Ordered a couple of Army Surplus Chemical protection suits from Cheaper than Dirt. Five bucks each, OD Green, large for my husband and small for me. That was the only sizes they had and the small seems pretty LARGE. I guess so you can wear your normal clothes underneath. The pants will fit me because they have adjusters at the wasist to bring them in, but the jacket is going to be too bulky to bow hunt in. That's okay, i'll just wear the pants and i have scent blocker underliner top can wear with regular camo jacket.

This outfit, if it works like regular scent blocker suits, is a great buy. The pants have zippers in the legs and tie strings and big pockets. Jacket has good zipper and velcro closure as well, (better not mess with that velcro in the field, though).

I don't know how warm these suits are, but they are thick. The lining is black and looks like the scent block linings that cost 60+ at sporting goods stores. May not be "suit"able for October temperatures. They were in sealed bags so i sealed the one i opened back up in a garbage bag for storage.

Plinker

I don't have any experience with the chemical suits as scent control for hunting. I can tell you that they are very heavy, very hot, do not breath and once you start to sweat, the charcole will leach out and stain your skin and or any clothing undernieth. By the way, do not put them in your washing machine, especially since they're new. If you need to wash them take them to a laundrymat and don't put anything else in there with them.

I used a chemical suit last year---it was great. The velcro that they put on those damned things though!!!! First thing cut it all off. Only put your suit on when you get to the field, store it outside if possible, transport it in a few thicknesses of plastic bags.

Interstingly-last fall I had washed some clothes in scent free detergent, dried them in the dryer while bbqing some chicken ouside with the back door open. The smoke came in and the dryer sucked right through my clothes. Only then did I realize that a dryer takes it's air from inside the house, through the drum and exhausts it. Basically you are infusing your clothes with all the smells in your house!!!! I now hand all my clothes outside to dry, the sun's uv rays also help to destroy bacteria and smells.

the chef

I think they work fine. I always wash mine before wearing simply to get a bunch of the carbon off, so you don't turn black when you wear them.

Uggghhh, I'm having Air Force flashbacks of stewing in those suits for hours at a time during exercises in the summer....they will keep you warm, thats a fact! You will also have a dusting of carbon all over you and whatever you wear underneath until they are washed a couple of times (in a laundry mat, don't mess up your washer). They are made in woodland green camo also, check some military surplus stores in your area.

I dont use scent blocking clothing when i hunt. just a little cover spray(dirt scent.
I have seen the price on that fancy stuff and i must say if your suits work..good job and good luck

Best of luck.

No offence intended, I think once you understand how to work with the wind and terrian of your hunting spot, you will see you don't need those suits.

I wa scouting preseason years ago. I stop to take break and sat down on the side of a ridge with wind at my back. I was having a cup of coffee and smoking a good cigarand glassing a marsh below me. I had a 12 pt/ buck come upbehind me some 10 feet away. The wind had hidden my presence even with the hot coffe & cigar smoke. I wasn't wearing camos, jeans & a wool shirt.

BTW - I don't know who was more startled.

quote:

No offence intended, I think once you understand how to work with the wind and terrian of your hunting spot, you will see you don't need those suits.

You are exactly right. I have one of those puff wind bottle things. But i usually only check the wind to see if that's the reason i'm not seeing anything. Sometimes i DO try to figure the wind, like last year i had the wind in my face...but the deer came walking up behind me. Luckily they smelled me and started snorting, or else i'd never have seen them. That was during gun season, though. I'd never have gotten a shot with a bow. I also move too much to ever draw a bow. I'm going to wear the suit and get in a total concealement blind, and maybe i'll have a slim chance to get an archery deer.

Plinker

I tend to agree that we all have to hunt the wind. I always have a thread with a feather on my bow to remind me which way the wind is going. My daughter gives me all the feathers she finds so I have a constant supply. With a nice steady breeze it's easy to play the wind. Here We're just on the edge of the foothills and the wind changes a lot throughout the day this makes it harder. I would also suggest that if we are in a ground blind for an extended period of time that we create a "pocket of stink" and thats where the suit would tend to be a help. I see lots of deer without my suit but I see way more with it.

the chef

I keep a small tuff of feather down on a string on the limb tip of my recurve too.

Hunting the wind is a good thing but, In most cases it only works if you are stalking or you have a definite shooting lane direction.

Where I hunt game often surprises me, I mean alot of deer pop out from a direction you never would have expected often not even on "deer trails." I try to set up in funnels but, still am often surprised at the direction game comes in at times so I just try and prepare for any situation.

I've never bought on to the scent suits but, if you are not real anal about scent elimination, I can see where they would be of use.

What I mean about being anal about scent elimination, is going all out to avoid the presense of any un natural odors. I wash all of my clothes in scent eliminating detergent accompanied by baking soda then take imediately from the washer outside to hang dry (I'm talking everything, gloves, hats, underware, socks, facemask, etc). W/ clean hands, I take a full set of clothing and place it into a plastic bag, push out the air, and tie shut. I try to make up enough bags to last me a few hunts. Then, before every hunt (morning and evening) I take a shower in scent-away soap, put on scent free deodorant, and get dressed (preferable outside if possible). Rubber boots are very important as well as tucking your pants into them. Right before I enter the woods I spray down entirely w/ a scent-a-way spray. I also climb at least 20-25 feet high if possible. I know that sounds awful anal but, I've had very very few animals wind me while doing this process and I'm sure I've shot many of them down wind. When stand hunting in tall timber and hills the wind swirls too much to get successfully down wind of the game.

Reloader

Reloader you have some good points!!

When I started bowhunting I told myself and others that I wouldn't get too anal about scent elimination. I thought it was a bunch of hooey, the more I do to eliminate scent the more animals I see. I've tried various "cover scents" and they seem to fail pretty miserably unless they are part of a scent elimination thingy. Knight and Hale comes to mind- their scent eliminator has the smell of rotting leaves added to it and that doesn't seem to spook the deer too much. I too wash all my clothes etc. just and that alone makes a huge difference. If I plan to hike a long ways I'd leave my chemical suit at home...in that case I'd be more concerned with not working up a sweat.

the chef