I was getting ready to take a trip and started packing up my GR1 for travel. I had been using it as my bag for rucking as well. And then I noticed it.

That smell.

The straps of my GR1 smelled horribly of body odor, so bad. I knew I couldn’t travel with it, for fear the smell would transfer back to my clothing — let alone make me stink.

So I set about cleaning my GR1 (for the first time since I got it in 2011). I initially used my Kookabura wash, since you don’t have to rinse it out. I soaked the bag, and the smell just kept coming back.

Off to the bathtub I went with Dawn dish soap, and a scrub brush — GORUCK’s recommended cleaning method. I soaked the bag and scrubbed it clean, twice. It never looked better. But as it dried, the smell came back.

Fucking bacteria.

Searching around I found two possible solutions:

1. Lysol
2. Freezer

Since I was pressed for time, and the bag was still damp, I sprayed the hell out of it with Lysol. Now it smells like Lysol — or it did for a few days — either way the smell was eliminated.

So I’ve taken two steps since then:

1. I bought a GORUCK Rucker, specifically for use when I am rucking.
2. I spray the Rucker straps after every ruck with Lysol.

I love the idea of freezing my bag to kill the bacteria/smell, but I didn’t have time. So while many of you likely knew this, for those of you like me who didn’t know it: there you go.

Also, Lysol comes in many scents, so I feel that’s important to mention as some are down right terrible. Or to quote my wife “It’s like they want you to know that you sprayed Lysol so they make it all you can smell.”