Just scored a Dana Designs "Bridger" 40L pack at a garage sale for low money.

Want to wash out the previous owner's smell.

Front load washer with regular detergent??

Am I over complicating this? Is it just wash and dry?

David;
Good morning to you sir, I trust this finds you well and congratulations on the garage sale pack find.

With the understanding that I've only done this on three packs now - I just use multiple applications of Simple Green and the garden hose - then air dry.

One of the packs was an Arc'teryx that smelled heavily of smoke and "the previous owner" in a BIG way. I believe it got at least 3 wash cycles before I was happy with it.

Oh, then the furniture type of Fabreeze was liberally applied too.

Hope that helped and was useful. Good luck with your new pack and all the best to you folks this summer.

Dwayne

Try sprinkling it liberally with baking soda inside and out and let it set for a while. That stuff will absorb a lot of odors.

Having had packs horribly blood stained I've tried a lot of things.

Mix a powerful batch of oxy clean. Submerge and stir around for a couple days. I've had to do this with a new batch when the first tub full turned all red.

Once your satisfied dump and rinse with fresh water. Hang dry in front of a fan or in the wind. Should be a massive improvement

Thanks guys!

David--
It appears most of the replies you have so far sound like hand washing is the approach recommended. I agree with that.

What I have found is if the nylon fabric is waterproofed, the layer that provides the waterproofing will de-laminate. Don't know...perhaps they have improved the bonding process on the newer pack fabrics.

It also seems to encourage the fraying of the fabric edges, sometimes to the point where the integrity of seams is destroyed. Have had to go over all edges before with a flame to melt the edges to seal them together...real PITA!
Hope you get it worked out...enjoy.
Joe

I hand wash mine in the bathtub and hang it up to dry

I agree, all the above.
Any kind of washing machine will wear it at the edges.

I put my bags in the washing machine .. no soap, light cycle ..and hang dry.

Usually with laminated fabrics it is the heat of the drier that is more problematic.

However, with my style of washing, it is much easier with our pack styles. I simply take them off the frame and put them in. I have some packs like an Osprey Vector series that would be really hard to wash like that and are better done in a tub.

If you think it might be mildew you might try Mirazyme from McNett.

Worked for me but I bet the oxyclean method above would work well too.

I bought a used surplus ILBE pack a few years ago. It arrived fairly musty.

I disassembled and washed the pack bag by hand, in the bathtub, with hot water and generous dish soap. Turned inside out, and repeat. Then outside for a good hose rinse and air dry.

Worked well.

Call Mystery Ranch and get the info direct from them.

http://www.mysteryranch.com/

Large front loader with a small amount of dish soap or mild detergent on gentle cycle. Or, a large Rubbermaid with the same. Rinse very well and hang dry.

Sport Wash, Woolite, or equivalent gentle soap, and hand wash in a tub. Rinse, and hang to dry.

I'd never put a pack in a washing machine.

Same as hunting clothes during hunting season. Fill the laundry tub with cold water , dump half a small box of baking soda and stir it up. I just throw in what ever i'm washing and let the soak a few hours , rong them out and hang dry.we have wire shelving across above the tub so i hang them until they drain out. I hang them outside under the roof on my back porch. Most of me hunting clothes stay hung there during the wgole season, boots to.