Sleep in hunting clothes when backpack hunting?

[jp0212]

One thing I have debated quite a bit is bringing extra clothes on backcountry hunts that require me to backpack in for a few days. The last couple trips I brought additional clothes to sleep in, to avoid stinking up my clothes. At the same time though those clothes can be pretty heavy and offer the chance to shave a few pounds out of my pack. I was curious, to those of you who do backpack hunts, do you bring extra clothes or just choose to sleep in your hunting clothes to save weight and minimize the time it takes to change, etc.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

I use a liner in my bag and keep my thermals in my bag along with knitted wool socks. I Change into my thermals and socks and sleep in that. I rarely have needed thermals in az. Liner keeps bag dry and clean. If you are to get wet and needed to get in your bag wet the liner helps the bag get water out. I've never brought any extra clothes other than my thermals which I need anywAy. 1 extra pair of socks and what I have on my back.

[mattys281]

I carry a lightweight set of base layers for sleeping in. You will sweat up your hunting clothes if you sleep in them.

[Shawn]

I don't bring extra clothes, I sleep in my hunting clothes or my base layer. On last years hunt I slept in both, it was mid to upper teens at night. The only thing I bring extra is socks. I don't have a fire on backpack hunts.

[jp0212]

Yeah, I probably should have been a little more specific. I'm mostly talking about wearing my hunting baselayers to sleep in. I'd definitely strip the outer layers and mid layers, but was more curious if people wear the base layers to sleep that they would wear to hunt. Also mainly talking about the late season hunts where warm clothes are needed.

[cactusjack]

A sleeping bag liner is the trick. It adds very little weight with a 10deg gain in warmth. All the sweat and oil gets on it and not my expensive bag.

[Shawn]

Yeah, I probably should have been a little more specific. I'm mostly talking about wearing my hunting baselayers to sleep in. I'd definitely strip the outer layers and mid layers, but was more curious if people wear the base layers to sleep that they would wear to hunt. Also mainly talking about the late season hunts where warm clothes are needed.

I sleep in the base layer I hunt in. I do bring a bag liner on the cold hunts. I just have it in my head I am going to stink and my gear is going to stink.

[mattys281]

I also often go without the fire, but it's more laziness than fear of scent. I think the smoke is actually a great cover scent and I've never seen a deer spook from it. Just the opposite actually, I've had coues & mulies both walk into my camp in the Mazatzal wilderness & look right at me sitting next to fire 10 yards away like they had no idea what the heck I was or what I was doing there.

 

smoke is actually a natural cleansing agent, as it kills the bacteria that causes human b.o. If you're out for an extended period, you can through some green juniper on your fire with the leaves and smoke-clean your clothes. Better smoke than sweat.

 

I usually just carry a 1 gal plastic bag with a 1/2" thick stack of scentless baby wipes & a small bottle of scent killer spray though. Spray your clothes at the end of the day and lay them flat between your thermarest pad and your sleeping bag, they will be dry and warm in the morning when you need to slip them on.

[Guest oneshot]

You can drive yourself crazy, and spend alot, trying to remain scent-free... I have seen me do it...

I hang outer hunting gear in the smoke of my fires, hunt the terrain with an eye for prevaling winds and learning/using outdoor skills to get me Bow close to game...

[Curtis Reed]

A deer's sense of smell is too good to fool it. If the wind is right a deer will smell you regardless if you havent showered in 7 days or if you are as fresh as can be. Scentblocker, special soaps, special toothpaste, ect its all marketing. Its all about the wind.

 

You can't beat a deer's nose

[hunter4life]

Sleep in the same base layers you hunt in. In southern NM and AZ it is usually warm enough that I do not even wear them when I leave camp to hunt, or you are taking them off within two hours or so.

[Shawn]

The main reason I don't have a fire is noise. I don't want to move around a lot getting wood or make extra noise. I killed my deer on last years backpack hunt 350 yards from my camp, on day 6.

[Kaffer62]

I only bring a few pairs of socks and a few pairs of underwear.

[ThomC]

The less clothes that you wear in a sleeping bag the warmer you will be. Did you ever see a Army issue wool sleeping bag? Solders were told to sleep in the nude in them.

[Mike S]

I sleep in my merino wool base layer and find it takes much longer to get stinky than other materials.