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What is the best insect repellant to use? I know that DEET is supposed to be the most effective as far as keeping bugs off of you, but it supposedly harms synthetic materials, and you are supposed to wash it off at night (which isn't so practical if hiking). So, what will keep the bugs off, but not damage my (synthetic) clothes?
Skidsteer
06-07-2006, 20:33
What is the best insect repellant to use? I know that DEET is supposed to be the most effective as far as keeping bugs off of you, but it supposedly harms synthetic materials, and you are supposed to wash it off at night (which isn't so practical if hiking). So, what will keep the bugs off, but not damage my (synthetic) clothes?
The 'best' bug repellant is winter, though deet may be safer. :D But I use deet(25% or higher) for the other seasons and haven't had any damage to my synthetic clothes so far.
I've heard that you should be especially careful using it(deet) around sunglasses and eyeglasses.
I don't wash it off at night and so far have suffered no ill effects no ill effects no ill effects no ill effects no ill effects ???I' m sorry-where was I? ;)
I just hike around really tall people.....the gnats just swarm around them. Ya, know what dosen't work....fish guts. I look like pigpen by the end of the day
vipahman
06-07-2006, 22:18
Last year, my hiking buddy was attracting all the bugs while I was being spared. I couldn't figure out what it was, perhaps my body odor. Anyway, I carried deet but never had to use it. Go figure.
But the best deterrent is winter as Skids pointed out. Plus no mice in the shelters or hikers on the trail.
What is the best insect repellant to use? I know that DEET is supposed to be the most effective as far as keeping bugs off of you, but it supposedly harms synthetic materials, and you are supposed to wash it off at night (which isn't so practical if hiking). So, what will keep the bugs off, but not damage my (synthetic) clothes?
Clothing damage is not a problem. Lenses of cheap reading glasses with plastic lenses is a problem.
If drug store glasses work, just carry an extra pair. Otherwise have someone mail you an old pair if you run into problems on the trail. We all dream of serious reading while on the trail. Most of us don't do a great deal.
Weary
Amigi'sLastStand
06-07-2006, 22:28
Last year, my hiking buddy was attracting all the bugs while I was being spared. I couldn't figure out what it was, perhaps my body odor. Anyway, I carried deet but never had to use it. Go figure.
But the best deterrent is winter as Skids pointed out. Plus no mice in the shelters or hikers on the trail.
I was behind you last year. Definitely the body odor.:p
GIs use a couple tricks... one is garlic... eat lots of it (clove a day by one associate) and you won't get bit. another is sulphur powder. eat a teaspoon a day (i think Swan made it. came in a little bottle. cheap too.)
personally, i haven't tried either method because i couldn't stand the stink of those who did. deet worked best for me, but as others have mentioned, sometimes i was the feast, sometimes i was the odd man out. seems to have something to do with body chemistry. i have noticed that you get these huge welts early in the season after getting bitten. by the end, you hardly feel anything.
as far as my glasses go, i'm one of the only people i know who still uses glass lenses. nothing hurts them. heavier than they need to be, but pretty durable as far as not getting scratched up by dropping them or wiping mud off them with a dirty shirt tail. never had deet melt any clothing either.
i do use permethrin spray on my hat, boots, socks, shorts, shirt, and hammock netting and body (not the tarp though). that seems to help too.
avon skin-so-soft made for a nice smelling battle-buddy, but he was usually scratching a bite.
Amigi'sLastStand
06-08-2006, 00:38
Skin so soft works for me. DEET exposure long term aint real good for as the Army found out in the 70s. Garlic helps keep gearheads away too.
Skin so soft works for me. DEET exposure long term aint real good for as the Army found out in the 70s. .....
If so, the Army has kept awfully quiet about it. I've read scores of DEET reports. I have yet to read of any serious problems, except for babies and an occasional person with an allergy.
GIs use a couple tricks... one is garlic... eat lots of it (clove a day by one associate) and you won't get bit. another is sulphur powder. eat a teaspoon a day
One thing that I have been wondering about is the use of Glucosamine sulfate and/or MSM (normally used by us old farts for joint problems) as to whether they would also have some insect and tick repellent properties since some people say they can smell sulphur on people that use these compounds.
In the past I have used FLowers of Sulphur as a tick repellent - a fine powder that I would rub in around cuff lines, neck, etc. - this is definately a problem in social situations unless every one in the group uses it because it stinks _BAD_. However when I used it in a high tick area I didn't get a single tick.
Skidsteer
06-08-2006, 07:59
One thing that I have been wondering about is the use of Glucosamine sulfate and/or MSM (normally used by us old farts for joint problems) as to whether they would also have some insect and tick repellent properties since some people say they can smell sulphur on people that use these compounds.
:-? ..Hmmm...I've begun taking a mixture of both(Glucosamine sulfate and MSM)in the past six months in hopes of staving off any serious joint problems in my old age. This is entirely anecdotal but I do seem to have less problems with mosquitoes this season.
I'll start paying closer attention now.
wilderness bob
06-08-2006, 08:22
I tried something different in how I applied my insect repellant (DEET), it came in a "roll on applicator". The type used in some types of under arm deodorants. I applied it across my knuckles, toes (when wearing my flip flops), back of my neck and a little on the face (like a baseball player wears black to reflect the sunlight). I found it less evasive to the skin then a spray plus it worked IMO well enough for short periods of time (cooking a meal or setting up camp). The small bottle also lasted my entire thru-hike. WB
Frolicking Dinosaurs
06-08-2006, 11:33
Of the widely available products - Deep Woods OFF Sportsman has been deemed best by Consumer Reports. I'm aware some former hikers sell their own mixtures and many hikers say these are effective as well.
I take glucosamine sulfate and MSM - and I eat at least a clove of garlic per day. Bugs avoid me and chew on the male dino instead :D. Seriously, I feed him tons of garlic when we are hiking and the bugs tend to leave him mostly alone. We carry a tiny bottle of Deep Woods OFF Sportsman, but have only used it once (when our camp was invaded by a swarm of gnats.)
Blissful
06-08-2006, 11:59
I like the Cutters Advanced in the blue pump spray (I was going to look up the active ingredient, but its rubbed off the bottle). No smell like DEET (can't stand that stuff)
I thought one of the B vitamins also makes you less palatable to bugs.
B 6 maybe?
LostInSpace
06-08-2006, 12:34
If so, the Army has kept awfully quiet about it. I've read scores of DEET reports. I have yet to read of any serious problems, except for babies and an occasional person with an allergy.
I am of the understanding that some of the military (don't know which branches) have switched to a time-release DEET formulation that reduces the absorbtion through the skin. Sawyers makes a time-release DEET repellent that supposedly was based on the research by/for the military.
Skidsteer
06-08-2006, 17:55
I like the Cutters Advanced in the blue pump spray (I was going to look up the active ingredient, but its rubbed off the bottle). No smell like DEET (can't stand that stuff)
I thought one of the B vitamins also makes you less palatable to bugs.
B 6 maybe?
http://www.cutterinsectrepellent.com/BrandNav/BrandNews/CAPicardin.htm
Picaridin is the active ingredient. I'll have to give this a try.
Anybody else have good or bad things to say about how it works?
Amigi'sLastStand
06-08-2006, 18:36
Oh, I'm not saying DEET is bad, just that it is absorbed through the skin and long term exposure is probably not good. The military used to put DEET in food to see if it was more effective when injested. This is where most cases of toxicity came from. Only six ppl have died since that kind of thing has been monitored and 60-100 mil ppl per year use DEET. I'm only saying that if your gonna be on the trail, or outdoors, for 4-6 months, I wouldnt want to use the stuff everyday. Also, since some folks dont share my sense of hygeine on the trail and wont even wash themselves but once a week or worse, I dont think it's wise to wear DEET round the clock for a week.
And, yes, SkinSoSoft works for me and my dogs. Plus it smells good to. It repels ticks and attracts hiker chicks.:rolleyes:
Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET
Article (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/08/010828075659.htm)
fivefour
06-15-2006, 17:05
hmmm ... wonder where you can buy catnip oil ?
Catnip Oil Sources:
http://www.mosquitosolutions.com/catnip.html
http://altnature.com/gallery/catnip_mosquito_repllent.htm
http://www.herbalremedies.com/inreexst4flo.html
http://www.deetfree.ca/catnip.cfm
I think plenty of research on this stuff has been done. Stay away from the "Snake Oils" and use the sure fire thing "Deet". If you wish to read more then go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEET . I know its a pesticide, but I can't help believe its better than what the bugs have for you.
Sierra98
06-17-2006, 22:36
Remeber Glucosamine is only effective for joints that still have healthy cartilage. It will do absolutely nothing for damaged joints. I may provide some pain relief but that is mostly due to the anagesic effect in the compound. CosaminDS is the best and is the only supplement that when you take each and every pill, you are getting the exact dose that the capsule states it has ( example: 400 glucosamine 500 condrotin). CosaminDS is made by a company named Nutramax. It is a bit more expensive but for long term use (and you need to use it long term) it will end up costing you less. You should visit their website @ nutramax.com ( I think or you could google it)
I think plenty of research on this stuff has been done. Stay away from the "Snake Oils" and use the sure fire thing "Deet". If you wish to read more then go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEET . I know its a pesticide, but I can't help believe its better than what the bugs have for you.
I agree completely, though I question the use of the word pesticide. A pesticide destroys pests. DEET just forces pests to look somewhere other than me for nourishment, i.e. it repells bugs. It doesn't kill them.
I spend a lot of time in the woods and live adjacent to a salt marsh, which has the most vigorous mosquitoes. I've used a lot of DEET over the decades. A few on the list have noticed signs of brain deterioration, but otherwise I seem to have no symptoms.
Weary
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm
Here's a good read at the CDC site on the uses, amounts to use, length the stuff lasts, etc.
grrickar
06-18-2006, 22:39
Has anyone tried that Off Active Sunblock with bug repellant in it? The big box stores are selling it here, so I picked up some for this trip out. I think it is SPF30 and supposedly sweatproof. I think it has a low concentration of DEET in it.
Has anyone tried that Off Active Sunblock with bug repellant in it? The big box stores are selling it here, so I picked up some for this trip out. I think it is SPF30 and supposedly sweatproof. I think it has a low concentration of DEET in it.
go to the CDC link I have in the previous post. It gives the time different percentages of Deet will keep mosquito's off.
grrickar
06-18-2006, 23:57
It's only 10% deet, SPF30. I'll give it a shot, although I have never had bug problems on the AT, and I'm sunburned from not wearing any sunblock today :D I hit the trail tomorrow afternoon for a 6 day section hike.
fishinfred
06-19-2006, 00:52
Ole Time Woodsman Fly Dope ! Great Stuff !
I believe it is all natural ingredients,contrived by a Flyfisherman in Maine to deter Blackflies but great for those Skeeters too!
www.oletimewoodsman.com (http://www.oletimewoodsman.com)