Gear that is off-gassing-has chemical smell

Let them air out for 24 hours, maybe even put a fan to blow over them. If the smell is going to dissipate then you should notice a difference after 24 hours.

Ive had them outdoors for 5days or more and they still reek…it pisses me off that dangerous products like this are knowinlgly allowed to be sold. Im looking for a bed and mattress's are horrible for chemicals and flame retardant.And you are supposed to lie on that chemical soup for 8hrs a day? 20 years ago or less you didnt have this issue now its rampant…Certain aisles and sometimes entire stores smell of off-gassing.

You will find that most other people can't smell what you are smelling. I had that problem when I was a kid with a particular type of Vynal. Gave me headaches and nausea yet no one else around me was aware of it.

leave shoes outside, eventually the smell will probably dissipate "new car" smell takes a year to dissipate flame retardant in mattresses – con by cigarette manufacturers. Burning cigarettes were being left on mattresses which started fires. Cigarette manufacturers hired lobbyists which shifted the blame to flammable mattresses so they put in flame retardants which cause other health problems, but it delayed the day when the government started regulating cigarettes so they made a bunch more money

I'll take chem-shoes and chem-beds all day long if y'all will just stay away from me with all that perfume on your bodies. Men are the worst.

*IF* the smell goes away it doesnt mean the chemicals are not still leaching and being absorbed through your skin. What a state of affairs when the general populace is indifferent to corporate crap like this(VW,tobacco,NRA-gun industry et al) and politicians etc have no balls to regulate this chicanery.

yeah, walking along the trail, sometimes I'll pass people that are heavily perfumed physical activity -> increased body temperature -> more scent there's also a cloud of mosquitoes following them. And a couple bears and mountain lions : ) I think women are more heavily perfumed, but I haven't done a study

I would vote with my wallet and return them.

"I think women are more heavily perfumed, but I haven't done a study." No way. I haven't done a study either, but I'm allergic to a majority of perfumes, and men are the worst offenders *by a long shot*. But that's partly because I'm bothered by more men's scents than women's scents, which is what makes this post on-topic (sort of). It was suggested above that the OP might have an unusual sensitivity to the shoe chems; I have no idea, but my experience with perfumes makes me think it's possible.

I've gotten a lot of gear and clothing that had a distinct smell right out of the package, especially if it was wrapped in a plastic bag during shipment and storage. Most of those clear up after a short time in fresh air. I've had a few items that smelled a lot out of the box and continued to off-gas for weeks and weeks afterwards. If these are still bothering you after 5 days, I'd return them. My experience is that some level of that smell will always be there and if left in a warm car or pack, you'll be revisited by that smell a long time in the future. And just because you bought "name-brand" North Face shoes, doesn't mean a NF-approved factory made them. An awful lot of stuff is knocked-off nowadays.

The worst for me is the flame retardant put in tents. Most new tents have a terrible smell and it's gotta be the retardant. One reason I get Hilleberg tents—no flame retardant used. Excellent article here— http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/tent-camping-america-one-big-toxic-experience

"One reason I get Hilleberg tents—no flame retardant used." I wonder if anyone buys a Tarptent for the same reason ?

I have deleted two recent posts, one of which went beyond what I would tolerate, while the other quoted the first. Cheers Roger Caffin Online Community Monitor Backpacking Light

Yes, and the progressive view which sparked my comments still stands. Very one sided don't you think. I would much rather loose my privilege to post here than hold my tongue when it comes to my constitutional rights. Not sorry Roger.

"Very one sided don't you think." The Moderator(s) are one sided and tend to pick and choose as the feel fit. Many small retailers and such who make a comment regarding a product are informed they need to make it known they are affiliated with a product (even if it is in their avatar)…..except for a company that whenever a tent question comes up, promotes their product. Most love and know their products but for a new comer / novice to UL/Lightweight backpacking, it could be considered and is biased information. There should be stated guidelines and action we can take when things are brought to the attention of moderators which are simply ignored.

I feel your pain! I detest any sort of offgassing odors whether it's from a new car, gear, air freshners (what an oxymoron!), personal care products/perfumes, etc. Re peoples sensitivity to synthetic odors….IMHO, people who are more health conscious and are aware of chemicals, the regulatory system, etc are going to notice the odors more and consequently, be more bothered and/or offended by them. Generally. Again, IMHO, and based off some fairly close relationships with a couple of companies whom make outdoor rec gear, I'd say most manufacturers have no idea what chemicals are in the materials they are using in their products….and, don't care…or, don't want to know. Selling (profits) is the name of the game and that relies on performance and/or convincing the consumer of such. I'd gladly give up a bit of performance (just how much do we need anyway?), or pay more money, knowing a company went the extra mile to find a material that was less toxic than another. I remember getting a new sleeping bag from a popular cottage gear maker and the shell felt weird. Not only that, it left my hands feeling weird….even after washing with soap and water. Bad for me? I have no idea. I'm guessing it wasn't like mothers milk of past generations though (I say past as even the milk from today's mother is contaminated). I sent it back…and I told the company why. I get a similar, but lesser feeling with most water repellent/water proof fabrics. At any rate, I'm always surprised, or better yet, dismayed that consumers don't demand to know more about this stuff. What's in all these water repellent, water proof, super duper breathable, etc fabrics! What's that smell, etc. There's always going to be those that say it's nothing to be concerned with. The bottom line though is that they don't know! There's 80+k chemicals in commerce and scientist know a little about the dangers of an extremely small fraction of those….when they are alone. In the big picture, no one knows what harm is being done by most chemicals… and when you factor in all the possible combinations, it's unfathomable. Welcome to the age of hi-tech and our drive to have the latest, greatest, and sleekest product. I agree with Dale. Vote with your dollar…and make sure you tell them why you're sending them back.

I am no more or less sensitive to chemical odors than the average person.I just take note what health danger that really does represent when a product does off-gas.Off gassing was rare 15 or 20 years ago and then suddenly it become commonplace.I guess the consequence of cheap chinese labor/products and bad trade deals for the West. Dollar stores and other discount retailers would be defunct without these bad trade deals we've gotten ourselves into.Weve built an economy around cheap,dangerous items. An example of how egregious this unregulated mess we are in: Guitar Center is a massive chain store that sells both low and high end guitars.They also sell guitar stands to hold your guitars.They sell a particular model of cheap guitar stand for 10$.This actual stand leaches such bad chemicals that it actually strips or burns off the finish on guitars.In the review section of this item one person gripes about his 5000$ guitar having its finish ruined by this stand-he bought the guitar and the stand at GC.GC refused to replace the guitar. GC is well aware of the problem but instead of pulling the item,they continue to sell the item knowing that it will damage more guitars-they admit this,because they now just put a warning label on the stand that it may damage your guitar.How scummy is that?They wont pull a 10$ widget as long as it sells.

"The worst for me is the flame retardant put in tents. Most new tents have a terrible smell and it's gotta be the retardant. One reason I get Hilleberg tents—no flame retardant used." The other is that you backpack ultra heavy because you never know when Armageddon may occur. C'mon, be honest with yourself.

Off topic. Someone needs to ban this guy. He's outgassing.

Nothing is ever off topic to you. You criticize UL shelters (specifically Tarptent for some unknown reason) and promote carrying Hillebergs instead. And low and behold, what do we have here: Hilleberg promotion in a thread about smelly gear. Hilleberg uses silnylon. What technology! I say this again – you got grandfathered in a forum membership when the site had a massive level of spam. Your tent weighs more than the average baseweight of the members here. You continue to shoot unveiled jabs at the lightweight backpackers on this forum. All I do is call you out for the Troll you are and will continue to do so as neccessary. Get used to it.

No forum should be so important to a guy to cause him to spend so much energy for so little results. It's like watching the flame-out of an UL elitist.

Tipi said, " It's like watching the flame-out of an UL elitist." And there you go, Folks.

Cool it guys. Your flame wars are not relevant to this thread. Roger

flame wars relevant to other threads?