Carbon Clothes. Yes or No? Not yet or Never?

[SwampLife]

I appreciate all the replies, but I would not be looking into any of this if I wasn't having a problem with downwind encounters.

I don't think some sort of 'scent control' base layers could hurt in any way. The silvermax underlayers help moderate body temp just like any good base layer and are the same price as under armor. I am probably going to pick some of these up.

I would like to say that there is nothing that will ever convince me that it is possible to be 100% scent free(forget the wind just hunt), whether it is baking soda, spray, carbon or silver clothes. I am not a fool for marketing, thats why I am asking real life hunters.

Having said that, I do believe all of the above things can help reduce human odor, to a degree.

If someone brings you a hot plate of food with a lid on it and sets it down in front of you, chances are you can still get a whiff of whats under there, but once the lid is removed the aroma whacks you in the face.

Just looking to put a lid on my human scent, not a cure all end all magic trick.

As far as not putting clothes in the dryer, I'm sure there is plenty of left over soap suds and residue of fragrance detergent in the washer.

[Proline]

On the washer soap scents....likely...... but that is why I always run a wash load thru the machine of pure water with no soap before I do my hunting stuff.  I think there is alot of stuff you can do to decrease scent.  Like never where your hunting clothes anywhere other than the woods (ex.not in the coffeshop between hunts). Dont bring or wear your hunting clothes in the house after the hunt. Leave them outside. Never wear your hunting boots when driving the car (floormats stink). Watch what you eat the day before a hunt.  Onions, garlic, spicy food, hard night of drinking contain odor makers.  Strip down to very basic layers when walking into stand and dress at tree. Make sure your breath doesnt stink!   I believe your breath does more people in than anything. I sometimes gargle with baking soda before heading out. On your way in the stand stop somewhere just prior to arrival and with gloves on, gather leaves and dirt from the forest floor and rub it all over yourself.

[roger]

My experience with carbon clothes has been positive but mixed. 
I had a doe walk 10 yards downwind of me and not detect me on opening morning.  I was doing everything right--wearing new carbon clothing, freshly run through the dryer and stored in carbon bags, donning in the field, spraying down my boots with scent eliminator, wearing a carbon mask to minimize my scent.  Ten minutes later a coyote came by, on the doe's trail, and did not detect me until I looked him in the eye.  We were both freaked out.
On the other hand, I have had less successful experiences after opening day, putting on already-worn clothes that I have tried to take off in the field when I was cold, store them in carbon bags, etc.
I have tried to control the scent of my breath and had less success.  Tried the surgical masks--they actually get stinky in a few hours.  Tried a carbon cartridge mask from a hardware store.  Turned around the cartridges so that I blew out through them instead of inhaling through them, like you would do in a toxic environment.  Sounded like Darth Vader.  Tried breath sprays and gums.  Unsure whether they helped.
My conclusions?
The technology does to some extent work.
It is very cumbersome, particularly if you want to reuse the same clothing for several days.
I think the great hole in scent control is your breath, and until that can be adequately addressed, being consistently scent-free down wind is a dream.

[Woods Walker]

For the breath control, try gargling with doe urine. [;)]

[Woods Walker]

Your experience is fine, but unless you can put yourself in the exact situation with the same animals WITHOUT the carbon clothes, then you really don't know if it were them or the situation you encountered.

I don't use them, and I have had numerous experiences similar to yours.

Let's face it, carbon clothes for the most part are a magic feather. If you believe in them, and they make you more confident, then they are serving their purpose. They are an EXPENSIVE magic feather for sure, but if that's what you think you need, then go for it.

Are they well built? Yes, and for the $$$$ they'd better be.

Do they come in the latest and greatest designer camo patterns (aka "Redneck Gucci"), strategically marketed so that you always want to be the first on your block to be in vogue? You bet! All the time! Who wants an outdated magic feather? [:D]

[vipermann7]

My brother uses the silver threaded base layers and sprays down with scent killing sprays, and he has deer crawling all over him all the time. I've also used the scent killing sprays and the silver threaded clothes. I think they help a lot.

I have a set of carbon clothes, but I don't think I'll ever buy another set. I'm glad I bought them, because until I did, I always had this nagging wonder about how they worked. Personally, I think it's like Woods Walker said. Until you can put yourself in the same exact position with the same exact deer with and without the carbon suit, it really is impossible to know if the suit worked or not. Until we people can smell like deer, we'll never know for sure what does and does not work in the way of scent, including everything from scent elimination to scent attraction. The hard part with the carbon suit is that you'll never know how many deer smelled you and turned away before you saw them, and that would be a good test.

It's no secret that carbon suits don't completely hide your scent and make you "scent free". In my experience, the biggest buck I've ever shot came in under my stand while I was wearing my carbon suit. I had hunted that stand for two weeks knowing he was there and never saw him, but I wasn't wearing my carbon suit. The first evening I put on that suit and hunted that stand, he came out right under my stand. But deer do those kinds of things all the time. It could have been a huge coincidence. If I had to bet money on it, I would even go with the coincidence side of the bet. But I've had several encounters like the one I just mentioned, and I do think the suits help. I don't think they help enough to be worth the price, so I won't be buying another set of carbon clothes in the future, but I'm glad I bought the set I did and got to try it for myself.

[trapperDave]

I'm gonna tick some people off, but if I can save one person from wasting their hard earned money....

Here's afew scientific studies for ya..


Here is a running report of the carbon suit scam maintained by T.R. Michels:

http://www.trmichels.com/ActivatedCarbonScience.htm

Here is another article on the carbon suit scam with the test conducted by JA Shivik, Ph.D with search and rescue dogs.

http://www.outdoorscentral.com/artman/publish/article_169.shtml

Here are Lessons from the U.S. Army CANE Exercises:

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cpc-pubs/war_next_time/schneider2.pdf


Here is a good overall article on the subject by a biologist with a Science degree who has worked in the environmental protection field for more than ten years:

http://www.fastestbows.com/articles/corrigan/scent_suits.htm

Here is a follow up article on the subject:

http://www.fastestbows.com/articles/corrigan/scent_suits_deuce.htm

This is the Virginia Tech paper on partial desorbed activated carbon between temperatures ranging from 100–649°C which is above 212degrees F:

http://www.ce.vt.edu/program_areas/environmental/teach/wtprimer/carbon/sketcarb.html

You can also read the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Engineering and Design, Adsorption Design Guide, Design Guide Manual No. DG1110-1-2, which shows that the only method to fully re-activate saturated activated-carbon, you must heat it to approximately 800 °C or 1,472 °F, in a controlled atmosphere of low oxygen concentration to reduce the possibility of combustion.

Here is a little article that touches on the manufacturing of your commercial carbon suit compared to the military unit:

http://www.bowhunting.net/artman/publish/NULLO_-_Making_Good_Scents_105/4_Old_1_New_Scent_Control_Strategies.shtml


The facts go on and on. Bottom line, on this planet, using materials from this planet, and using the laws of science from this planet; it is impossible for your commercial carbon suit to work for you while hunting as you claim. Your carbon suit is fully saturated at time of manufacture, there is no method known to man for your saturated carbon suit to be desorbed, and the only methods known for your saturated carbon suit to be partially desorbed is greater than any temperature reached by any household dryer manufactured. Even if you had access to technical heating equipment to safely bring the temps of your saturated carbon suit above 212degrees F, it is a losing battle as you will have a continual loss in the ability for your suit to be partially desorbed. The highest grade sealed military unit is worthless beyond 1 use, 45 days of being unsealed, or 6 washings. Your commercial suit is worthless the moment it is manufactured

[SwampLife]

^^this is exactly what I was hoping for.

thank you for taking the time to post this up.