Bug Proof Gear

[Sterling]

I am planning on buying an outdoor research sentinel shirt, it says most biting insects wont get through which would be useful for maine's state bird.

any owners think it would be better to have this than a normal shirt?

[Blissful]

Or you can always spray your shirts and pants with pyrethrin; that's what we did. And used DEET and a head net

[Sterling]

did you use the headnet often? I was gonna buy one but i could barely see when i tried it on

[Snowleopard]

It works. This type of 'insect shield' clothing incorporates permethrin, which is what I've been using on my clothes. Nylon shirts that are thin enough that mosquitos bite through it become bug proof with permethrin. The spray on or wash in stuff doesn't last as long as the 'insect shield', you have to respray every month or two. The spray on Sawyer permethrin is available at lots of places:http://www.rei.com/product/768970 For a thru hike I'd use the 'insect shield' clothing; for local hikes the spray on permethrin works OK if you respray once in a while.

A somewhat cheaper shirt is railriders on sale now; they're a little odd because they have builtin mesh panels. http://www.railriders.com/men-insect-shield-apparel-c-104_141.html?osCsid=beq9pd9oo20658tnth8c7nc2g0

I also have a caped hat with insect shield that works well for me. Like this one:http://www.rei.com/product/708136 It's not a replacement for a headnet and deet, but most of the time I can use the hat, permethrin on long sleeve shirt and long pants and avoid deet and headnet.

When the bugs are bad, use everything: headnet, permethrin on clothes, deet on all exposed skin, maybe even leather gloves. If you're lucky they won't be bad, but you can't count on that.

You could probably fund a thru-hike by packing in a bunch of headnets and deet to isolated trail sections and selling them on-trail for outrageous amounts.

[flemdawg1]

I found that using flea spray is just as effective and much cheaper than the speciality permethrin treatments.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hartz-UltraGuard-Plus-Flea-and-Tick-Home-Spray-Small-Animals/13043567

[Snowleopard]

I found that using flea spray is just as effective and much cheaper than the speciality permethrin treatments.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hartz-UltraGuard-Plus-Flea-and-Tick-Home-Spray-Small-Animals/13043567
This is a really bad idea. It contains Tetrachlorvinphos:

Tetrachlorvinphos (TCVP) is an organophosphate pesticide used to kill fleas and ticks. It is a likely human carcinogen and is toxic to the nervous system.
...
it can harm or kill cats, dogs and, in extreme poisoning cases, humans. At lower levels of exposure, TCVP cause a variety of poisoning symptoms, many of which can mimic common illnesses; these include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, wheezing, sweating and tearing eyes. More severe poisoning can cause muscle twitching, drooling, seizures, respiratory paralysis and death.

Young children are also particularly vulnerable to TCVP and other pesticides because their bodies and brains are still developing, and chemicals that interfere with the nervous system during development may cause long-term or permanent damage. Some recent research indicates that exposure to this type of pesticide can impair children’s neurological development, resulting in pervasive disorders that may include delays in motor development and attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder.
http://www.simplesteps.org/chemicals/tetrachlorvinphos-fleatick-pesticide

If you're that concerned with cost, you can apparently get permethrin in bulk than the usual consumer stuff and figure out how to dilute it. Permethrin has its own problems, but is much safer than this stuff.

[Pringles]

I've not hiked in Maine during the really bad bug season, but on an Arctic canoe trip, I used one of these. http://www.bugshirt.com/ They make both the jacket/shirt, and bug proof pants. I had no problem. After one trip, another individual commented that she was just getting over the bug bites. I couldn't even remember there being any bugs. Of course I looked like I was a little kid in a Halloween hazmat costume, but if you're worried about bugs, this stuff works. (On my hands, I used permetherin.)

[flemdawg1]

This is a really bad idea. It contains Tetrachlorvinphos:

http://www.simplesteps.org/chemicals/tetrachlorvinphos-fleatick-pesticide

If you're that concerned with cost, you can apparently get permethrin in bulk than the usual consumer stuff and figure out how to dilute it. Permethrin has its own problems, but is much safer than this stuff.

The one I linked only contains Methoprene (actually reccomended in your article) and Permethrin as active ingredients.

[Snowleopard]

Flemdawg, you're right, I'm wrong. My apologies.
I did a google search, but looked at the wrong flea and tick product. Everyone please ignore my post #6.