Gear Review: Scent Crusher Gear Bag

Keeping your camo scent-free during hunting trips away from home can be tough, especially when you don't have access to a washing machine. Even if you avoid mud and blood in the field, sweat and natural human odors on gear can be enough to educate your quarry and foil your hunt. And that's where I've found the Scent Crusher Gear Bag particularly useful. It completely removes odors, without the need to douse your gear in scent-eliminating spray between sits.

Like all Scent Crusher products, the Gear Bag utilizes proven ozone technology, which kills 99.99 percent of odor-causing bacteria, making gear undetectable in the whitetail woods. Ozone leaves no scent or residue and is chemical-free. Simply place your gear in the bag and choose one of five timer settings — from five to 30 minutes — on the generator and let it work its magic.

Ozone complements scent-control clothing and can even extend the life of your camo with reduced laundering. However, Scent Crusher warns that exposure may break down certain materials, so be cautious of using ozone with gear that contains elastic or rubber.

The bag is large enough to fit a week's worth of camo and gear but is still within standard baggage sizes for most airlines and is TSA-compliant. It features a heavy-duty liner, zippers and adjustable shoulder strap for long-lasting durability. In addition to classic tan, the Scent Crusher Gear Bag is available in Realtree camo and comes with a two-year warranty.

For a recent bowhunting trip, I packed a couple sets of camo, two pairs of boots and some other gear into the bag, with room to spare. Once I reached the cabin the night before hitting my stand, I removed my rubber boots and set the ozone generator for 30 minutes. Any trace of my golden retriever or pungent cooking — which I intentionally exposed my gear to for testing purposes — was completely gone within half an hour. If you have any experience trying to eliminate the aromas of wet dog or sautéed garlic and onion, you know that's quite the feat. And those are just the odors my nose could detect; ozone also eliminated any human odors and bacteria that would have tipped off the deer.

I didn't come home from that trip with my buck tag filled, but I also didn't get winded by any deer, even when the thermals weren't working in my favor. I'm now a believer in the power of ozone, and I'll be giving my bowhunting duds the Scent Crusher treatment before all my future forays afield.

MSRP: $199.99 (tan); 249.99 (camo)

Contact: Scent Crusher; 877-575-3173

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