Before officially wrapping up the hunting season, be sure to remember that it's important to properly store your hunting clothes. By doing this, you'll not only be organized for the following year, but you'll also extend the life of your hunting gear - something every hunter wants. 

Now, this isn't quite as easy as it sounds. I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes to correctly putting away my hunting clothes. Let's be honest - it's just easier to throw your stuff in a duffel bag and forget about it for a few months. 

To avoid this, I've listed out each of the steps I now take to store my clothes. In addition to my own personal routine, I've also researched what others do to help you even more. I hope each of these tips help you avoid any pitfalls, and they get you ready for the next year. 

1. Clear Up Space - Get Rid Of Old Clothes

Storing your hunting clothes is going to take space, and the easiest and quickest way to get the necessary amount of space is to first get rid clothing items you no longer use. 

I realize that we all carry extra hunting gear around - stuff we might have used in the past, but have now upgraded or just pieces of clothing we have in case of an emergency. However, I'm not talking about those items. I'm talking about the ripped socks, torn gloves, or the shirt that no longer fits (Yeah, we know why it doesn't fit anymore). 

It's best to get rid of these clothing items to free up the necessary space for your key items. If you've been hunting for 10, 20, 30 plus years, I'm sure you have some things you no longer use. Take the time to trash them, donate them, or give them to a friend so we can move onto the next steps! 

2. Clean And Organize

Once you have all of your necessary hunting clothing in front of you, it's time to clean and organize!

Every hunter cleans their hunting clothes a little differently. Of course, the most important thing to realize is that you don't want to wash them with ordinary laundry detergent. From there, it's really about personal choice.

Since this blog focuses more on storing clothes, we put together a more detailed article on How To Wash Your Hunting Clothes if you're looking for more information. We hope you enjoy!

 

Pro Tip: Turn your clothes inside-out before washing to prevent fading.

As far as organizing, I do this mainly to help me find what I need quickly and to keep the right gear packed away as long as possible. First, by having your warm weather gear all together, you know what bin/storage container to unpack when bow season is quickly approaching. You spend less time fumbling around, sorting through different items of hunting clothing to find your lightweight shirt for early Fall temperatures. 

Furthermore, by organizing your clothes you also keep your late season gear away from unwanted scents. If everything is mixed together, you're going to spend weeks opening and closing different containers, ultimately exposing it to household odors and basically making this whole operation pointless. 

Lastly, by neatly folding and sorting your hunting clothing, you take advantage of the space you have available. Not everyone has limitless space to store bin after bin and after bin, so keeping this organized will ensure you use the minimal amount of space. 

3. Pick The Right Container

Choosing the right container helps to not only organize and protect your clothes, but if done correctly you know your hunting clothes will be guarded from unwanted odors. 

Again, properly storing your hunting clothes in some sort of container is it going to be up to each individual hunter. For instance, if you don't have a lot of space you may want to go with a vacuum-sealed or standard scent-free plastic bag to fit into tight spaces. On the other hand, if you're storing it in a shed you may want a little extra exterior protection from critters, and go with a more sturdy plastic container. 

My Personal Recommendation...

Go with a Scent-Free Storage Plastic Bag that neatly organizes your gear into separate categories. From there, take these plastic bags and place them in a Scent-Free Storage Container. With this combination, you not only get the ultimate scent protection, but you guarantee outside odors, materials, bugs, or critters will not touch your hunting clothes. 

One final note, if you decide to choose a plastic container make sure to stay away from clear containers, especially if they're going to be exposed to light, as they do not protect your clothes from fading. 

Storage options include the following:

1. Standard Plastic Bins

2. Standard Vacuum-Sealed Bags

3. Scent-Free Storage Plastic Bags

4. Scent-Free Travel Totes/Duffel Bags

5. Scent-Free Storage Containers

6. Ozone-Generator Containers (Better for in-season storage)

Pro Tip: Adding a small container of baking soda in the bottom of your container will help prevent moisture from building up.

Hunting Clothing Storage Container

Image Source

4. Protect From Bugs & Moisture

The previous section outlines some of the high-level action steps you can take to prevent bugs and moisture from getting to your hunting clothes. Again, by diligently storing your gear, you not only keep things organized but you extend the life of each piece of gear - saving you tons of money in the end. 

I've decided to list some additional tips you can take to project your clothing! 

Simple Tips To Help Protect Hunting Clothing:

1. Make sure hunting clothes are 100% dry before placing them in bags or containers. 

2. Make sure no food is left in pockets or bags if they're going to be stored together.

3. Instead of using moth balls as bug-repellent, try to use cedar or lavender.

4. If you leave hunting clothes in a garage or shed, try to use a hard shell container. 

5. Choose The Best Location

Once everything is washed, packed away, and in the right container, it's time to find a final place to store you hunting clothes for the remaining off-season. Again, I realize not everyone has a large amount of free space, so we're going to go over some very generic best practices so each individual is taken care of. 

First, the best place to store your hunting clothes is in a dark, reasonably cool, and dry (with humidity between 50 and 55 percent) location. When taking this into consideration, and trying to balance where each individual lives, the most optimal place is going to be in an interior closet. For some, attics and basements might fit within this category, but it's really going to depend on location and temperature fluctuations. 

If you're going to store your best hunting clothes in a garage or outside building or shed, remember to follow the recommendations listed above. Going outside of this might expose your gear to poor temperatures and humidity, leading to unwanted moisture and damage. 

For a blog about the Best Hard Bow Cases check it out!