Give me your best bug repellent, oh pretty please
April 1, 2015 3:35 PM
Please tell me your best bug repellent product/strategy for dealing with gnats? And mosquitos, but more generally small flying swarm insects.
I'm going backpacking in the Sierras in a few weeks. The last time I went hiking--Montana in July--I had a really terrible time with gnats when the trail went through wooded/shrubby areas. I have a moderately strong bug phobia that's triggered by touch (i.e. the feeling of bugs brushing my skin), so swarms of gnats are a big problem for me, and I'd like to avoid the panic attacks that happened last time. I wear long pants and could wear long sleeves too, but the real problem is keeping the bugs away from my face and brushing them with my bare hands. Shudder.
So I need a plan of attack for this time around... can anyone recommend an industrial-strength bug repellent that I can acquire in the next two weeks? Will REI carry something stronger than OFF, that really works?
I'm going backpacking in the Sierras in a few weeks. The last time I went hiking--Montana in July--I had a really terrible time with gnats when the trail went through wooded/shrubby areas. I have a moderately strong bug phobia that's triggered by touch (i.e. the feeling of bugs brushing my skin), so swarms of gnats are a big problem for me, and I'd like to avoid the panic attacks that happened last time. I wear long pants and could wear long sleeves too, but the real problem is keeping the bugs away from my face and brushing them with my bare hands. Shudder.
So I need a plan of attack for this time around... can anyone recommend an industrial-strength bug repellent that I can acquire in the next two weeks? Will REI carry something stronger than OFF, that really works?
Bug repellent won't be enough if the density is high, no matter how strong. You need a mosquito net that goes over your head, like this one.
posted by muddgirl at 3:52 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by muddgirl at 3:52 PM on April 1, 2015
I fly fish a lot in the Sierras and I've found a mosquito or two. Actually, OFF 'Deep Woods' and Cutter 'Backwoods' are the most effective sprays I've found. They have about 30% DEET--which is the active ingredient (100% DEET doesn't really do anything more than 30, and some people have bad reactions to the 100 variety).
Oh, and DEET may deteriorate your plastic materials, so keep the stuff off of that...I'm careful to wash my hands of it before handling fly line or tent materials.
If you're sensitive to DEET or don't like the risk, try Natrapel.
Whatever I use, I find these work better if I reapply a bit every hour, rather than just one heavy spray per outing.
posted by artdrectr at 4:10 PM on April 1, 2015
Oh, and DEET may deteriorate your plastic materials, so keep the stuff off of that...I'm careful to wash my hands of it before handling fly line or tent materials.
If you're sensitive to DEET or don't like the risk, try Natrapel.
Whatever I use, I find these work better if I reapply a bit every hour, rather than just one heavy spray per outing.
posted by artdrectr at 4:10 PM on April 1, 2015
It's only anecdotal, but I have seen a difference between the 100% deet (usually found in a small 3oz or so bottle) and the spray-on 30% deet, and I think the 100% stuff works better. But if you're concerned about the bugs being close to your face rather than biting you, a headnet is probably the way to go.
posted by craven_morhead at 4:17 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by craven_morhead at 4:17 PM on April 1, 2015
The 100% DEET products (really 95-98%) do exist, and REI usually does have them. I like them better because they're small and light. They won't keep you from walking into gnat swarms, but will keep most things off you. It's not for face or sensitive skin, as mentioned above. But you really only need a drop or two here or there.
It sounds like the face net is for you, perhaps.
posted by zennie at 4:29 PM on April 1, 2015
It sounds like the face net is for you, perhaps.
posted by zennie at 4:29 PM on April 1, 2015
Back in Florida people used to swear by Skin So Soft to ward off all kinds of mosquitos and gnats. People I knew used to use the regular old bath oil for this, but I guess that company makes proper bug spray now as well.
I like Michele in California's garlic pill idea, too. Sounds legit.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:36 PM on April 1, 2015
I like Michele in California's garlic pill idea, too. Sounds legit.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:36 PM on April 1, 2015
The 99% DEET, while effective WILL MELT YOUR TENT. Or anything else made with plastics. And do not get it anywhere near your face or any mucus membranes. And wash your hands really really well. Like, really well, before you touch anything else. I usually use it just on my ankles and feet (because A. ticks and B. ankle or foot mosquito bites are THE WORST) and then use the 30% stuff everywhere else. You do still need to be careful with the 30% stuff and your gear, as it will still degrade it, but not as fast as the stronger stuff.
If you're trying to keep any bugs from touching your face as you walk through gnat swarms though, you're going to need a face net. No bug repellant in the world is going to make them part like the Red Sea for you (though I wish that existed).
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:37 PM on April 1, 2015
If you're trying to keep any bugs from touching your face as you walk through gnat swarms though, you're going to need a face net. No bug repellant in the world is going to make them part like the Red Sea for you (though I wish that existed).
posted by Weeping_angel at 5:37 PM on April 1, 2015
Sawyer Picaridin works really well against flies. We used it at the beach against sand flies and got no bites at all once we put it on. It's a ltitle oily but doesn't have a weird feel or smell.
posted by fiercekitten at 7:53 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by fiercekitten at 7:53 PM on April 1, 2015
Some useful advice:
- cover most of your skin with baggy, lightweight, tight-weave shirts (long-sleeved) and pants (ex. UNcoated nylon wind shell).
- Use bug repellent on your exposed skin (face, neck, hands, and ankles) - the most effective appears to be 25-30% DEET (higher concentrations evaporate too quickly).
Other options:
- products with 30-40% Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, ex. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Pump Spray (Note: more frequent applications needed, since it wears off quicker than DEET)
- products with 5-20% picaridin
What not to do - These products either don’t work well or aren’t worth the risks:
- Products with more than 30 percent DEET, such as Jungle Juice 100. The potential side effects aren’t worth it.
- Off Clip-on, a device that attaches to your waistband or belt and uses a fan to circulate a repellent around your body. The active ingredient, metofluthrin, can pose risks to your nervous system, and our tests found that it didn’t work very well anyway.
- Wristbands with repellent claims.
- Garlic or vitamin B1 pills.
- Devices that give off sound waves designed to keep insects away.
- tight clothes (which mosquitoes can penetrate), dark clothes (where ticks can hide), or strong scents, which may attract pests.
- Skin-So-Soft - despite anecdotal claims, testing proved it isn't very effective.
Top rated products according to Consumer Reports (all have 15-30% DEET):
Off Deep Woods Sportsmen II
Cutter Backwoods Unscented
Off FamilyCare Smooth & Dry
3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent 8
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:41 PM on April 1, 2015
- cover most of your skin with baggy, lightweight, tight-weave shirts (long-sleeved) and pants (ex. UNcoated nylon wind shell).
- Use bug repellent on your exposed skin (face, neck, hands, and ankles) - the most effective appears to be 25-30% DEET (higher concentrations evaporate too quickly).
Other options:
- products with 30-40% Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, ex. Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Pump Spray (Note: more frequent applications needed, since it wears off quicker than DEET)
- products with 5-20% picaridin
What not to do - These products either don’t work well or aren’t worth the risks:
- Products with more than 30 percent DEET, such as Jungle Juice 100. The potential side effects aren’t worth it.
- Off Clip-on, a device that attaches to your waistband or belt and uses a fan to circulate a repellent around your body. The active ingredient, metofluthrin, can pose risks to your nervous system, and our tests found that it didn’t work very well anyway.
- Wristbands with repellent claims.
- Garlic or vitamin B1 pills.
- Devices that give off sound waves designed to keep insects away.
- tight clothes (which mosquitoes can penetrate), dark clothes (where ticks can hide), or strong scents, which may attract pests.
- Skin-So-Soft - despite anecdotal claims, testing proved it isn't very effective.
Top rated products according to Consumer Reports (all have 15-30% DEET):
Off Deep Woods Sportsmen II
Cutter Backwoods Unscented
Off FamilyCare Smooth & Dry
3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent 8
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:41 PM on April 1, 2015
Nth-ing headnet. In Alaska the mosquito is our state bird.
Some repellents do seem to reduce the number of bites, but I have yet to find a single one that keeps them out of my ears and eyes and off my face and neck. I wear a hat with a brim and a headnet over that. I look like a total dork, but I'm not swatting and swearing. Good trade-off.
Alaskan mosquitoes think DEET is a condiment. As for Skin-So-Soft, I once left a bottle out on the porch, and later found it black with mosquitoes. It actually attracted them.
posted by wjm at 12:55 AM on April 2, 2015
Some repellents do seem to reduce the number of bites, but I have yet to find a single one that keeps them out of my ears and eyes and off my face and neck. I wear a hat with a brim and a headnet over that. I look like a total dork, but I'm not swatting and swearing. Good trade-off.
Alaskan mosquitoes think DEET is a condiment. As for Skin-So-Soft, I once left a bottle out on the porch, and later found it black with mosquitoes. It actually attracted them.
posted by wjm at 12:55 AM on April 2, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Michele in California at 3:46 PM on April 1, 2015