Caribou Gear Tarp

Pack care between washings

Tufrthnails

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Joined
Apr 22, 2016
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Central Florida
Sorry if this has been gone over a lot, but I tried searching for threads and couldn't come up with what I'm asking.
So between the washing session how do you guys clean your pack belt, straps, and back pad. I live in FL and training with it there is no time of day that I will not soak the pack with sweat. What do you guys use for lack of better term maintenance cleaning. I thought about fabreeze to keep the smell down, but that really doesn't do much and isn't actually cleaning it.
 
Best thing you can do, IMO, is let it air out immediately after use. Some direct sunlight is great, hang in the breeze or use a fan to circulate the air. This prevents the water in the fabric from growing mold and bacteria, which is what causes the funky smell, so long as you have clean clothes on before shouldering the pack. This is less useful in very humid climates. I find that the fabric just builds up a lot of salt from my sweat, but doesn't stink much at all.
 
Is it the straps/belt that are smelly? Could consult your manufacturer's instructions. I never wash my packs or belts, just wipe them off when they're bloody, let them air dry between uses. Not sure why mine don't stink, and I sweat like crazy.
 
I throw mine in the tub with some Woolite or OxiClean once a year. Hang it where it can dry, not in sunlight. Don’t overthink it.
 
Is it the straps/belt that are smelly? Could consult your manufacturer's instructions. I never wash my packs or belts, just wipe them off when they're bloody, let them air dry between uses. Not sure why mine don't stink, and I sweat like crazy.
Yes. I already checked the manufacture's instructions. It involves breaking the whole pack down and soaking in mild detergent and hang dry in the shade with a breeze or a fan, but that is for cleaning the whole pack. I just assumed you guys probably cleaned your straps, belts and back pads with something simple between heavy cleanings. I'm not super worried about it. If I have to break it down and clean it good before my first trip this year I can do that.
 
A guy at Mystery Ranch told me to soak it in warm soapy water to get the stink out of it. I did that and it was fortunate my wife was out of town because the tub got pretty ugly.

I told the MR guy that I saw a picture of OYOA's Marcus Hockett cleaning them with a car wash pressure washer. He sort of chuckled and said that would take a few years off the life of the foam.
 
To clean my Mystery Ranch I usually put it in the tub and use the shower on the hottest setting to rinse through it for about ten minutes making sure getting that hot water in as much of the pockets as possible. Then after I feel like it’s pretty dang clean I flip the pack upside down and hang it from the curtain rod to drip dry. If it is real bloody I’ll do this until it’s not showing anything left on the pack. I avoid soap as much as I can to avoid any chance of a deep scent getting soaked into the pack. I have soaked packs in the past and actually feel like it dosnt do as good as this way for me. If the pack still smells after all of that and all else fails.. I have taken fresh sage brush and wiped it into the pack. Eventually the smell goes away and then it smells like fresh sage. Just what helps me and I hope it helps you 👍🏼
 
If your pack smells like sweat it’s due to bacteria growth, the most effective means of dealing with it is to wash with vinegar, if it’s just the straps/ pads I would use a squirt bottle and go to town let it sit for a couple hours then rinse.

Vinegar is the best thing to wash your clothes with as well, especially synthetics which tend to trap soap and smell. Put a cup in the spot typically reserved for bleach.
 
Ollin Magnetic Digiscoping Systems

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