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Scentlok face cover and condensation

D

DanD

New Member
Joined
May 20, 2022
Messages
27
I just started using Scentlok this week. I’m not going full “mommy van of death” but I’ve got my airtight totes set up and wear my SL gloves whenever touching gear that will go in the woods. I still play the wind but hope to gain an edge on swirly and still days.

I’m wondering about using face coverings when it’s cold and my breath condenses. I have a SL fleece neck gaiter and beanie and wear them both as I leave the vehicle. As I got off the hiking trail I pulled up the gaiter to cover my mouth and nose and left it up until I got back to the trail.

My first hunt was a quick evening and uneventful yet comfortable once I got past the flashbacks to wearing covid masks all the time.

This morning was a colder morning hunt. It was 26 leaving the house and got up to 40 when I got back to the vehicle. I did the same routine but this time the gaiter was soaking wet from condensation. Some of it was even forming on my eyelashes as it escaped up around my nose.

I rotated the gaiter regularly and that made it a little better but the new spot soon soaked through too. The wet fleece was colder than just having my nose out in the air. I could see it actually freezing if it were cold enough.

Is this just a part of the Scentlok system or is there a way to alleviate the moisture buildup? I have a full beard and am not a full time mouth breather but was probably using my mouth climbing and when a deer came by.

Any suggestions or stories to share?
 
Scentlok and glasses wearer here. In cold weather there really isn’t a way to prevent condensation other than not covering your mouth, that’s pretty much par for the course with any face mask. I leave my nose out otherwise I fog up and can’t see. You can try switching to a mask that isn’t as thick so more vapor escapes and you don’t get as much condensation buildup. I stopped wearing masks in cold weather due to this issue.
 
I have 2 styles of SL one piece head covers and the early and late season beanie/gaiter combos. I always leave my nose out and usually my mouth too. If I see one coming in and I have time I’ll pull it up, if not oh well. You could try cutting a hole for your nose. I like the one piece head covers because I can pull it down to my chin and it still covers most of my beard.
 
I find the same thing as above. I wear glasses and keep my nose out and partially cover my mouth. I don't have a beard but I believe the most important thing is to cover my hair and seal off the neck, shoulder junction where air escapes.

My normal routine is to walk in with the Scentlok pants on with clean rubber boots. I try hard not to touch any vegetation. I usually just wear any old shirt for the walk in and climb. During bow season is it usually just a dark polo or T shirt. Gun season it is usually an orange T shirt. I do keep these clean and as scent free as possible but in Mississippi early season you will sweat just thinking about being outdoors. Once up the tree, or set up on the ground, and after I have cooled off, I put on my Scentlok jacket and put on the drop down face cover and usually a light weight water proof boonie hat.

Doing this I have not had any deer blow at me in 3 seasons. I've had a few catch me moving. The season before starting Scentlok I had deer after deer blowing at me. I could try playing the wind all I wanted but the wind swirls here mercilessly in most of the areas I hunt. This past season I have been on the ground a lot more hunting from the Packseat. Early season I had 2 coyotes pass behind me downwind at 7 yards while I was sitting on the ground. They had zero reaction.

Just the other evening I had a doe come in to within 17 yards and I finally got an angle for a shot after she had walked 3/4 of the way around my position while I was also on the ground. I clean missed her but that's another story.
 
I have two facemasks, one lightweight and a heavier one that's almost like a fleece. I get a ton of condensation from either one.

Usually I don't put it on until I'm set up and ready to be still, usually just over my mouth. I'll pull it up over my nose once I see a deer. But I have had deer come in downwind unseen even without covering my nose.

Maybe I get away with a little bit of scent because I also use the Code Blue Calming Zone as a cover scent at the base of my tree.

The other issue I have with them is trying to see through my binoculars. Fogs them up something terrible, even on warm days, kind of like the glasses issue.
 
Thanks for sharing your experiences and strategies. I’m a little disappointed to hear there’s not a good way to keep my mouth covered comfortably during my setup.

I hunt areas with popular hiking trails and hoped to cover up as much as possible as soon as I was getting ready to leave the trail. It sounds like my best bet is to suit up with the Scentlok there and maybe plan to pull up my mouth cover when I get up and set.

Thanks. Any other suggestions for someone starting to use a Scentlok system? Like some of you, I’m just looking for an edge when I can’t avoid swirling winds.
 
I find that the mouth and nose are not an issue. Some folks will disagree. To me the main thing is to not leave ground scent by wearing clear rubber boots and not touching any vegetation going in or out. I wear the head cover and the pants and jacket and have not had any issues with being busted by deer and I get pretty close to them on the ground. In an area that has regular human activity you will be held to a lower standard for scent than in an area that rarely ever gets any human intrusion. You should be fine.
 
@nmsbowman my goal is to ultimately use my SL system under my ghillie and set up on the ground. Like you I have so many places with swirling winds, or predominant winds that stutter and swirl just enough. I’m tired of having perfect setups and deer working towards me, the feeling the wind slow down just enough to see them lift their nose and change course, heading out of range. I hope a stricter scent control system will give me just a few more yards in those scenarios.
 
DanD said:
@nmsbowman my goal is to ultimately use my SL system under my ghillie and set up on the ground. Like you I have so many places with swirling winds, or predominant winds that stutter and swirl just enough. I’m tired of having perfect setups and deer working towards me, the feeling the wind slow down just enough to see them lift their nose and change course, heading out of range. I hope a stricter scent control system will give me just a few more yards in those scenarios.
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I haven't even been using a Ghillie. I've been using a $15.00 orange hoodie (I have two) and just keeping it clean and wearing it over my Scentlok. I've had deer all around me on the ground. We have obscenely long gun seasons, so it pays to be visible to other hunters. The deer don't seem to mind. The main thing is being still and knowing when to move.

The picture below was from a hunt out of my Packseat with my longbow the other day. I had a doe walk from my downwind all the way around to where I got a shot (missed) at 15 or so yards. She walked 3/4 of the way around my position and never showed any sign of smelling me. Two other does were nearby as well. These are high strung Southern deer on public land.
 

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Not so much about the facemask, but it seems to fit considering some of the statements in the original post.

I'm having good success with my scent control, and I'm not even being that picky about wearing gloves while handling my sticks and equipment. Shortly before Christmas, I had a buck standing at the base of my tree with his nose pressed to my bottom stick, and he didn't have any clue I was there. I just spray them down with Scent Killer before I leave home and they ride in the back of the truck. I don't wear gloves while setting up and climbing.
 
I got a be1 ultimate head over. It’s medium weight fleece with stretchy mesh over the ears and a short brim. It’s made for a tiny head but I’ll eventually stretch it out. Saturday in 15F, I wore it with a thicker beanie over the top and it was perfect. The thinner fleece didn’t trap as much moisture and I felt much dryer in it. I like the one piece cover better than a hat and gaiter as it moves side to side with me and my mouth/nose stay covered much better as they don’t keep slipping down. I hope the lightweight version will work in September and not be too hot.
 
BE 1 Headcover is the real deal. If it is really cold, I wear the midweight skull cap under it or the heavyweight beanie over it.
 
No experience with scentlock, but I wore glasses up until I got Lasik. Now in my very, very, very, very late 30s I'm faced with the prospect of wearing glasses again, and dug out the gizmo I bought to keep my glasses from fogging up while snowmobiling. It looks like the company that made mine is out of business, but a bunch of people are selling items like https://www.ruoutside.com/fog-evader.html

A neoprene facemask, with a neoprene breath deflector. You look a bit like Zoidberg from Futurama, but nobody's going to be looking at you. After a while the neoprene will trap sweat against your cheeks and you'll want to wipe your face periodically. Also, you'll need to adjust the fit periodically, which will translate to fidgeting. And you'll need to ensure that the breath box won't interfere with your draw, which is a real possibility, unless you're shooting a firearm or horizontal crossbow. But something like this will dang near guarantee that your glasses won't fog up. I bet a crafty person could ghillie one of these things up, as well.
 
Iron_llama said:
No experience with scentlock, but I wore glasses up until I got Lasik. Now in my very, very, very, very late 30s I'm faced with the prospect of wearing glasses again, and dug out the gizmo I bought to keep my glasses from fogging up while snowmobiling. It looks like the company that made mine is out of business, but a bunch of people are selling items like https://www.ruoutside.com/fog-evader.html

A neoprene facemask, with a neoprene breath deflector. You look a bit like Zoidberg from Futurama, but nobody's going to be looking at you. After a while the neoprene will trap sweat against your cheeks and you'll want to wipe your face periodically. Also, you'll need to adjust the fit periodically, which will translate to fidgeting. And you'll need to ensure that the breath box won't interfere with your draw, which is a real possibility, unless you're shooting a firearm or horizontal crossbow. But something like this will dang near guarantee that your glasses won't fog up. I bet a crafty person could ghillie one of these things up, as well.
Click to expand...
Or you could just rub the lens with a slice of potato and then rinse it off.
 
BTaylor said:
Or you could just rub the lens with a slice of potato and then rinse it off.
Click to expand...
Never heard of potato slices. Heard good things about 'cat crap'. Which is a manufactured product, not something salvaged from a litter box.
 
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