Storing Your Hunting Clothing

| Last Updated September 15, 2020

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Storing hunting clothing isn’t as exciting as stalking a buck, or checking trail cameras, or even planting food plots. If there is such a thing as an office job when it comes to hunting, taking care of your clothes is it. There really isn’t anything thrilling about it. But storing your clothes properly can be a big factor in a successful hunt.

First off, before you store your clothes you’re going to want to clean them. Scent free detergent is available pretty much everywhere you buy hunting products. It’s imperative to use a product like this. The detergent used on your everyday clothes not only has perfumes, most of them also have UV brighteners. You want the colors on your everyday clothes to look bright. Enhancing the color of your hunting clothes is not a good idea, unless you want every deer in the woods to spot you.


Keep in mind, residual detergent will remain in your washing machine from previous loads. I typically run two or three loads of regular clothing in scent free wash to cleanse my washing machine. I always line dry my hunting clothing outside.

Once everything is clean and scent-free, you’re going to want to keep it that way. I store my clothes in scent proof zip seal bags secured in a plastic tote. I spray down the bags and the tote with scent killing spray and wipe them out with towels washed in scent free detergent. Perhaps I’m a little overzealous but I store my undergarments and outerwear in separate bags. The more I can segregate layers, the better I can prevent scent contamination.

Scent absorbing clothing acts like a sponge. Once a sponge is saturated it won’t absorb any more water. Once scent proof clothing is saturated, it will no longer control scent unless it is reactivated. This is why you don’t want to store scent absorbing clothing in a container with other clothing or anything else with scent. Some hunters like to store their clothes with junipers, pines, or acorns… anything that fits the surrounding habitat. It’s not a bad idea with traditional hunting clothing but it will decrease the effectiveness of products like ScentLok.

Another option available to hunters is ozone. Ozone is commonly used for restoration work, cleaning hospital rooms, and municipal water. A few companies have developed small ozone making machines designed to remove odor from hunting clothes. All you need to do is place these units with your hunting clothing and let science do the work.

With all the advances in technology there really isn’t any reason to lay down excessive human scent when hunting. Store your clothing properly and you won’t have to worry about being sniffed out this season.



My name is Caleb and I am obsessed with hunting, fishing, and foraging. To be successful, you have to think like your prey. You have to get into the mind of your target - and understand Big Game Logic. If you have any questions, or just want chat about your latest hunting score or big catch, you can reach me at admin@biggamelogic.com. Read more about Big Game Logic.