How long do hunting clothes last?

I've got stuff still from 1982. My sons are wearing the stuff I started out with. You replace them when they stop doing the job.

Some things I've learned over the years:

1) Rotate your clothes. To keep scent down, I always have one or more changes for the weekend and let one set out to air while I hunt with the other. It also doubles the life of your clothes.

2) Detergent kills. Sun kills. Driers kill Hot water kills. I switched to baking soda years ago and it does a passable job of cleaning as well as getting rid of the stink. Wash in cold water. Turn it inside out, let it dry on the line. Keep it in a bag with a little baking soda.

3) Old camo fades. I take the old stuff and run it through the washer with RIT die. It does a fair job of bringing things back to life. Most of what the turkeys see on me is old bow hunting stuff that's been reworked this way.

4) Strip off your best layers when cleaning game. Wear a cheap PVC rainsuit to gut your deer.

5) Never do anything but hunt in your hunting clothes. Camp is hard on clothes, harder than the woods.

6) I bag up my best insulated outerwear and carry it in a pack. I only wear it when I'm where I need to be. I work up far less of a sweat and my expensive stuff doesn't get pulled through the briars in the dark.

7) Whenever possible, separate the camo from the insulation-- turn it into two layers. You can put a cheap camo coverup over expensive insulated gear cheaper than you can put on a single set of insulated camo. The cheap camo gets all the wear and tear. My gear for the absolute coldest conditions is an industrial freezer suit that's over 10 years old and looks brand new.

8) Take 7 a step further. Instead of putting camo, insulation, and raingear all into one, carry a cheap PVC rainsuit or poncho. That freezer suit is not waterproof, but it doesn't have to be. It never comes out until the conditions are WAAAY below freezing.

Now granted, that's not the way to go after elk in the Rockies, but it's great for deer and turkey a short ways from home. It may mean I carry more in the truck, but I don't mind.
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