here is that the picture around body odor is a lot more complicated than the black and white discussion so far...
Agree...and I often wondered about this subject my self. Could be we have an olfactory forbearance if you will, kinda of a birds of a feather thing.:-?
TIDE-HSV
07-08-2013, 01:59
Agree...and I often wondered about this subject my self. Could be we have an olfactory forbearance if you will, kinda of a birds of a feather thing.:-?The odd thing is, genes being the crap-shoot they are, you don't necessarily pass it along to your kids. My marriage is a second one, and my wife has some NA blood, not as much as I. She has virtually no odor, but her kids do. When we got married, almost 28 years ago now, the laundry situation was something I was just not familiar with. She washed her two teenage sons' stuff every day. I asked if that were really necessary. She gathered up a handful and held it under my nose . I just said that I saw (or smelled) what she meant. OTOH, of my three kids, two of the three have escaped the odor problem. The older girl has not. Out of high school, she went to work for a rafting company on the Chatooga, training as a guide on sections III and IV - pretty tough stuff. She borrowed my paddling jacket, my favorite, since I'd sewn it myself, as I had all of the gear I used descending the Grand Canyon. When I got over there, after about three weeks, she gave it back. I never wore it again. I laundered it and scrubbed the underarms with everything I could think of, with no luck. A couple of weeks ago, she was in town for a visit (she's the CEO of a nonprofit in San Francisco) and wanted to take a hike through the state park I live next to. She was in front and, when the breeze shifted to blowing from her to me, I had to think that some things never change. On odor, another interesting thing I stumbled across a couple of weeks ago. When we're in the yard together, mosquitoes ignore me and head for my wife. We both recognized that, but I didn't realize it depended on blood type. She's type "O" and I'm "A." It turns out the the O type secretes a pheromone mosquitoes home in on. Type "A" secrets no such pheromone, so we're invisible to mosquitoes until they smell the CO2 in our breath or feel our body warmth. So long as I keep my wife around (although she has to wear all-covering clothes and a net hood), I'm safe. I only get bitten if I remain in one place for a while, like working on a car or the like. Then, I have to take precautions also. OK, time to turn in. Be interesting to see if we get responses...
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 02:07
The odd thing is, genes being the crap-shoot they are, you don't necessarily pass it along to your kids. My marriage is a second one, and my wife has some NA blood, not as much as I. She has virtually no odor, but her kids do. When we got married, almost 28 years ago now, the laundry situation was something I was just not familiar with. She washed her two teenage sons' stuff every day. I asked if that were really necessary. She gathered up a handful and held it under my nose . I just said that I saw (or smelled) what she meant. OTOH, of my three kids, two of the three have escaped the odor problem. The older girl has not. Out of high school, she went to work for a rafting company on the Chatooga, training as a guide on sections III and IV - pretty tough stuff. She borrowed my paddling jacket, my favorite, since I'd sewn it myself, as I had all of the gear I used descending the Grand Canyon. When I got over there, after about three weeks, she gave it back. I never wore it again. I laundered it and scrubbed the underarms with everything I could think of, with no luck. A couple of weeks ago, she was in town for a visit (she's the CEO of a nonprofit in San Francisco) and wanted to take a hike through the state park I live next to. She was in front and, when the breeze shifted to blowing from her to me, I had to think that some things never change. On odor, another interesting thing I stumbled across a couple of weeks ago. When we're in the yard together, mosquitoes ignore me and head for my wife. We both recognized that, but I didn't realize it depended on blood type. She's type "O" and I'm "A." It turns out the the O type secretes a pheromone mosquitoes home in on. Type "A" secrets no such pheromone, so we're invisible to mosquitoes until they smell the CO2 in our breath or feel our body warmth. So long as I keep my wife around (although she has to wear all-covering clothes and a net hood), I'm safe. I only get bitten if I remain in one place for a while, like working on a car or the like. Then, I have to take precautions also. OK, time to turn in. Be interesting to see if we get responses...we'll continue this funky caper tomorrow...night all.
Silent Stroll
07-08-2013, 06:09
I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Lotrimine. It is an anti-fungal treatment for athletes foot or jock itch. Any smelly foot can be cured in two days with Lotrimine. As for body odor that comes from our bacteria and some of us have more and different bacteria then others. It is not genetic and it is not racist. I sweat like a swimmer looks stepping out of the pool. I have washed my back pack once this year...just because. I work for a guy who reeks 10 minutes after he starts sweating. As for hikers, I smell their nasty clothing not their body odor.
As a side note. Has anyone here been to the Cabelas in Port Clinton, PA recently? I was their Friday and they have a new smell/scent program. I could smell it 500 feet from the front door and inside the store was noxious.
I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Lotrimine. It is an anti-fungal treatment for athletes foot or jock itch. Any smelly foot can be cured in two days with Lotrimine. As for body odor that comes from our bacteria and some of us have more and different bacteria then others. It is not genetic and it is not racist. I sweat like a swimmer looks stepping out of the pool. I have washed my back pack once this year...just because. I work for a guy who reeks 10 minutes after he starts sweating. As for hikers, I smell their nasty clothing not their body odor.
As a side note. Has anyone here been to the Cabelas in Port Clinton, PA recently? I was their Friday and they have a new smell/scent program. I could smell it 500 feet from the front door and inside the store was noxious.
Was the smell pine forest or dead moose?
Monkeywrench
07-08-2013, 07:46
It's your clothes and pack which stink and those are a lot harder to keep oder free.
My clothes never stunk (stank?) like that. Through the summer months I wore a pair of running shorts and the lightest synthetic running shirt I owned to hike in. In the evening as long as the weather wasn't atrocious I took a water bottle shower then washed the pair of socks I hiked in that day, and either the shirt or the shorts, using my freezer bag washing machine. Things wouldn't dry overnight but putting on a damp shirt or shorts in the morning isn't all that bad and body heat dries them quickly once hiking.
Somehow my pack never got funky. Maybe because my shirt was always reasonably clean?
TIDE-HSV
07-08-2013, 08:45
I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Lotrimine. It is an anti-fungal treatment for athletes foot or jock itch. Any smelly foot can be cured in two days with Lotrimine. As for body odor that comes from our bacteria and some of us have more and different bacteria then others. It is not genetic and it is not racist. I sweat like a swimmer looks stepping out of the pool. I have washed my back pack once this year...just because. I work for a guy who reeks 10 minutes after he starts sweating. As for hikers, I smell their nasty clothing not their body odor.
As a side note. Has anyone here been to the Cabelas in Port Clinton, PA recently? I was their Friday and they have a new smell/scent program. I could smell it 500 feet from the front door and inside the store was noxious.
If you doubt that it's partially genetic, Google the Type A, Type O and mosquito part. If that's genetic, then the rest can be also. It's not "racist," since there's no such thing as "race." However, ethnic groups vary greatly, as a group, in the number of sweat glands they have. Google that too. You may be surprised...
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 09:49
I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Lotrimine. It is an anti-fungal treatment for athletes foot or jock itch. Any smelly foot can be cured in two days with Lotrimine. As for body odor that comes from our bacteria and some of us have more and different bacteria then others. It is not genetic and it is not racist. I sweat like a swimmer looks stepping out of the pool. I have washed my back pack once this year...just because. I work for a guy who reeks 10 minutes after he starts sweating. As for hikers, I smell their nasty clothing not their body odor.
As a side note. Has anyone here been to the Cabelas in Port Clinton, PA recently? I was their Friday and they have a new smell/scent program. I could smell it 500 feet from the front door and inside the store was noxious.So I woke up...and still stink!
Silent stroll, like your name suggests...I too stroll, amble, walk, even tho my handle may suggest otherwise. I'm no runner, and don't know a thing about racist, I assume they stink as well, what with all the racin they do.
Now people that eat certain foods will emit odors of those ethnic foods...example; garlic, curry's, peanut butters and jellys...you can think what you like...but my nose knows.
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 09:55
No threads on stink would be complete with out Dr. Zappa's take...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56BvNtEbdc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56BvNtEbdc
For all the UL people you can stop reading here: I carry a water bag with shower head on it on every over night hike It has a dual purpose--holds all the water I need at a shelter or campsite and i hang it from a tree and bathe under the shower head each day.
You could probably make some hiking do re mi by renting it out at shelters!:)
I've smelled it SO BAD at shelters from human funk as well as the OOOdor I was giving off that my eyes burned and I was temporally blinded.
I've seen animals, like dogs, after having enjoyed sniffing another dog's excrement get too close to a funky smelling long distance hiker, and literally run away from the smell. If only those dogs spoke English.
LOL (literally)....thank you for a good laugh this morning!
It turns out the the O type secretes a pheromone mosquitoes home in on. Type "A" secrets no such pheromone, so we're invisible to mosquitoes until they smell the CO2 in our breath or feel our body warmth. So long as I keep my wife around (although she has to wear all-covering clothes and a net hood), I'm safe. I only get bitten if I remain in one place for a while, like working on a car or the like. Then, I have to take precautions also. OK, time to turn in. Be interesting to see if we get responses...
Type b here, husband is type o. He always gets bit before i do. I may have one bite to his ten, and he can actually feel them bite. I don't even notice until i start to itch. Kinda interesting that my girls are both type B, but get bit more than i do...wonder if they got some of the O pheromones from daddy without the blood type (if that could even be possible).
gizzy bear
07-08-2013, 13:05
i have type P (pinot grigio) and i don't get bit as often as others :)
turtle fast
07-08-2013, 13:18
Was doing laundry with my wife and another hiker in the Shenadoah NP and a camping family came by to do a load. The little boy with them said to mom....what is that smell cat pee? The mom asks my wife "Are you hikers?" "Yes" responds my wife. The mom turns back to the little boy and says "no, its the hikers that smell...its not cat pee!".
Silent Stroll
07-08-2013, 13:50
So I woke up...and still stink!
Silent stroll, like your name suggests...I too stroll, amble, walk, even tho my handle may suggest otherwise. I'm no runner, and don't know a thing about racist, I assume they stink as well, what with all the racin they do.
Now people that eat certain foods will emit odors of those ethnic foods...example; garlic, curry's, peanut butters and jellys...you can think what you like...but my nose knows.
When I said not genetic or racist I meant not plainly hereditary and not connected to your birth culture.
I am a mosquito magnet so maybe I am type O blood.
Genetic was a poor choice of word because everything about us seems to fall into that bucket.
rocketsocks
07-08-2013, 13:55
When I said not genetic or racist I meant not plainly hereditary and not connected to your birth culture.
I am a mosquito magnet so maybe I am type O blood.
Genetic was a poor choice of word because everything about us seems to fall into that bucket.Oh :o.............:D
TIDE-HSV
07-08-2013, 14:11
When I said not genetic or racist I meant not plainly hereditary and not connected to your birth culture.
I am a mosquito magnet so maybe I am type O blood.
Genetic was a poor choice of word because everything about us seems to fall into that bucket.Why on earth would hair and eye color, height, not to mention quite a number of genetic disease be heritable and this one characteristic not be? I'm surprised you can't see the fallacy. FWIW, one of my stepsons who had the strong odor was O/C about cleanliness - numerous showers a day + deodorant. Didn't matter. At the end of the day, his clothes still had a high odor. It's anecdotal, but I dated a girl once who was from a totally different ethnic group. She brought up the difference in our body odors, not I. (I would never have.) She attributed it to having roughly twice the number of epocrine sweat glands (she was a biologist). (That was not the whole story.) Diet also heavily influences body odor. Also, there can be huge differences between individuals in any ethnic group. By and large, however, the distribution of density of epocrine glands has been long known. Persons of African descent have the most with Caucasian in second. East Asians have the least of all, with Koreans sometimes almost completely lacking them. It almost mimics the distribution of wet and dry ear wax, with the overwhelming majority of blacks and Caucasians having wet ear wax and Asian having dry ear wax...
Rolls Kanardly
07-08-2013, 14:49
i have type P (pinot grigio) and i don't get bit as often as others :)
I was thinking that maybe the skeeters got together and decided that this hiker had the good stuff in his veins and that maybe they should be careful so maybe the hiker would not notice.
Rolls Kanardly
gizzy bear
07-08-2013, 15:36
I was thinking that maybe the skeeters got together and decided that this hiker had the good stuff in his veins and that maybe they should be careful so maybe the hiker would not notice.
Rolls Kanardly
:banana woo-hoo!!! drunk skeeters !
da fungo
07-08-2013, 18:18
Persons of African descent have the most with Caucasian in second. East Asians have the least of all, with Koreans sometimes almost completely lacking them. It almost mimics the distribution of wet and dry ear wax, with the overwhelming majority of blacks and Caucasians having wet ear wax and Asian having dry ear wax...
So, who's going to start the thread discussing ear wax and its impact on thru-hiking?
I can see where a good pre-hike ear canal irrigation might shave a couple of grams off your trail weight. And if us old timers were to also trim the hair from our noses and ears, it boggles the mind the amount of weight we might save!
I am surprised that no one here has mentioned Lotrimine. It is an anti-fungal treatment for athletes foot or jock itch. Any smelly foot can be cured in two days with Lotrimine. As for body odor that comes from our bacteria and some of us have more and different bacteria then others.
Some of it comes from bacteria. Lotrimin is a good idea for the fungal reasons. Staying dry is better, but of course that's often not an option if we're going to put miles of trail behind us.
TIDE-HSV
07-09-2013, 00:56
So, who's going to start the thread discussing ear wax and its impact on thru-hiking?
I can see where a good pre-hike ear canal irrigation might shave a couple of grams off your trail weight. And if us old timers were to also trim the hair from our noses and ears, it boggles the mind the amount of weight we might save!LOL! A gram in each ear and you won't be hearing much of anything... :)
TIDE-HSV
07-09-2013, 01:16
Type b here, husband is type o. He always gets bit before i do. I may have one bite to his ten, and he can actually feel them bite. I don't even notice until i start to itch. Kinda interesting that my girls are both type B, but get bit more than i do...wonder if they got some of the O pheromones from daddy without the blood type (if that could even be possible).IDK. From what I've read, people with O secrete a pheromone that type A people don't. My assumption would be that types B and AB would not secrete it also. In the controlled studies that have been done, when people from both A and O are confined in the presence of mosquitoes, they head straight to the Os. However they also operate off CO2 in your breath and body heat. As I think I said above, If I'm outside and stationary, working on a car or whatnot, they'll eventually find me. Also, If one gets in the house, the same thing will eventually happen. I also don't feel their bites and react only on a minimal basis, but my wife's bites swell and really look nasty. In the summer, she runs through a lot of Adolph's meat tenderizer poultices, which is good for all bites, especially for bee stings and biting midges. The active ingredient breaks down the protein in the venom. Check that, I just remembered that she said that Adolph's no longer has papain (papaya extract), so she'll have to switch to another...
Silent Stroll
07-09-2013, 07:40
Why on earth would hair and eye color, height, not to mention quite a number of genetic disease be heritable and this one characteristic not be? I'm surprised you can't see the fallacy. ...
I said plainly hereditary. I tend not to look for causes first from my ancestors. I am the youngest of 13 and daily I see people making judgements and decisions about their own life based on their family history. Sometimes it is correct but quite often the cause is specific to them. My 12 siblings agree that we are all similar but we carry no bad health similarities as of yet.
I loved the the info on Asian earwax. Although I still think Oriental is a better word as it is more specific. I thought I was the only one that ever brought up that info in public. These specific Asians have a tool used by the mothers to clean the hard earwax from the childs ears and pass the tool down within the family. An heirloom of sorts. The story I was listening to when I learned of this was described by a daughter that did not have the hard earwax and was looked on by her family as the "odd one". She was their daughter by birth.
TIDE-HSV
07-09-2013, 19:07
I said plainly hereditary. I tend not to look for causes first from my ancestors. I am the youngest of 13 and daily I see people making judgements and decisions about their own life based on their family history. Sometimes it is correct but quite often the cause is specific to them. My 12 siblings agree that we are all similar but we carry no bad health similarities as of yet.
I loved the the info on Asian earwax. Although I still think Oriental is a better word as it is more specific. I thought I was the only one that ever brought up that info in public. These specific Asians have a tool used by the mothers to clean the hard earwax from the childs ears and pass the tool down within the family. An heirloom of sorts. The story I was listening to when I learned of this was described by a daughter that did not have the hard earwax and was looked on by her family as the "odd one". She was their daughter by birth.Oh my, where to start. "Oriental" is of Latin derivation and refers to the area roughly from the Dardanelles to the Pacific. "Asia" is originally of Greek origin and refers to exactly the same area. There have been quibbles over time about the western boundary (it's not truly geographic), there has never been any disagreement about the eastern boundary - it is the Pacific Ocean. To use "Oriental" as a substitute for "Eastern Asian" and insist that it's more specific is, well, silly. "Oriental" could mean anything from an Iraqi Arab to native Siberian. Those two groups do not share either dry ear wax or a paucity of aprocrine glands. In fact, the contrary is true. I'll just have to stick to "Eastern Asian," since it is the term which is really descriptive, not "Oriental."
Now, to the yawning fracture line in your reasoning. You freely admit that Eastern Asian peoples ("Orientals" just for you) have dry ear wax, as a group, whereas you seem unable to grasp the concept that this same group also shares the characteristic of having the fewest apocrine glands of any population on earth. In Koreans, they are sometimes completely absent. To postulate that it just happens that the same ethnic group shares both a sparse number of apocrine glands and dry ear wax and it's all just an accident and does not pertain to location and ethnic grouping staggers the imagination.
Under the skin, we're all Africans, having departed the motherland around 100K years ago. The theory is "ROA," (recently out of Africa), to which I subscribe. However, we have had time to evolve different variations, lighter skin for manufacture of vitamin "D," etc. For some reason, we've evolved other adaptations. Native Africans have retained a much higher number of both eccrine and apocrine glands. The high number of eccrine glands is understandable, since they are directly involved in cooling. The oily-secretion apocrine glands, which output combines with skin flora to produce distinctive odors are more of a mystery - specifically as why they should have decreased in number, the further away from Africa the particular population has moved. That is particularly true since there is less DNA variation between a Chinese native and a Caucasian than any two African village inhabitants. Anyway, bottom line, only as a group, there are going to be mass differences in body odor, for reasons incompletely understood. OTOH, there can be huge variations between any two individuals in a particularly ethnic group and body odors can also be attributed to diet and other factors...
Silent Stroll
07-10-2013, 12:51
Now, to the yawning fracture line in your reasoning. You freely admit that Eastern Asian peoples ("Orientals" just for you) have dry ear wax, as a group, whereas you seem unable to grasp the concept that this same group also shares the characteristic of having the fewest apocrine glands of any population on earth. In Koreans, they are sometimes completely absent. To postulate that it just happens that the same ethnic group shares both a sparse number of apocrine glands and dry ear wax and it's all just an accident and does not pertain to location and ethnic grouping staggers the imagination...
You are correct.
I have been yawning.
I have been staggering.
I normally freely admit to things.
You have my apology for disagreeing with you.
da fungo
07-10-2013, 15:21
Oh my, where to start. "Oriental" is of Latin derivation and refers to the area roughly from the Dardanelles to the Pacific. "Asia" is originally of Greek origin and refers to exactly the same area. There have been quibbles over time about the western boundary (it's not truly geographic), there has never been any disagreement about the eastern boundary - it is the Pacific Ocean. To use "Oriental" as a substitute for "Eastern Asian" and insist that it's more specific is, well, silly. "Oriental" could mean anything from an Iraqi Arab to native Siberian. Those two groups do not share either dry ear wax or a paucity of aprocrine glands. In fact, the contrary is true. I'll just have to stick to "Eastern Asian," since it is the term which is really descriptive, not "Oriental."Now, to the yawning fracture line in your reasoning. You freely admit that Eastern Asian peoples ("Orientals" just for you) have dry ear wax, as a group, whereas you seem unable to grasp the concept that this same group also shares the characteristic of having the fewest apocrine glands of any population on earth. In Koreans, they are sometimes completely absent. To postulate that it just happens that the same ethnic group shares both a sparse number of apocrine glands and dry ear wax and it's all just an accident and does not pertain to location and ethnic grouping staggers the imagination. Under the skin, we're all Africans, having departed the motherland around 100K years ago. The theory is "ROA," (recently out of Africa), to which I subscribe. However, we have had time to evolve different variations, lighter skin for manufacture of vitamin "D," etc. For some reason, we've evolved other adaptations. Native Africans have retained a much higher number of both eccrine and apocrine glands. The high number of eccrine glands is understandable, since they are directly involved in cooling. The oily-secretion apocrine glands, which output combines with skin flora to produce distinctive odors are more of a mystery - specifically as why they should have decreased in number, the further away from Africa the particular population has moved. That is particularly true since there is less DNA variation between a Chinese native and a Caucasian than any two African village inhabitants. Anyway, bottom line, only as a group, there are going to be mass differences in body odor, for reasons incompletely understood. OTOH, there can be huge variations between any two individuals in a particularly ethnic group and body odors can also be attributed to diet and other factors...
Not challenging you, but so I can do some follow up reading, but do you have any citations on that low level of DNA variation between Caucasians and Chinese? And, by Chinese, I assume you mean members of the Han majority and not members of the many other ethnic minorities?
TIDE-HSV
07-10-2013, 18:31
Not challenging you, but so I can do some follow up reading, but do you have any citations on that low level of DNA variation between Caucasians and Chinese? And, by Chinese, I assume you mean members of the Han majority and not members of the many other ethnic minorities?I can dig up some from the past and PM them to you. I wouldn't want to bore stroll with more facts. I'll send you some suggested books also. It really complicates medical treatment because of the wide variation in how drugs affect AA people and, really, all the rest of us. My cardiologist happens to be black and he and I have discussed it. His group now does a DNA test for Cytochrome P450 and its fractions to try to get a better idea of how we metabolize drugs. The diversity among Africans is really fairly well understood. Any populations, human or animal isolated for extended periods tend to "churn" and turn out mutations, whereas the migrants (all of us not African - not just Han) tend to have less diversity...
"No threads on stink would be complete with out Dr. Zappa's take... "
This!
JustaTouron
07-12-2013, 14:51
There are two things that make it worse now that years ago. Only one is synthetics. The other is the switch from external frame packs to internal or frameless.
With an external pack there is ventilation between your back and the pack. With the others your pack smells like a sweaty shirt that has never been washed since the day it was purchased. (Because that is basically what it is)
Rolls Kanardly
07-12-2013, 15:13
[QUOTE=Semodex;1497417]That must of been awful! I think the smell is one reason i hate going to any mall...never understood why anyone (male or female) would feel the need to douse themselves with perfume.
I agree
Fragrances (cologne, perfume, toilet spray, or whatever) were originally supposed to be alluring, mystifying, seductive, kind of draw the intended "victim" oops, person in closer. Now days people wear so much "smell" they leave puddles when they stand still. Rolls Kanardly
TIDE-HSV
07-13-2013, 12:41
There are two things that make it worse now that years ago. Only one is synthetics. The other is the switch from external frame packs to internal or frameless.
With an external pack there is ventilation between your back and the pack. With the others your pack smells like a sweaty shirt that has never been washed since the day it was purchased. (Because that is basically what it is)The Osprey internals have a mesh suspension which holds the pack itself out away from your body. My mesh has never picked up a smell, but, if it did, I'd have to wash the whole pack, since it's made together. Also, it's a bit harder to pack because of the narrowing caused inside by the suspension...
trinzushi
07-14-2013, 01:45
The Osprey internals have a mesh suspension which holds the pack itself out away from your body. My mesh has never picked up a smell, but, if it did, I'd have to wash the whole pack, since it's made together. Also, it's a bit harder to pack because of the narrowing caused inside by the suspension...
I have an Osprey Aura I used for two weeks.. and it definitely picked up the smell of my nasty synthetic shirt and BO! That was my first mistake- the synthetic shirt. Should probably try more febreze. :-? Don't get me wrong- I practice hygiene religiously! I went through a weeks worth of wetwipes in two nights (slight germ/dirt a phobe) .. So, remaining clean was not an issue for me. However, the mesh, the foam in the waist straps, and the frame that comes in contact with my body soaked the smell right up. The mesh doesn't quite work as well in reducing odor for me than it has for you... You must just smell better than I do, for sure! :P I'm partially NA and I clearly didn't get that low BO benefit! LOL
According to '23 and Me' (genetic testing) ear wax type is dry. I can also confirm this. :)
My father, brothers and I rarely wear deodorant because it is unnecessary.
I was born to be a non-smelly hiker. :P
Now back to being on topic -
I wish some more pungent hikers would swap out their synthetics for merino wool.
Now back to being on topic -
I wish some more pungent hikers would swap out their synthetics for merino wool.
And I wish someone would make boxer briefs with a 9 inch inseam.
TIDE-HSV
07-15-2013, 13:00
I have an Osprey Aura I used for two weeks.. and it definitely picked up the smell of my nasty synthetic shirt and BO! That was my first mistake- the synthetic shirt. Should probably try more febreze. :-? Don't get me wrong- I practice hygiene religiously! I went through a weeks worth of wetwipes in two nights (slight germ/dirt a phobe) .. So, remaining clean was not an issue for me. However, the mesh, the foam in the waist straps, and the frame that comes in contact with my body soaked the smell right up. The mesh doesn't quite work as well in reducing odor for me than it has for you... You must just smell better than I do, for sure! :P I'm partially NA and I clearly didn't get that low BO benefit! LOLWell, genes are a crap-shoot. You just don't know which ones you'll get. I have the same characteristic of Sara below, but I do have the wet ear wax. I exercise aerobically daily and I tend to wear the same clothes probably longer than I should, just because they don't pick up odor. Sometimes, I'll notice salt stains and go oops! and throw them in the laundry bin...
da fungo
07-15-2013, 14:18
"...but I do have the wet ear wax."
TMI, TMI!!! Isn't that oversharing?
Anyone got some eyeball bleach handy?
da fungo
07-15-2013, 14:18
"...but I do have the wet ear wax."
TMI, TMI!!! Isn't that oversharing?
Anyone got some eyeball bleach handy?
The smelliest hiker I've ever encountered was day hiking. The smell was god awful. I couldn't get within five feet of her without wanting to puke, and I had been hiking for 3+ months. True story.
hikerboy57
07-16-2013, 12:12
The smelliest hiker I've ever encountered was day hiking. The smell was god awful. I couldn't get within five feet of her without wanting to puke, and I had been hiking for 3+ months. True story. I'm guessing it was obsession by Calvin Klein
rocketsocks
07-16-2013, 14:47
Well, genes are a crap-shoot. You just don't know which ones you'll get. I have the same characteristic of Sara below, but I do have the wet ear wax. I exercise aerobically daily and I tend to wear the same clothes probably longer than I should, just because they don't pick up odor. Sometimes, I'll notice salt stains and go oops! and throw them in the laundry bin...
My Doctor told us that people of European decent are more prone to ear wax and ear infections due to smaller ear canals.