Deoderant choice?

"Gail, Thank God for "Gurly Girls" there’s a nothing more traumatic then crossing paths with a beautiful lady backpacker that smells worse then a pack mule."

For those of us married who hike without their husbands due to said husband's work schedule, well, it doesn't matter if we stink. We are not looking for hookups in the backcountry….I don't care if people think I stink – I can live with my BO in the backcountry. Same thing that I don't wear makeup or carry a comb. I brush my teeth and rinse off every day. I do take a bit more care when Synchro comes along, but who am I kidding? He doesn't primp for me in the backcountry!

None of my male hiking partners seem to care if I reek. It isn't like we share tents or are forced to be near each other.

I shower daily and coif my hair at home, wear clean clothes and even have essential oils on my skin at home. I don't have any desire to be a high maintance diva in the backcountry.I have hiked with women like that before….and no thanks.

Maybe if your single and looking for a romp while hiking….

Personally, I find the smell of scented deodorant nauseating.

haven't tried this yet, but i've heard that zinc oxide applied before sweating is effective antibiotic that will prevent the bacteria which convert the sweat contents to stink – so thoses heading above treeline at least have a potentially viable multi use product option

i usually just take the part of a deodorant stick that is left on the bottom and scoop it out into a tiny plastic container – i think less than .5 ounce & has lasted several trips

I carry alcohol soaked wipes and use 2 per day to clean stinky areas. For 15 days this translates to 2.6 oz. It is very effective and if I am alone I can go every other day and not be too offensive. I have also heard of a paste that you put on your underarm hair only that is supposed to last for days. Works as a fire starter once used.
I second(or third) wool as a non stinky choice for base layer.

Cary,

That's interesting. The main ingredient in Body Glide is zinc oxide. Perhaps a multi-purpose use?

As far as deodorant goes I never use it, but I try to stay fairly clean on the trail. When I worked at REI, you could tell when some of the PCT thru hikers were in the store before seeing them!

An observation I've made is that body hair seems makes a big difference. The fellow I hike with isn't hairy and he is always fresher than me. I could be mistaken for a wild animal if I didn't have clothes on.

I've also heard that iodine in strategic areas before heading out can keep you stink free for a few days.. I haven't tried this one myself. anyone?

And yes, body hair plays a big part in stinking. Shave your arm pits and other areas (ahem) and you will stink less. The hair holds onto the sweat and bacteria can grow quite fast, producing said BO. Add in some wool undergarments a person might smell pretty good.

Btw, if you all haven't tried them, I picked up a number of items at Icebreak Lab in Portland, Oregon in December. Their items are pricey but very nice. Makes Smartwool look like synthetics ;-) Yes, beware, their underwear is $35 a pair. Love them though!

Methinks newbies looking into backpacking as a new hobby will probably click away fast and look for something else — after reading these threads! Eeewwwwww! :)

As embarassing as it may be, I shave my armpits…not with a razor, but with an electric shaver to get it down to about 1/8" in length. I find it reduces my underarm sweat output a MASSIVE amount. As stated earlier, I don't use deodarant on the trail, but for regular use I only require a dab for the day…I'm wierd.

Stop lying Steven, you shave your arm pits to lower your skin out weight. ;-)

lol @ Frank's response.

LOL!!! You know me well. :)

You had another good one in the "base weight" thread.

Just so we're not off topic…:)

It seems there are three issues here:

1) The odor-reducing properties of deodorant
2) The sweat-reducing properties of antiperspirant
3) The bear/bee-attracting odors of scented deodorant/anti-perspirant

Myself, I could care less if I stink in the back woods. But I find excessive sweating inhibits my performance. I've tried backpacking with no anti-perspirant. Problem is I end up sweating so badly from my arms that I soak my smartwool baselayer. I particularly don't like it when beads of cold sweat drip from my armpits into my torso area and shirt; very uncomfortable if there's a breeze or things cool down.

So I apply Arm & Hammer's unscented 36-hour anti-perspirant just before the hike, but do not take it with me. I find it usually reduces my armpit sweat for a good 2 to 3 days, which is the length of most of my trips these days.

My brother stopped eating onions and garlic completely (not even as a soup base), and he is able to get by with no deodorant and not smell. But I don't know too many people willing to forego such food staples! He believes we were designed to sweat as part of our natural temperature regulation mechanisms. And anti-perspirant thows this natural proccess off. He's absolutely right, yet on this matter I still say viva la artificial chemicals and modern technology!! =)

"My brother stopped eating onions and garlic completely (not even as a soup base), and he is able to get by with no deodorant and not smell. But I don't know too many people willing to forego such food staples! He believes we were designed to sweat as part of our natural temperature regulation mechanisms. And anti-perspirant thows this natural proccess off."

Hmm… I agree with you brother's philosophy but can't bring myself to agree with his methods.

However, if you're sweating so badly that some crystal stick (i believe it's been mentioned) and merino base layer can't cover it… I wonder if you're not wearing too thick of a base layer and causing your core to heat up more than it should.

I sweat just as bad in a thin cotton T-shirt as I do in my Merino base layer. I tried a crystal stick, and it didn't do the trick for me. But those are both good suggestions.

One of the reasons I moved to the Northwest from Southern California is I sweat a lot less on hikes up here!! (Summer temps in the 80s in the valleys, always a nice cool breeze in the mountains).

I have a hiking partner (male) who sweats so much you'd think it was raining. That is just how his body cools itself off. Some guys just end up that way. I always kidded him that he was a basketball player in disguise (Is it Oneal that sweats like a river?)

So yeah, it happens.

Sweating is perfectly natural for humans (and many other animals). Our sweat has no smell initially. It only smells because of bacterial growth. How effective is YOUR body in fighting off bacteria?

As bad as it is for most people to use deodorants on a daily basis — and becoming dependent on it to reduce sweating and to fight off bacteria — the absolute worst is to stop using the stuff suddenly and completely — just because they're going hiking! Next thing they know, they sweat more and they stink more than they ever thought possible!

To me, this is a bit like having a person using antibacterial soap and Purell every single day for years and years — then stop just before visiting a hospital. Yup, totally maximizing his chance of catching "baddies". And instead of weaning himself away, he uses the stuff even more — convinced that he needs the constant 'protection'.

"Our sweat has no smell initially. It only smells because of bacterial growth."

Not entirely accurate. Apocrine gland secretions (armpit, groin) do have a smell, but it's definitely made more noticeable by bacteria.

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"As bad as it is for most people to use deodorants on a daily basis — and becoming dependent on it to reduce sweating and to fight off bacteria — the absolute worst is to stop using the stuff suddenly and completely — just because they're going hiking! Next thing they know, they sweat more and they stink more than they ever thought possible!"

Disagree with all of that. Show me a study showing deodorant use is bad ('cept in persons suffering from hidradenitis suppurativa). More persons not of American birth should discover this. I don't sweat or stink greatly when going hiking just because I use antiperspirant.

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"To me, this is a bit like having a person using antibacterial soap and Purell every single day for years and years — then stop just before visiting a hospital. Yup, totally maximizing his chance of catching "baddies". "

That scenario does not increase ones chance of catching baddies over anybody else, IMO. As soon as you touch anything after using soap, you have bacteria on your hands.

You make a good point, Ben, about the rebound effect of deodorants/anti-perspirants. Another aspect to consider is that regular use of deodorant soaps inhibits the skin's ability to produce melanin, which is what protects from the sun's radiation, and at high altitude there's even more exposure to UV.

But as I said earlier, the botton line is regular hygiene. I also mentioned the effectiveness of a salt crystal but didn't mention that I don't take it backpacking…it weighs 1.5 oz, and I do just fine by rinsing off or taking a swim at the end of the day. In the winter I wipe down with a Wet-Nap moist towelette and the weight can be justified then because I have a hard time getting to sleep if I'm all sticky and clammy from a day's accumulation of sweat. Not only that, but there's the expense of my Montbell bag to consider: I prefer to keep it as cleen as possible and not have to wash it so much and thus extend it's life ( I also wear silk longjohns in the sack for this reason).

Back in the day when I worked for the Forest Service I once spent three summers manning a remote lookout. Water was precious as the spring was two miles down a steep trail and I had to haul it on my back, all 80 lbs of it! I managed regular hygiene by taking a sponge bath every other day using only a cup of water. That's all it takes. On the rare occasion that I had a visitor, they could enter the tower without retching. If you're rank on the trail, then you're leaving out an important step. Happy Trails!

John:

My views (and that's all they are) — aren't based on any one specific report — but on an amalgamation of reports that I believe we have all encountered from time to time: how the use of antibacterial ingredients in soap, in kitchen and household cleansing agents, on our children's toys, etc. actually encourages germs to develop resistance. Thinking about it, why would daily application of deodorants — many if not most incorporating antibacterial ingredients — be uniquely different?

After years of usage, one can probably expect that the surviving bacteria will be the ones that have successfully overcome (or adapted to) both our bodies and our deodorants! And when folks suddenly stop using their de-od on the trail, yikes!

Methinks a much better way is to NOT use de-od on a daily basis (if indeed there is no need to) — but to use them selectively only a few times a year — such as when going hiking! But in my own experience, even this is pretty unnecessary for most people — as I wrote before.

But what I am reading above — using the stuff everyday but then skipping it when hiking (think physical exertion) — are precisely two wrongs that DON'T make a right!

I completely agree with Monty regarding personal hygiene.

I've used live enzyme cleaner to rejuvenate the "new" smell of some old hiking boots. It worked like a charm. The boots passed the test of my "super sniffer" friend. They actually smelled like new again. The enzymes eat the cause of the ordor, that being some sort of bacteria. This is not a cover-up treatment.
I talked to the factory rep and asked if I could drink this stuff. He said, "Yes, but it's probably not a good idea". So if it is "that" harmless it might work as underarm deodorant. Does anyone want to give it a try?????

Zinc oxide compounds work very well as deodorants. There is at least one comercial zinc oxide deodorant available (that I have used)–"Lavalin" (although it is overpriced, IMHO). My experience is that any compound that contains a high percentage of zinc-oxide seems to work well (such as: Original Desitin, various zinc oxide sunblocks, etc). The advantage to using zinc oxide deo is that one uses VERY VERY LITTLE and its effects usually last 3-7 days. NOTE: if you do try using a zinc oxide based compound–DON'T RUB IT IN–you aren't trying to (and don't want to) block the sweat glands–you are just creating a surface environment that is inhospitable to bacterial growth, you will still sweat freely (which probably isn't bad). You just pat it on the surface of the skin and make sure to get it on any hair you might have in the application area. Also, it is best to apply the stuff at night, upon retiring, so as to avoid any irritation from physical activity (shoulder straps, etc.)

I first started using the stuff on sweaty summer outdoor trips and now use it year-round. For me, it takes about one application every 7 days in winter and one application about every 4 days under sweaty summer conditions, plus there need be no perfumey odor (unless you are using original strength Desitin as a deodorant, and then you smell a bit like, well you know . . . ). Supposedly, zinc oxide works well against foot odor, as well.

None and none. Who cares–after a couple of days, deodorant won't stop you from stinking. Splashing off in the streams and/or lakes is good enough for me.