Scent-Lok or Scent Blocker?

[Patriot]

What did it cost?  Where did you get it?  Any issues with bowstring clearance?

[DeanoZ]

Thanks for the info Goose...when I try out different ones I'll make sure I size it large enough to be able to layer.
 
Woods, appreciate the link to the article...the author makes some very good points.  I know our Combat NBC suits are always issued in  a sealed bag, and we are instructed to only open and use when a chemical attack occurs...and if it does happen (and you survive) they are disposed of, not reactivited.
 
So there is something to be said about that...but I also know the ones we practice with, (which are not in bags, and have been soaking up whatever stink on the shelves for months) work too...I know this because we go in the gas chamber every year with our masks and MOPP suits.  CS gas burns when it comes into contact with the skin...I've been in the chamber for sometimes an hour or longer and have no skin irritation or burns.  And to top it off your literally sweating your a _ _ off in those suits, so his comments regarding the functionality of carbon under moist conditions are suspect.
 
As I said I can appreciate his background and the fact that he was able to demonstrate some logic in his thinking, backed by some scientifc fact.  However, my sense is on some level these suits work better than he cares to acknowledge.  Are they foolproof?  Nope... I don't bet for a minute they are.  Do they help reduce your scent signature?  Yeap, I'll bet my paycheck on it, and realistically whether your using the sprays or suits, non-scented soaps or Apple Scented shampoos, the best we can all hope for is to reduce our scent signature, I think its been proven already that nothing out there completely hides your scent.  Again thanks for the spirited discussion, I always manage to learn something from your posts and I'm grateful to you for that! [:)]

[Woods Walker]

That's cool, Deano. Let me leave you with a couple of thoughts on this....
 
1. I don't doubt that the carbon suits help hold scent in, but not for the reasons you may think. They ARE in fact well made garments (and for what they soak you for they damn well better be), and I believe that there's a certain degree of imperviousness to them which does help keep your scent in, but not necessarily from the "activated charcoal".
 
2. When these products first came out, the advertising line on them was, "FORGET the wind, and just HUNT!" 
 
Riiiiiiight......and pigs can fly, too....
 
Even the most true believer in these things doesn't buy into that, and on many of the shows where the "pros" are shilling for them, even they show themselves getting busted because, "The deer came in from the wrong way."
 
I guess that's what happens when deer can't read advertising copy.
 
Point is, if they misled and LIED about that, then how do you trust them when they claim that their product can be "reactivated" in a standard household drier, when the science of carbon technology states that temperatures of 900 to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit are in fact needed for that process?  I don't doubt that initially some reactivation may occur when the suit is new, but I've MANY hunters state that, "It worked great the first season or two that I had it, but then it's effectiveness decreased."  Hmmmmm.......could that just be that the carbon finally "filled up", and by that point, you could leave the thing in the drier for MONTHS on end and it wouldn't make any difference...."the cup runneth over"...???
 
SOMEONE ain't on the level here.
 
Anyway, it's your $$$, and you will spend it as you see  fit. All I know, is that while these garments are for the most part well made, I will NOT pop for the extra $20 to $80 they want for the scent-loc when that option is given in some of the catalogs for a product that is questionable at best.

[JPH]

I just did a quick search for ghillie suits. They seem to run between $80-150.

I'm just sayin...

[Woods Walker]

Yessss.....and as far as I know, they DON'T come with scent-loc!
 
And that price is for ONE whole ghillie suit! No, pants/jacket/hoodie/hat/boots/socks/underwear/jockstrap/carry bag/storage tub(BTW, I have a question on the storage
tub...how do you get it into the dryer you can't buy?) all for an additional $50 to $100 each...add $40 more if you want the new and improved "Mossy Oak Pre-Rut Hardwoods" camo pattern....
 
That, and there's absolutely NO question that they work as advertised! No false or shakey claims. No dryers that you can't even buy if you wanted to needed to "rejuvinate" them! [:D]

[reeper0697]

When I first heard about the activated carbon I was skeptical and decided to look it up and found the same site that Woods Walker posted. I always thought to myself, if they are sitting in the store, won't they fill up? I have heard some people swear by it and others say it doesnt make a difference.
The thing I love about the hunting industry (as a student of business) is how every year a new product comes out that makes people feel like they cant be successful without it. These companies market these products and make lots of $$$ even when the products dont work well/at all. (for the majority of users)

[Goose]

Here's a email from scentblocker, i figured I'd let them have their say as well.........
 
Jake
To reactivate the carbon in the extremely high heat 800-1000 degrees that
they are talking about would be for a chemical spill of sorts.  But the
human scent doesn't need that high of heat to reactive the carbon in you
suits.  Your household dryer gets hot enough for it to take away you human
scent (de-adsorb) from the carbon lined clothing.  Were you able to open up
the attachment I sent?  If not, I will copy and paste it to an email.  I
hope I have answered your question.
Thanks
Jodi

Jodi Strain
Robinson Outdoor Products
Inside Sales Rep
jstrain@robinsonoutdoors.com
507-263-2885 phone
507-263-5512 fax

[Woods Walker]

You expected different from them? What else would they say? That it DOES need those high temps?
 
Point is, that entire industry began with a lie, and now they expect folks to believe what they say?  Not me. Spend your money as you see fit, and I will do the same.

[JPH]

Oh yeah? Well the ghillie suit industry is run by a pit of vipers!

...okay, I can't back that up. I just wanted to be a part of the conversation. 

[coach]

I wouldn't say its a gimmick.  I would say they are over rated. They probably do work.  I've never read on it....therefore would be unfair to bash it....or to praise it.
 
But if you think ..  logic
 
After you shower with non scent soap.....its only a matter of minutes that your body
begins to smell like human again.  It can't be stopped.  That's not deer science, its human science.
 
By the time you get to your stand.....this non scent soap is long gone.  Especially for me ...who bowhunts 1 hour and a half drive from home.  Which means the interior of my truck would have
to be washed in non-scent soap the day before the hunt.  PLEEEEAAASE>
 
To be scent free....you would need to hunt from a Ziploc bag........and that also would need to be washed in non scent soap...right ??!! [;)]
 
Yes...wash up.....yes dress in layers....yes there are clothing that works better than others in retaining scent ........even the pro's (Drury...ect) gets busted.  They use all equipment with non-scent.
 
I've never used non-scent soap. The only non-scent thing I use....is non-scent Under Arm Charm. I would hate for the deer to smell Old Spice Rain Forest Breeze...when I actually hunt in Cedars. [:D]
 
What I do live by........... swear by....Is wind direction.  Cause no matter how careless you are....you can still get away with it.   Its not an intelligent thing to do....but still can get away with it.
 
That's why the #1 thing to be successful....in my books......is Stand Location.  Non scent clothing and soaps...will only help in case wind swirls...or changes direction during the hunt.  So young hunters,  beginners, hunters that don't have much money....Studen that can't afford all the dammm equipement in Cabelas,  they can still be very successful year after year.  Wash up...stay clean....watch the wind.
Like Don Cherry would say:
 
" Ok Kids...go out there and have fun....remember....toasted taste better "
 
I haven't read about Carbon ...or Scent Lok....and probably never will.  I will not purchase a 300 $ jacket just because its Scent Lok...or whatever.
And yes.....I am CONSCISTENT on taking whitetail year after year.
 
TO EACH  OUR  OWN.