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Activated Carbon Information

We use chemical cartridges in our respirators and are sealed till use and tossed after 1 use. No way to tell how much time is left in its ability to stop or catch the chemicals. I believe in carbon filters and what they are designed to do.......I use them to protect my life. I'm just not sure if I can do enough to stop all my scent on me or my gear in the tree with me. I tried too for awhile....took the fun out of it for me. Also, every breath that is taken is through the filter....all water goes through the filter but we aren't wrapped in a filter that way. It is not something that I want to worry over. Wash my clothes and my body...watch my entry....do my best to keep my scent away from them as much as possible. Learned wind currents with floaters as it moves much as water does and this has helped me to see more deer than I ever have before. Lots less trouble and worry for me...foolproof? No, I guess I'm just a fool a who loves to hunt deer...LOL. Carbon absorbs scent no doubt....but I like it simple or I'm just plain lazy LOL. Opening day is close or open now! Let's hunt!
 
So if I took a piece of really stinky Limburger cheese and put it inside a scent Lok garment I would not be able to smell that cheese through the fabric?
 
PhilSch said:
So if I took a piece of really stinky Limburger cheese and put it inside a scent Lok garment I would not be able to smell that cheese through the fabric?
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It's not a cure all it goes with sent control regiment. It's not magic but it's part of it if you what to do it. I'm not here to tell someone that they shouldn't use carbon what ever works for you and your comfortable with.
 
Apex7 said:
It's not a cure all it goes with sent control regiment. It's not magic but it's part of it if you what to do it. I'm not here to tell someone that they shouldn't use carbon what ever works for you and your comfortable with.
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Does anyone know the answer to my question? I I'm not trying to be a smart-ass or dispute the benefit of scent Lok. I just want to know how effective it really is at masking odor.

If no one knows I will likely buy a scent Lok garment, get some stinky cheese and try it myself.
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Does anyone know the answer to my question? I'm not trying to be a smart-ass nor am I trying to dispute the benefit of scent Lok garments.

If no one knows I will buy a scent Lok garment and try the test myself.
 
PhilSch said:
Does anyone know the answer to my question? I'm not trying to be a smart-ass nor am I trying to dispute the benefit of scent Lok garments.

If no one knows I will buy a scent Lok garment and try the test myself.
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I would say if cheese will spook deer you probably don’t want to take it hunting. Everyone takes this stuff out for f context. It’s a tool, part of a system. There are no hard and fast rules.

@ThePreBanMan the absorbing h2o leaving the carbon unable to absorb other chemicals or scents is bogus info. One of the biggest uses for activated carbon is in aquariums. It absorbs chemicals and odor while being completely saturated. Ask someone in the aquarium world and they will confirm it. It will reach its maximum absorptive capacity and will need to be replaced. Water filters with carbon also removed organic compounds to improve your drinking water. That’s not to argue the capabilities of carbon infused clothing and it’s effectiveness on deer but just saying it isn’t clogged by water.
 
It's not about the cheese. I just picked that as an organic odor source to determine how effectively the fabric will block an odor. The test could be done with any number of odor sources. How well it blocks the odor of cheese would give you an idea how well it would arrest someone's body odor.
 
There’s not many deer east of the Mississippi that doesn’t smell human odor. Think of it like mirrors on your car. The drivers side mirror shows a true reflection while things on the passenger side are closer than they appear. I chose not to wear scentlok this morning and had a doe come in behind me about 25yds. She did a 180 when she hit my scent but she didn’t leave the country she just backtracked about thirty yards and took another trail that carried he back by me at 45 yards calm because she felt that she was at a safe distance. From my experience in the past I can say with confidence that had I been wearing my scentlok she would have continued on at 25 yards. She still would have survived because of my 15 yard self imposed limit with the recurve. The downside to scentlok isn’t the price it’s the heat.
 
EricS said:
There’s not many deer east of the Mississippi that doesn’t smell human odor. Think of it like mirrors on your car. The drivers side mirror shows a true reflection while things on the passenger side are closer than they appear. I chose not to wear scentlok this morning and had a doe come in behind me about 25yds. She did a 180 when she hit my scent but she didn’t leave the country she just backtracked about thirty yards and took another trail that carried he back by me at 45 yards calm because she felt that she was at a safe distance. From my experience in the past I can say with confidence that had I been wearing my scentlok she would have continued on at 25 yards. She still would have survived because of my 15 yard self imposed limit with the recurve. The downside to scentlok isn’t the price it’s the heat.
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This is my favorite ScentLok “defense” I have ever read. Got me thinking for sure.
 
I’ve worn my new scentlok suits head to toe on every hunt this season. I have yet to be in the woods on a day that a deer didn’t blow down wind of me. Love the garments but I have yet to verify that it is doing anything for me except alerting deer of my presence.
 
I use scent lok and scent blocker from head to toe. I almost never wash these garments but when I do I use scent free detergent and dryer sheets. I store everything in airtight bags and containers and put my ozonics in my truck the night before I hunt for 30 minutes. I shower in scent free soap and wear scent free clothing washed the same way as my scentlok stuff. I dress in my scentlok once I get out of my truck and spray everything I have with me including my bow ,release,rangefinder,everything. I use a scent lok face mask and mouth spray when I remember it.I can't say for sure this works but I`m seeing deer. I`m bumping deer. Very seldom am I getting blown at . I think its worth having . If it gives me an edge then I will definitely continue my regimine. I believe it works to suppress odors at least. That being said I will say that Scent Lok and Scent Blocker used in a scent free regimen works . To what degree I have no idea. Any edge is welcome. Lets talk Camo next
 
Great Read!!!!!
Thank you to all that have participated.
I own some and use some and I am not sold on it but may buy more when I get fatter and need more camo.
 
John Eberhart said:
redsquirrel

I put this on a different post but thought it should also be in the scent control section.

I'll be happy to start a match on the topic of activated carbon lined suits and their effectiveness. I hunted for 36 years without using a Scent Lok suit and 14 years with it and for any hunter to argue its effectiveness is not only a waste of their time, it shows they have done no research on the technology of activated carbon. Whenever there is a new scent adsorption, eliminating, or cover up technology brought into the hunting market, take my word for it, it was not developed by the hunting manufacturer that brought it to market.

The average R & D cost to a pharmaceutical company to bring a single FDA approved drug to market is around 2 billion dollars and most hunting companies are in the 5 to 70 million dollar a year annual gross bracket and simply can't afford scientists and or a sophisticated R & D department.

Any technology that actually works (and many in the hunting industry don't) for molecular adsorption, killing bacteria, molecular containment in the form of blocking, or an anti-microbial, was researched and developed for a much larger and far more sophisticated worldwide market industry than our little hunting industry. The hunting industry simply piggybacks on the technologies that were developed by other industries and governments worldwide.

Personally I never believe any advertisements from any manufacturers, any of the bloviating endorsements spewed by the so-called hunting experts that get paid to endorse them, or anything on any manufactures website, including Scent Lok's, when it comes to hi-tech scientific technology. Manufacturers and hunting personalities can and do lie and their is no hunting advertising police that hands out tickets for lying or false advertising.

This is where a little research by the hunter questioning any technology should come into play. All anyone has to do is simply Google the technology to see if it actually exists and if it does; how many other worldwide industries, hospitals, restaurants, governments, etc. use it, how it is used, and what does it do, and how effective is it when compared to similar technologies used for the same purposes.

Google activated carbon and you will find it is the most adsorbent substance know to man.

Scent Lok was sued for false advertising by a few Minnesota hunters that got winded and while extremely expensive to defend, it ended up being a blessing in disguise for any hunters willing to take off their blinders and look at what the outcome was. For a United States District Court, an independent lab at Rutgers University proved beyond a preponderance of a doubt that Scent Lok’s clothing worked as advertised.

The following paragraph was taken directly from Court’s final ruling.
-Expert scientific testing found that, using highly elevated odor concentrations that were “likely ten thousand fold greater than a human body could produce in the course of 24 hours”, Scent Lok carbon lined clothing blocked or adsorbed 96 to 99 plus percent of odor compounds, and essentially 100% of surrogate body odor compounds.

Activated carbon is used in literally thousands of industries worldwide for filtration, purification, storage, and molecular adsorption applications and when Googled here are a few of the hundreds of uses for it:

Gas purification, decaffeination, gold purification, metal extraction, drinking water purification, refrigerant gas adsorption, sewage treatment, every countries chemical warfare suits, by NASA in primary life support systems better known as space suits, gas masks, water softeners, paint respirators, filters in compressed air, volatile organic compound capture, dry cleaning processes, automobile filtration systems, gasoline dispensing operations, groundwater remediation, to adsorb radon for testing air quality, for oral ingestion in hospitals worldwide to treat overdose patients, in intensive care units to filter harmful drugs from the bloodstream of poisoned patients, to adsorb mercury emissions from coal power stations and medical incinerators, to filter vodka and whiskey of organic impurities, and by the US Dept. of Energy to store natural and hydrogen gas.

Just as; NASA, auto industry, U. S. Dept. of Energy, hospitals, and every Dept. of Defense in the world didn’t pull activated carbon out of a hat and say, hey let’s use this stuff, neither did Scent Lok.

Microscopic evaluations show that if all the surface areas of the primary, secondary, tertiary pores, and exterior surface of each particle of activated carbon were flattened and laid on a flat surface:
-A tablespoon of activated coconut carbon particles (activated carbon Scent Lok uses) has a surface area of just over 3 ½ football fields.
-And one pound of activated carbon particles (a small butter tub) has a surface area equal to that of approximately 100 acres (more than a half mile in length and a quarter mile in width).

Here's the kicker and the main reason many hunters say Scent Lok's activated carbon lined suits don't work. A suit is not magic and the many hunters that owned them and got winded, had no clue how to properly care for them and what to do in conjunction with them to have a total scent free regiment.

Carbon lined clothing requires very specific care and absolutely must be used in conjunction with a carbon lined headcover with drop down facemask, carbon gloves, knee high rubber or neoprene boots, and a frequently washed fanny or backpack.

Some ifs: If you; exclusively use scent eliminating sprays, wear face paint to look cool like the TV and video so-called experts do, wear a favorite logo ball cap like the TV and video guys do, don’t regularly wash your pack in scent free detergent and store it in an air tight container, don’t wear clean rubber or neoprene knee high boots, or if you wear regular gloves when ascending trees, you should definitely “hunt the wind” because your scent regiment is not perfect and perfect is a must when hunting mature whitetails.

Of course there will always be that guy that says, hey I killed a lot of deer without a scent free regiment. Cavemen also killed dinosaurs with spears and Indians killed with stick bows and wooden arrows. I also killed well over 100 deer with my bow before activated carbon technology was introduced into the hunting marketplace, but I have always been willing to check out anything new and take full advantage of it if it works and I feel totally naked in the woods with a properly cared for Scent Lok suit.

My willingness to look at every new hunting item is also what led me to use an Anderson Treesling in 1981. At first I hated it because it was different and uncomfortable, but I saw the huge advantages it would bring me if I altered it for my personal use. I have been using a harness system ever since and think conventional stands of any type are archaic and outdated.

If anyone would like me to forward them a guide in how to properly care for activated carbon lined clothing, go to my website at: www.deer-john.net and e-mail me your request.
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John,
I feel like I follow your Scent regimine pretty closely. I do not have a soccer bus . I use my Avalanche. One thing I didn`t see was you using ozone to supplement the Carbon regimine in your vehicle. I recently added a 30 min cycle in my truck with ozone (250 mg). I treat my sticks ,ropes ,platforms and misc items including my saddle this way. How do you de-scent your non carbon items?
 
I may be a bit late in this thread, and this may have already pointed out, but when the police dogs are following the scent of their human, they are literally following only that one scent and following it no matter how faint.
A deer will be smelling all scents at one time and be judging if a credible threat is imminent or an immediate threat is near.
A faded scent is less likely to pose a threat to a deer and will therefore be more than likely overlooked, whereas the dog was following it because it was told to find that certain scent and look for it only.
A true experiment would be to allow the owners of the dogs to find their human while he is in that clothing and newer smells to have passed over it while not having the dog try to find their owner, just wondering around like a deer would be doing. In other words, see if the dog would still find them if they werent told to do so and were just released out.
 
PhilSch said:
Does anyone know the answer to my question? I'm not trying to be a smart-ass nor am I trying to dispute the benefit of scent Lok garments.

If no one knows I will buy a scent Lok garment and try the test myself.
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100% serious on this, I have never smelled one of my own farts while wearing my scent lok. I’ve made it a point to try. That’s a better test than cheese. I take care of my scent gear meticulously. It only comes out of its tote in the woods or to be reactivated In the dryer. I dress/undress in the woods, don’t drive with it on, and spray down my bow, release, and anything else that can pick up odors before each hunt. It works every time.
 
I hunt ScentLok religiously, I believe it helps if game simply “crosses” your path downwind. I believe it is better than not having it, but as far as the advertising campaign “forget the wind and just hunt” mwahahaha what a joke. Wind is still the king. But anything I can do to increase my odds I will do.
 
John,
I have openly stated for several years that YOU, are the best Whitetail deer hunter on the planet.. i belive this with all my heart. Ask my good friend Mike Avery what I say about you.
You have influenced my hunting technique more than anyone or anything in my entire life. I've taken my biggest bucks since adopting your methods, and been more consistent doing do so as well.
However, I will never get on board with scent loc. I do believe activated carbon does exactly what you say it does and the studies are out there. Its science..
In practical application, 99.9% of us cannot pull off a "perfect" hunt..
We have day jobs, families, and numerous distractions to prevent this.
I have no doubt you, in your methodical way, have managed to perfect a process that comes as close to scent free as a human can be, but even you cannot quantify its true effectiveness, or not. You cannot possibly know if you've been winded by bucks ( deer) you never see. The fact that you are simply a hunter above the rest, and I say that with all sincerity, is why you have killed, and continue to kill the best buck in the square mile, anywhere you chose too.
Nobody is scent free during a hunt. It does not have to be human odor that turns a buck.
That said, ill stay with what you've taught me in every other aspect, and be grateful I picked up your book 17 years ago.
 
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