Hiker Funk Rant

[wordstew]

Maybe I've been spoiled living with running hot and cold water and flushing toilets but I have little tolerance for overwhelming hiker funk to include the scent of my own musk.

Now don't get me wrong, in the military I've experienced and accumulated hiker funk that would make a skunk envious but I try tried to mitigate it whenever possible.

Some hikers appear to consider Super-funk a badge of honor...I just don't get it.

While hiking the AT I see no reason for folks to hop into the shelter stinking to Hi-Heaven. For crying out loud drag a wash cloth across your backside, pits and nether regions. I'll add to that you can carry 1/2 ounce of tree oil and add a few drops to your washing water to keep the bacteria count down. If you're concerned about gram counting then shave your exceptionally long beard, trim your pit and nether region hair, you'll lose some grams and reduce your bacteria count and stinkability.

OK...just my two cents

[Sarcasm the elf]

Lots of first time hikers, typically thrus, seem to revel in their terrible hygiene. Every year there are also large scale outbreaks of Norovirus and reports of hikers dealing with staph infections severe enough to put their hike at risk. I highly doubt this is mere coincidence.

[chknfngrs]

In fairness to thrus everywhere, it’s gear too, not just armpits and crotches. Deet and sweat soak into packs, clothing, quilts, etc... not really ok to assume it’s their lack of hygiene or whatnot.

[Seatbelt]

Some types of clothes react to sweat in an "odorous" way, more so than others. Polyester seems to be the worst. Wool is almost non-odorous in my experience. Point being, your clothes will still stink after you wash yourself off.

[Slo-go'en]

It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack. These two items soak up a lot of sweat and start to stink after awhile. I always change into a "clean" non-hiking shirt before hitch hiking or going into a business. Not a lot you can do about the pack.

[Time Zone]

It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack.

It's the body too. Sniff your armpits next time you shower after your shirt has contracted a case of the funk (which it got from your body, btw).

[FreeGoldRush]

This isn't helping my shelter phobia.

[nsherry61]

It's not the body, it's the clothes (shirts) and the backpack. . .

With my experience, I'd say it's safe to say it's pretty much everything that stinks. And yes, synthetic shirts are probably the biggest contributors.

I've always found it quite enjoyable to try and bath, often with just water and to regularly rinse out my shirt along the trail, preferable mid day so there is time for things to dry, or in the evenings after a long hot day where I can get the trail crud off my body and sleep better. I've gone at least a couple of weeks without a shower in cooler weather and didn't think I was or anyone else in my party was particularly stinky. I've also bathed more than once a day along hot dirty trails because it felt good and I didn't have to smell myself.

In the end, I agree with the OP in that stinking isn't anything to take pride in. Although, sometimes a little stink is just the cost of living, so get over it.

[Tipi Walter]

The longest I went without a bath was 76 days when I was living in my tipi during the winter. 0F temps will automatically curtail any attempts at bathing, sponge baths, or hair and scalp washings in a nearby creek. In fact, it's been proven by Swedish/Finnish outdoorsmen that not bathing off body oils in severe cold keeps you warmer.

My solution for you Wordstew would be to avoid AT shelters at all costs---a rule I follow to the letter. Another solution would be to do all your extensive backpacking during the winter. Carry a tent and call it your home. Backpack trails with no box shelters and get on more remote trails ergo less people.

[Lnj]

Shelter phobia is a good thing. Wrap your arms around it and squeeze!

[garlic08]

At a lunch break at a picnic table at an AT shelter somewhere in New England, a horribly filth hiker came in to a chorus of greetings from friends. He proclaimed proudly that he hadn't bathed since PA, and that he was fighting an intestinal bug. I packed up immediately and got out off there, while his buddies were shaking his hand. They would probably blame the drinking water on whatever pestilence they caught from him.

But yeah, during the hot Eastern summer, my pack alone smelled very bad at resupply stops, even though I frequently washed everything. I was pumping out sweat in quantities to soak my pants down to my knees, and I normally don't sweat like that. But I could not imagine not bathing and laundering whenever possible. Skin problems have stopped many hikes. Many don't realize that the skin is the body's largest organ and it's important to care for it.

[Dogwood]

Another AMEN to the original post. I don't care what the heck it is gear or whatever wash your shart...literally! Stop putting the blame on the gear or saying it's just about smell too. It's also about humans spreading disease!

At a lunch break at a picnic table at an AT shelter somewhere in New England, a horribly filth hiker came in to a chorus of greetings from friends. He proclaimed proudly that he hadn't bathed since PA, and that he was fighting an intestinal bug. I packed up immediately and got out off there, while his buddies were shaking his hand. They would probably blame the drinking water on whatever pestilence they caught from him.


...I could not imagine not bathing and laundering whenever possible. Skin problems have stopped many hikes. Many don't realize that the skin is the body's largest organ and it's important to care for it.

+1


Mice follow the food. The food follows the humans. Humans equal mice. Don't want mice maybe....don't follow humans?


Should I go on with giardia, noro virus, human generated negative black bear encounters, rats,...And, yet in humanity's infinite wisdom and hubris we indiscriminately destroy rat eating snakes.


While humanity is collectively patting itself on its back perhaps we're at historical all time highs ignoring our genus' accountability.

[wordstew]

I might have to utilize my casino riff-raff strategy which is to light up a big fowl smelling cigar in hopes of driving them a comfortable distance away.
The first time someone with hiker superfunk says "dude that thing stinks" I think i'm gonna have a pretty good chuckle

[PaBroadleaf]

I might have to utilize my casino riff-raff strategy which is to light up a big fowl smelling cigar in hopes of driving them a comfortable distance away.
The first time someone with hiker superfunk says "dude that thing stinks" I think i'm gonna have a pretty good chuckle

You can hike with me anytime! I always have a travel humidor on me with some Perdomo and Drew Estate sticks...

[wordstew]

Another AMEN to the original post. I don't care what the heck it is gear or whatever wash your shart...literally! Stop putting the blame on the gear or saying it's just about smell too. It's also about humans spreading disease!





+1


Mice follow the food. The food follows the humans. Humans equal mice. Don't want mice maybe....don't follow humans?


Should I go on with giardia, noro virus, human generated negative black bear encounters, rats,...And, yet in humanity's infinite wisdom and hubris we indiscriminately destroy rat eating snakes.


While humanity is collectively patting itself on its back perhaps we're at historical all time highs ignoring our genus' accountability.

I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.

[egilbe]

I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.

I've wondered that, too. Most viruses and bacteria can't live in sunlight for very long. Outdoorsy places become sterile after awhile. During peak thru-hikers bubble, I bet it gets pretty nasty. It's curious that in the early Spring up here, very rarely see rodents around the shelters.

[AllDownhillFromHere]

I'd be curious to see if any industrious student/scientist has ever done a epidemiological study of thru hikers or taken cultures at shelters during peak season.

I heard way back when that when hikers got sick, it was in groups, and had no correlation with water filtering practices. I think there's something there.

[LittleRock]

I heard way back when that when hikers got sick, it was in groups, and had no correlation with water filtering practices. I think there's something there.

I think you're onto something here. This pretty much the same as what I've been observing in my 3-year old's preschool class this year. 3-year olds, like thru-hikers, tend not to have good hygiene or sanitation practices. And whenever one of the kids introduces a new virus, 2-3 days later half the class is absent.

[MuddyWaters]

When you been wearing the same clothes everyday for 2 weeks without washing in hot sweaty weather, they gets a bit funky.

[HooKooDooKu]

When you been wearing the same clothes everyday for 2 weeks without washing in hot sweaty weather, they gets a bit funky.

So wash them from time to time... with some pack soap, a water proof stuff sack, and bandanna, I had no problems keeping me and my cloths reasonably clean for a JMT thru.