Cleaning a backpack??/
Equipment
What is the best way to clean a day pack? I have a Tenzing 2000 that needs to be cleaned after my last hunting season. Sweat, mud and blood need to be removed.
Soap and water. Bath tub. Nothing harsh.
I wash mine in the washing machine on delicate with cold water then hang on the clothesline.
"I wash mine in the washing machine on delicate with cold water then hang on the clothesline."......that's how I do it.
I do mine in the bath tub
Another vote for the washing machine on cold. Once inside-out, once more outside-out. Put some old towels in with it.
If everything goes right, I generally have a bloody pack by seasons end. I never wash it with soap. I spray it with a garden hose, sink it in the bath tub and let it soak for about 15 minutes, then brush away all the blood that I can.
It doesn’t get clean as new. But, the stains remind me of good times. I don’t mind it. If I hunted grizz country I’d certainly do different. But, for now, I like doing it this way.
Soak in bathtub with some soap, then air dry, nothing particularly magic about it. Might take a couple of rinses, it's amazing how dirty they get.
Power washer in the driveway for me. Scrub with some borax if it’s super funky.
most of my packs are gregory
https://www.gregorypacks.com/care-and-cleaning.html
I use a couple plastic tubs...one with soap and one for rinse. Finish off the rinse with the garden hose. Hang it upside down from a sun exposed tree limb to dry.
Oxiclean and cold water in the bathtub, bristle brush for stained areas.
Cool!
I can get in the semi-annual bath AND clean up the pack at the same time! How does Oxiclean go with lavender bath bombs?
Oh TD. You should know you need the lavender candles to compliment the bath bombs.
How I now imagine TD cleaning his pack…
—jim
No one uses plastic bags to put their meat in while packing out? Keeps your pack clean and No scrubbing needed at the end of the season
I bring a thin plastic painters tarp I can put down and lay the meat on to keep it clean then use it to help keep as much blood off the pack as possible. Still gets pretty bloody. Like others cold water in tub with a little soap.
I normally use soap and the bath tub, but I used the car wash this year and it worked great. Just be careful to not get the wand too close.
Soak in cold water for a couple of hours, rinse, oxyclean, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, scent free, uv brightener free laundry detergent, nylon scrub brush, rinse well in cold water.
Soak in cold water for a couple of hours, rinse, oxyclean, hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, scent free, uv brightener free laundry detergent, nylon scrub brush, rinse well in cold water.
“How I now imagine TD cleaning his pack…”
Spoken like someone who hasn’t met TD. ;-)
I ain't met him either but I imagine he ain't quite that pretty ;-)
I use a large plastic garbage can full of water and soak, generally overnight. If real bad, I might empty and repeat several times. Hang to drip dry out of the sun. Bill
I know this doesn't necessarily help for all... just thought i would add it as one option.. I through mine in the creek behind camp with some rocks on it and cant believe how clean it came after a day soak...
Ya cold water will take care of any blood on a good pack. Fat, Sinew, meat grease is what the soap is for. Although after doing that once, I now use garbage bags over my game bags for the pack out like someone else said.
"No one uses plastic bags to put their meat in while packing out? Keeps your pack clean and No scrubbing needed at the end of the season"
Great point - I ALWAYS use heavyweight Contractor bags inside my pack, but sometimes they leak (admittedly rarely), sometimes game bags drip when you're loading your pack, and after rolling packs around in the dirt over the course of time packs get dirty. Typically I use my packs for years before they need an actual soak cleaning, mainly it's occasional wipe or a hose spray for spot areas.
I wish I would have seen this thread 40 years ago….
I had an old Kelty framepack I used to use back then. So much blood in that thing…one day I piled a bunch of hog in it, stood up and that pack was like a dump truck when all of the bottom seams blew out completely rotted.
"No one uses plastic bags to put their meat in while packing out?".....I never put meat in plastic until it goes in the freezer.
Well, if you don’t use plastic to put your meat into while packing it out you are missing out on an easy way to keep your meat clean and your pack clean. Make sure meat is always cooled first though. I cool mine overnight and come back the next day to debone and start packing out.
Most hunters would be surprised at how long your meat can stay in the field once it has been cooled and kept in the shade.
The best way to tackle sweat, mud, and blood is to start by giving it a good shake to remove any loose dirt. Then, grab a damp cloth or sponge and gently wipe down the exterior of the pack. If there are any stubborn stains, you can use a mild detergent or stain remover, but make sure to test it on a small, inconspicuous area first. Now, if your day pack is machine washable, you're in luck! Just toss it in a gentle cycle with some mild detergent, and remember to remove any detachable parts like straps or hip belts before washing. Once it's done, hang it up to air dry, making sure it's completely dry before storing it away. But hey, if you're not up for the task or unsure about washing it yourself, you can always seek the help of a professional cleaner who offers
wash and fold services. They'll have the expertise to handle those tough stains and ensure your pack comes out looking as good as new.
"Machine wash warm, tumble dry"
I was thinking about this thread several weeks ago. I was too lazy to search it up. But, I witnessed a marvel of genius this year. Here’s the story.
Everyone knows that getting the animal cooled is the first step to great meat. That’s sometimes hard to do in early seasons. Which has always deterred me from putting meat in anything plastic until I’m freezing it.
However, in cold weather, the cooling happens very quickly once it’s off the animal. It changes things. I never realized it until this year. Until My hunting buddy totally deboned his deer on the spot. Laying it on a 5x7 silnylon tarp as he worked.
By the time he was finished, the meat had cooled dramatically. After he was done, he bagged everything in 1 and 2.5 gallon zip lock bags. Then, stuffed it in one Allen back country game bag. Then loaded it in his pack.
Nice and neat. The pack stayed clean. And, the best part is once he got back to camp, we unloaded all the zip lock bags on a big rock. Under the spruce and hemlock where we camped, that rock was cold. Temps never got above 35-49 or so ambient. That rock likely never got above 30 as night time lows were in the teens and lower 20’s.
We just unzipped the bags the first night when we laid them on the rock. Then zipped them the next morning. They stayed right on the edge of freezing for the remainder of the trip. And, when the rain started two days before we left, the meat stayed dry. That’s the beauty of it. Dry, cold meat stays good for a very long time.
