Updated August 19, 2025 03:57PM
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Your Hiking Gear Stinks—Literally. Here's What to Do About It
Give your sleeping bag, puffy, and layers an end-of-summer deep clean without leaving them damaged.
Sleeping bag and socks drying in Nepal (Photo: Mikhail Blavatskiy via Getty)
We’re reaching the end of a long, hot summer. For backpackers, that means 12 weeks of mountain adventures, seaside paths, and deep, forested hikes to look back on. And if you haven’t been keeping up with your chores, it may also mean 12 weeks of sweat crusted into your sleeping bag.
Washing our gear is one of those tasks that almost none of us do as often as we should. While it’s easy to throw your T-shirts and shorts in the wash, laundering expensive down can be intimidating if you don’t know what you’re doing (who wants to risk ruining a $600 quilt?) So many of us simply don’t. We stick our sleeping bag back in its storage sack or hang it up in the closet, where it stays until our next trip. Procrastinate on that long enough, however, and you may find that your gear has developed a certain … odor.
Whatever they’re stuffed with, your sleeping bag and puffy jacket are made with synthetic fabric, just like your quick-dry layers, and like them they’re prone to getting smelly if not cleaned often enough. Instead of giving in, stop putting it off and give your gear an end-of-summer deep clean with this advice from Backpacker.
How to Wash Your Hiking Clothes
Polyester and nylon T-shirts and other layers latch onto stench, sometimes to the point that an average cycle in the wash may not be enough to get rid of it. What you should use depends on what said layers are made out of. For synthetics, we’ve had good luck with Active Wear, a powdered detergent that knocks out funk after multi-day jaunts into the backcountry, followed by medium heat in the dryer. For more delicate merino layers, we generally opt for a fabric-specific option like Nikwax Wool Wash and an air dry.
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How to Wash Your Down Jacket
Don’t believe the myths: As long as you’re careful, regular washing actually restores loft by stripping away oil and dirt that would otherwise coat the feathers in your jacket. Grab a down-specific wash like Nikwax Down Wash Direct and follow these instructions from writer Gabrielle Rabon to get your midlayers ready for fall action.
How to Wash Your Sleeping Bag
This is where things get a little more complicated: Although you can wash a down jacket in any front-loading washing machine, you’ll likely want to make a pilgrimage to the laundromat to find a larger washer for your bag or quilt. Find out what to do from there with our guide to washing your sleep system.
Bonus: How to Wash Yourself
Granted, bathing yourself doesn’t come with as many caveats as laundering your bag or your wool layers. But it’s not a bad idea to pick up a couple of hygiene tips before you hit the trail, especially if you’re headed on a long, remote trip. Bring a pack towel and biodegradable soap, and skip the deodorant. You can embrace the stink, just a little bit.
