In the early to mid 80's the camouflage revolution began in the deer-hunting neighborhood. The introduction of calls and the rise of urine, musks and scents closely followed.  In the new millennium it appears that Scent Elimination clothing will be accepted as the next essential hunting tool.  Robinson Labs is a well-known company originally noted for their leadership in the scent elimination industry.  I use their entire Scent Shield line of scent eliminating products and lures and it was great pleasure when I was asked to evaluate the new ScentBlocker Plus clothing.  I was especially happy when it arrived in time for a four-day whitetail hunt in trophy rich Buffalo County, Wisconsin.

I felt like a kid on Christmas morning when the UPS package arrived.  I quickly opened the box to reveal a 3D LeafyLite suit in Realtree Advantage Timber consisting of a jacket and pants.  The pants were very comfortable due to an elastic waist, large belt loops and best of all leg zippers that run from knee to cuff.  The elastic waist was a plus for not binding into your sides when spending the entire day on stand.  The leg zippers came in handy when putting on over knee-high rubber boots.  Well thought out and placed cargo snap-closure pockets on each leg and rear allow ample room to carry items such as mini-mag flashlight, bow hoist and screw-in bow holder.   The jacket has large double pockets conveniently located on the sides.  Many times I have tried on jacket with double pockets only to find the "Hand Warmer" pockets are cut too far back making it cumbersome to get into.  These allowed for easy access even with a Release Aide on. 

Although the material was lightweight it did help in protecting your hands from exposure to the elements.  The larger cargo set had two snap closures and ample enough space to carry essentials such as a rattle bag and lures. The jacket had a hood with a detachable breath shield.  It was held in place with snap closures and was fitted with two snaps on both sides to allow for adjustments.  The snaps allowed for a snug fit, which didn't obstruct your view when turning from side to side or drawing your bow.  The jacket was easy to get on and off due to soft fabric placed in the chest area and throughout the arms.  A genius idea was the jacket inverted into a convenient self-contained storage pouch with room for the pants as well.

Regarding the lightweight material, it gave ample enough room for plenty of layering underneath.  It didn't restrict my movement when drawing my bow or when climbing into my treestand.  The 3D Leafy pattern gave me added confidence while hunting from oaks that had yet to drop all their leaves.  On one occasion I was watching a field edge only to turn around and have four does less than twenty yards from me.  One had caught my movement but after less than a minute continued on her way right by my stand at 12 yards. 

To prepare the suit I placed it in the dryer for approximately 40 minutes on high.  Once removed it was placed in a plastic bag to limit the effects of foreign odors.  The suit did leave a small amount of black residue in the dryer.  Robinson Labs states this is caused by loose carbon that has settled out of the suit.  This is normal for a new suit as the loose carbon is caused from material that has been cut and sewn during construction.  It is a temporary effect that is not a problem. The ScentBlocker Plus suit is washable but only in detergent especially designed for carbon fabric. Robinson Labs makes a Scent Shield clothing wash for this purpose.   It is a mild detergent and is only recommended when the suit is new or when it becomes soiled.     They are adamant in that their carbon suits are never to be washed with normal laundry detergent.

Before every hunt I showered with Robinson Labs Shampoo & Conditioner and Body Soap then applied Hair and Body Deodorant.  I would then dress and spray with Scent Shield Boot and Clothes Spray before putting on my Scent Blocker suit. However, the real question was how effective is the scent absorbing characteristics of the ScentBlocker Suit.  Well I didn't have to wait long to find out.  One morning the action picked up heavily about an hour after daylight.  A doe in heat had no more than five bucks trailing her.  Two were P&Y bucks that would go in the middle 130 range.  I had all six of the deer hanging around my stand for forty minutes.  Twice I had opportunities at the two larger bucks directly downwind from my treestand and they never detected me.  As hard as it was to keep from taking a shot, I was holding out for either of two other Boone and Crockett bucks sighted by the landowner.  Video of the two confirmed this and within an hour of my earlier adventure on stand I had one in my binoculars.  Unfortunately this B&C buck passed just out of bow range.  Before disappearing from sight he did cross downwind of me, never once showing any concern or alarm.

Later that day I had a doe bed downwind of my treestand for two hours at no more than 40 yards.  By the end of the day with a great number of deer downwind I was convinced that the ScentBlocker Plus was worth its weight in gold.  Over the last days of my hunt I had several other deer at close range and downwind without being detected.   Even though I was not successful in harvesting a B&C buck I was successful in bringing home some great memories.  I believe that the ScentBlocker Plus helped make several of those memories possible.  Getting close to deer and other critters is hard enough while bowhunting, but the ScentBlocker Plus from Robinson Labs, Inc makes it all more possible. 

Design - 5 of 5

The outfit had plenty of features necessary for hunting.  While ScentBlocker Plus clothing is made for eliminating human scent, this outfit was designed with comfort in mind.  The jacket and pants provide ample room for every bowhunting activity.  The material is very comfortable because it is pliable and not stiff or noisy. 

Camouflage - 4 of 5

The Leafylite material comes in either Realtree Advantage Timber or Mossy Oak Shadow Bark.   The cutouts in the material maximize the 3D effect and camouflage.  Four does passing by at 12 yards were completely fooled by the suit.

Features - 4 of 5

Elastic on the sleeves and waist allow for a comfortable fit without binding.  The leg zippers are a plus, especially to get on and off over knee-high rubber boots.  The double pockets are great for slipping your hands in and out of quickly.  They are large enough to comfortably allow for a Release and/or gloves.  The jacket conveniently converts into a carrying pouch for the entire outfit.

Construction - 5 of 5

All seams were heavily stitched with no loose threads visible.  A larger more visible thread was used to hold the LeafyLite material in place, which also allowed for it to move in the wind.  A nylon weave or mesh material was sandwiched between the charcoal material and the LeafyLite.  I believed this helped in keeping the charcoal liner from shifting or scrunching up.  The jacket was very easy to slip into because of a soft material in the chest and arm area. 

Playing the wind while bowhunting has always been a major concern of mine.  Placing multiple stands in a hunting area to play the wind is a good idea.  But you can't expect the game you are after to always come in upwind of your stand.  Always expect the unexpected, especially while bowhunting for whitetail deer.  The ScentBlocker Plus suit from Robinson Labs will sure aid in those cases when the deer are downwind.  Add in the 3D LeafyLite camouflage effect in either of two great patterns to fool their eyes as well.

For more information contact Robinson Laboratories on the web at bowhunting.net or www.scentshield.com.