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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Gimmick or the real thing-Bug repellant
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| Pinetree |
scottiebaldwin: "Try Picaridan. It works well and won’t ruin your sunglasses if you get some on them. "Done deet on my wristwatch cover, not very good outcome. Wonder if this product is inline and similar to Picaridin? |
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| timatkn |
It works in my opinion better than other options, but the really high deet formulas seem better and longer lasting. I had 100% deet melt my rain jacket…I just can’t put it on my skin after that. So I did switch to Picaridin and I use Premethrin on my clothes/buff/hat. Head net in really bad bugs. I’ll even treat head net with permethrin. Another trick is to treat your tent mesh with permethrin. T |
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| Pinetree |
timatkn: "Another trick is to treat your tent mesh with permethrin. " I put deet on my tent fly in one spot and it melted the waterproofing right off. |
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| Jaywalker |
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| scottiebaldwin |
#DefeatTheDeet2024 |
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| tumblehome |
Tom |
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| ockycamper |
WE also use thermacells |
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| SevenofNine |
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| OldTripper |
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| Swampturtle |
Permethrin, deet, picaridin all work for me. I wear picaridin almost daily in the summer depending on the weather & time of day. Beginning of the summer I bought whatever brand of picaridin I found on the shelf & it didn’t work well at all. I hadn’t noticed it was a 10% blend. I figured out really quick the 20% blend did repel mosquitoes. Numbers matter. |
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| mancosotter |
I live where there are nasty biting gnats and mosquitos. I treat my clothes with permethrin and use 20% picaridin and have not needed 100% DEET. Picaridin does not seem to melt things, has no smell, and does not remove paint. But I think that how your personal choice reacts with your body chemistry is a big part of the equation. I definitely suggest people try picaridin (but bring along some DEET). -Steve |
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| plmn |
Picaridin is clinically tested to be effective and evidently has been popular in Europe for a while. Not sure why it isn't more popular here because it makes the camping experience so much better. But I did have more options to choose from this year than last year so it's getting there. |
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| scottiebaldwin |
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| pleflar |
OldTripper: "I watched this video last night. It was a bit surprising. Some of the advertising and claims are based on the EPA definition of "repellent". Some claims are a stretch from reality." I was just about to post that same video. I do think it's useful to think about combating insects in a layered strategy so I'm going to summarize some of the research I've done lately regarding the best use of various bug chems. 0- Some chemicals repel the noxious bugs before they bite/sting while other chemicals are insecticides that will kill the bugs after some exposure + time. 1- On your exposed skin picaridin is probably the best option because it is effective as a repellant (about as effective as DEET but without the smell and greasiness), though maybe not for as long as is claimed, particularly when you're sweating. Picaridin is also compatible with sunscreen, DEET reduces the effectiveness of sunscreen by as much as 33% so it's much less useful on exposed skin for that one fact. 2- On your clothes either DEET or permethrin are effective but in different ways. As the video shows, DEET reduces the likelihood of being bitten while permethrin kills the bugs but does allow them to chance to bite. Since mosquitoes can bite quickly permethrin is less effective against a first bite but also will, eventually, kill mosquitoes that get an effective dose. Ticks are probably more effectively dealt with by permethrin since DEET's repellant is limited but permethrin has plenty of time to kill them before they dig in. 3- On gear I think permethrin is the winner by the clear distance. Tents, tarps, hammocks, bug nets, etc... Anything that encloses you that's treated will eventually kill all the mosquitoes and ticks that are gathered on that gear while attracted to you. That doesn't mean there aren't more out there but I know how annoyed I am climbing out of my hammock and bug net with hundreds of mosquitos waiting to attack...any reduction of that would be good news. 4- Area effects...only Thermacell can do this and it's limited by environmental conditions and the fact that, like permethrin, it's an insecticide rather than a repellant on the level of picaridin or DEET. In windy or rainy conditions Thermacell is going to suffer. Nonetheless, Thermacell has its place in a layered insect detergent strategy. No single deterrent will solve the "bug" problem. Layer your defense and be prepared to combat high volume bugs with physical and chemical barriers. |
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| Zanzinger |
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| TrailZen |
TZ |
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| Pinetree |
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| Pinetree |
Also I am skeptical of review legit at times |
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| 4keys |
With the skeeters being so ferocious at home this year, I’ve had to apply bug spray every time I go outside. I hate using bug spray, so I have tried a couple different natural type sprays. Unfortunately they haven’t really worked for me. |
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| timatkn |
Anything is possible though. T |
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| TrailZen |
TZ |
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| Pinetree |
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| Pizzaerick |
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| TrailZen |
TZ |