Stinky Canoe Pack

Black_Fly · 2025-10-14T08:23:14-0400

My old waxed canvas canoe pack stinks bad. The water it sits in hasn’t always been “pure,” for sure. Anyone have some tricks for getting the stink out?

I once had a rain slicker that sat rolled on my cantle for several years. Smelled awful. Tried washing and it didn’t work.

lowangle al · 2025-10-14T09:28:45-0400

Some of my Duluths are almost 35 years old and I never noticed a stink. Maybe one guys stink is another guys aroma. I've never gotten a stink from natural fibers like I have from synthetics.

Odyssey · 2025-10-14T09:32:30-0400

Just an idea; place it in a sealed plastic bag along with some potpourri (lol), and then wait it out.
If it were me I'd use fresh pine boughs and some balsam. A healthy heaping handful of fresh evergreen inside the pack.

Tryin' · 2025-10-14T10:20:44-0400

I am intimately familiar with odors caused by prolonged exposure to biologics. If the odor is microbial, this stuff is the best I have ever found.

Arrest My Vest

Arrest My Vest- Odor eliminating spray for law enforcement + military. Guaranteed to take the odor out of Body Armor, tactical gear, vehicles and K-9's.

arrestmyvest.com

MichaelMerry · 2025-10-14T10:22:35-0400

As a long distance runner and wilderness traveler, I often end up with some skunked gear. These are a few things that have worked for me.
-vinegar soak. As I understand it, the odor is created by a living organism in the fabric. This method (and some of the others) is meant to kill that organism. After, rinse thoroughly and dry in the sun if you can.
- soaking in a brine solution. I add lukewarm water to a laundry tub and throw in 1/4 cup of sea salt I have for this purpose. Rinse thoroughly and dry in the sun.
- sweatx detergent is great for finishing this up. Hand wash your pack with it.

ppine · 2025-10-14T11:23:22-0400

First put it out side for a couple of nights of freezing weather. Frost will kill some of the fungus and microbes.
I agree with MichaelMerry. Soak in vinegar or at least use a sponge with vinegar on the stained spots.
If that doesn't work, try some hydrogen peroxide.
Then hang it up outside.

Sedges · 2025-10-14T12:35:41-0400

In a utility sink or tub I completely soak in warm water with Thymox added. Thymox is a really decent botanical anti-bacterial. Scrub any stained area with a brush. Put in washer and spin the water out. Rinse several times until rinse water is clear spinning each time. You can do all the rinsing in the washer, but don't agitate. Final spinning several rounds. Dry in the sun, turning every few hours and turning inside out as well. It may take several days in the sun to dry thoroughly. Treat leather(I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP) and rewax if you need to.

I think the two things that make this work are the Thymox and spinning in the washer to get all the dirty water out.

Some of my canvas packs are from the 1970s.

Pseudonym · 2025-10-14T12:45:21-0400

I use this stuff to great effect for neoprene wetsuits and booties. Just add a little bit to a bucket of water and let soak.

I safely used it on a pair of “sailing” gloves (really just rubberized palm, cotton/polyester gardening gloves with the fingers cut off) and it hasn’t seemed to degrade the cotton in any way.

Once the smell is gone, it’s just a matter of letting the bag dry fully after each use to keep it at bay.

ppine · 2025-10-14T12:59:09-0400

The solution that always works is to hang your pack over a slow cedar fire.

lowangle al · 2025-10-14T13:07:39-0400

Sedges said:
In a utility sink or tub I completely soak in warm water with Thymox added. Thymox is a really decent botanical anti-bacterial. Scrub any stained area with a brush. Put in washer and spin the water out. Rinse several times until rinse water is clear spinning each time. You can do all the rinsing in the washer, but don't agitate. Final spinning several rounds. Dry in the sun, turning every few hours and turning inside out as well. It may take several days in the sun to dry thoroughly. Treat leather(I use Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP) and rewax if you need to.

I think the two things that make this work are the Thymox and spinning in the washer to get all the dirty water out.

Some of my canvas packs are from the 1970s.

This would be a good idea even if your packs don't stink. I think the dirt in the fibers would cause it to deteriorate more rapidly.

Sedges · 2025-10-14T13:49:44-0400

I have a 25yo Duluth day pack that I used constantly for work. The back would get real salty from sweat. I would do the rinse and spin pretty regularly to keep the salt from degrading the cotton canvas. It is well worth the effort. I wouldn't be able to afford a replacement these days!

Stinky Canoe Pack

Similar threads