Survey: Do you wear deoderant/AP when you hike?

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survivethebc

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Here's what happened! We hired an ACMG-certified guide to take us backpacking. The first day went well.

The second day, one of the participants was putting on some deoderant and the guide started making fun of the participant (very unprofessional) and berating them for using deoderant (UNSCENTED, hence NO scent).

According to the guide, you should never use deoderant, including UNSCENTED because it too attracts bears. Everybody argued against the guide and supported the participant. Our theory is that if you wear unscented deoderant that you will smell less than if you don't, reducing bear encounters. Humans smell no matter what.

Day 2 was really hot and everybody was sweating lot's including our guide who didn't wear deoderant at any time. She was so stinky! We could smell her 30 m away with wind. You can guarantee a bear would be able to smell her that much easier. Nobody wanted to ride back to the city with her.

The backpacking trip was good (scenery, location, etc.) but our guide was terrible (constantly criticizing us, told us not carry knives in the B.C. because it wasn't necessary, smelled like s***,....)

So... do you wear deoderant when you're hiking?
 
I have worn deodorant many times while camping and hiking.
I haven't ever been backpacking but if I did go I probably would wear something to help keep my smell at bay. I'm a little self conscious about smelling bad.
 
i put it on every couple days, depdning on which day i put it on, i may or may not have used it on the day of the hike
 
I am a hunter, but not in bear country. I always wear either a "hunter's deoderant/antiperspirant" which is unscented, or, if I can't get that, I use baking soda. I also use baking soda as an all-over dusting powder when hunting. And I wash my clothes in unscented soap with baking soda in the rinse cycle, so that the soda gets into the fibers and combats the scent coming off me. I've always been told how important it is not to let the prey smell me, because they'll run.

I thought bears generally were more repelled than attracted by humans, like other wildlife. I've hear of advice to talk loudly while hiking through bear country, or make noise with bells or a coffee can full of gravel. If so, then instead of trying to keep scent to a minimum like a deer hunter, shouldn't you use a scented deoderant (and maybe carry around some unwrapped bars of strongly fragranced deoderant soap) to drive them off? But again, I'm not in bear country, so I'm just guessing.
 
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